Fleas Control / Booklice Control

Our Advantages...

• Service since 1947
• BugDefence™ 100% Natural Insect Repellent Spray (Plant based)
• Hygienitech® UV-C Vacuum Machine - Chemical-free way to eliminate fleas, bacteria etc
• Green Pesticide- Dustmitex® (Borate-based) Spray. Extremely safe to humans, pets and non-target insects
• Satisfaction guaranteed. Caring your family is our top priority, we provide 30 days satisfaction guaranteed after initial treatment
• Green Pest Management- Apply non-chemical method i.e. Brundle® Hot Steaming Machine to kill fleas and eliminate breeding sources

Caring for your family, home and the environment is our business

(Cat flea - photo captured by William Hung of Johnson Group)

Fleas belong to the order Siphonaptera, this name comes from "Siphon"(sucking mouth-part), "a"(without), and "ptera"(wings), referring to their wingless and bloodsucking characteristics. Cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) are frequently encountered in homes and are common pests on domestic cats and dogs. Adult fleas are very small insects (up to 1/8 inch), so it is difficult to see a number of the characteristics used to describe them. These reddish brown to black, wingless insects are compressed from side to side so that they look like they are walking "on edge." They have piercing-sucking mouthparts through which they obtain blood meals from their hosts. Flea larvae are tiny (up to 3/16 inch long), hairy, and wormlike with a distinct, brownish head, but no eyes or legs.

Life cycle

• Female cat fleas remain on the host (unlike most other fleas) and lay about 20 to 30 eggs per day on the animal.
• Cat flea eggs are pearly white, oval, and about 1/32 inch long
• The eggs are smooth; they readily fall from the pet and land on surfaces like bedding and carpeting in the animalˇs environment. They hatch in about 2 days
• The whitish, wormlike larvae feed on dried blood and excrement produced by adult fleas feeding on the pet
• Larval development is normally restricted to protected places where there is at least 75% relative humidity. They feed and crawl around for 5 to 15 days at 70 to 90F before they build small silken cocoons in which they develop into adult fleas (pupate). The pupae are usually covered with local debris for visual camouflage
• At room temperatures, the entire life cycle may be completed in about 18 days. An adult cat flea generally lives about 30 to 40 days on the host; it is the only stage that feeds on blood. Fleas may be found on pets throughout the year, but numbers tend to increase dramatically during spring and early summer

Problems associated with fleas

The cat flea is suspected of transmitting murine typhus to humans, but its primary importance is in its annoyance to people and pets. Cat fleas readily try to feed on almost any warm-blooded animal. Some people are bothered by the sensation of fleas walking on their skin, but bites are the major nuisance. Bites tend to be concentrated on the lower legs but can also occur on other parts of the body.

The bite consists of a small, central red spot surrounded by a red halo, usually without excessive swelling. Flea bites usually cause minor itching but may become increasingly irritating to people with sensitive or reactive skin. Some people and pets suffer from flea bite allergic dermatitis, characterized by intense itching, hair loss, reddening of the skin, and secondary infection. Just one bite may initiate an allergic reaction, and itching may persist up to 5 days after the bite. Cat fleas may also serve as intermediary hosts of dog tapeworms. Cats or dogs may acquire this intestinal parasite while grooming themselves by ingesting adult fleas that contain a cyst of the tapeworm.

Communicable diseases - Head Lice

Head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis, are tiny parasite which affect human only. They are most commonly found among the hair, on the scalp, behind the ears and near the neckline at the back of the neck. They are occasionally found on the eyebrows or beard...click for more details

Book Lice

(Booklice - photo captured by William Hung of Johnson Group)

Booklice (Psocoptera) are very small (less than 1.5mm in long) but not true lice. While they resemble lice in size and shape, booklice feed only on fungi. mold, together with dried or decaying plant and animal materials.

They become particularly abundant in dark, damp places such as basements, storerooms, homes closed for the summer, and closets during the warmer periods of the year. If you find them in grain or other stored food products, it is an indication of high humidity which encourages mold growth.

Booklice may be found under wallpaper, in furniture, along the sides of windows or on window sills around potted plants. Booklice do not bite, transmit disease, or damage food or fabric, but they can be very annoying when present in large numbers.

Management

The best way to control booklice is to eliminate moist environmental conditions. Reducing the humidity in your home will eliminate the mold on which the booklice feed. Clean the infested areas thoroughly, if possible, vacuuming all surfaces and cracks/crevices etc.

Taking as many objects as possible outside and drying them in the sun on a bright day. Under no circumstances should toxic pesticides be used to treat your home as it will just give you a short term relief. Remember that, sanitiation is the best approach to eliminate this pest withiout any harmful chemical.

Booklice under digital scientific microscope - Video captured by William Hung

Management

There is no better defense against fleas than a tailor-made treatment plan from Johnson Group

The best approach to managing fleas is prevention. New, safer, and more effective products aimed at controlling fleas on the pet have made flea management without pesticide sprays feasible in many situations. Management of fleas on the pet must be accompanied by regular, thorough cleaning of pet resting areas indoors and outside. Once fleas infest a home, control will require a vigilant program that includes cleaning and treating infested areas indoors, eliminating fleas on pets, and cleaning up and possibly treating shaded outdoor locations where pets rest.

Sanitation Practices

Thoroughly and regularly clean areas where adult fleas, flea larvae, and flea eggs are found. Vacuum floors, rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and crevices around baseboards and cabinets daily or every other day to remove flea eggs, larvae, adults, and food sources. Vacuuming is very effective in picking up adults. Flea eggs can survive and develop inside vacuum bags and adults may be able to escape to the outside, so immediately destroy bags by burning or by sealing them in a plastic trash bag and placing them in a covered trash container.

Launder pet bedding in hot, soapy water at least once a week. Thoroughly clean items brought into the building, such as used carpets or upholstered furniture, to prevent these from being a source of flea infestation.

Ask for help from our Pest Management Professionals

Hygienitech® UV-C Vacuum Machine

(Non-chemical measures are particularly useful in dealing with bugs associated with beds and bedding)

The Hygienitech Mattress Cleaning Systems combines high frequency, pulsating waves, incredible suction and a patented, high intensity germ killing, UVC light to pulverize and extract fleas, eggs and other harmful organisms that accumulates in your mattresses.

(Hygienitech® UV-C Vacuum Machine, equipped with UV-C and super vacuum power, able to kill and remove fleas and their droppings)

Brundle® Steam Machine

Brundle® (Swiss made) Steam Machine is another alternative that can be employed effectively as a control option. The unit reaches temperatures around 100℃ and is more than sufficient to kill fleas upon contact. Besides, the use of steam unit is commonly adopted to remove breeding sources.

(Portable Steam Machine is more than sufficient to kill mites, bugs, fleas and bacteria upon contact) 

Vibra-Vac Carpet Extraction Machine
Extraction steam cleaning of your carpet/rug ensures a more presentable appearance. The extraction mechanism ensures bugs and eggs within the carpet are being removed thoroughly.

In keeping our words "No traditional pesticide at your bedding". Our Pest Management Professionals have hand-selected plant-based and inorganic-based solutions for you to choose from.

Bug DeFence™ 100% Natural Insect Repellent Solution (Geraniol)

Bug DeFence™ is the industries first proprietary, university validated, FIFRA (25b) exempt repellent that creates a natural barrier between you and bugs.

Exclusively available only from Johnson Group. The Bug DeFence™ solution is an all-natural, concentrated formulation of essential oils blended with complementary surfactants, and oil-specific synergists. Its gentle lemon scent provides a long-lasting deterrent to flying and biting insects.

Features and Benefits of Bug DeFence™ Natural Repellent

• NOT an Insecticide
• Non Phytotoxic
• Rapidly repels flying and biting insects
• Skin Contact: Little to no effect, may irritate with long exposure
• Skin Absorption: May be slight
• Eye Contact: May irritate; will not cause permanent damage
• Inhalation: Little to no effect
• Ingestion: Little to no effect
• Health Hazards (Acute & Chronic): None
• Carcinogenicity: None

Dustmitex® (Green Pesticide labeled for mattress)

As a borate-based pesticide,  Dustmitex® has a very low mammalian toxicity and targets specific pests. This reduces the impact on people, pets and non-target insects beneficial to the environment (such as butterflies and honeybees). Also, Dustmitex® is applied only where needed, further reducing any unnecessary impact to the rest of the environment. And since it is long-lasting, less product is required for a successful and effective Green Pest Management program.

Dustmitex®'s (EPA Reg. no. 67419-1) effect on target pests (dust mites, fleas, bed bugs, termites, cockroaches and ants) comes from the way the boron molecules in its active ingredient interfere with a pest’s metabolism. Because pests cannot excrete excess boron as humans can, the boron builds up in their systems and ultimately interrupts the normal chemical process of transforming food into energy. So, by ingesting Dustmitex®, the insect is unable to extract nutrition from its food and effectively starves to death. Humans, pets and other living things don’t share the risk because they are able to excrete excess boron from their bodies.

Features and Benefits of Dustmitex®

• Proven to have low toxicity
• Reviewed by the California EPA, it will not have significant exposure risk to humans, and is safe to pets as well
• Ecology-based solution to the problems of controlling dust mites, bed bugs, fleas, cockroaches, ants and termites
• remarkable result of Dustmitex® is the long term effectiveness in the lowering bed bugs population

Safe-Pro-Lok Insect Trap

The relatively big dimensions (43*25 cm) of Safe-Pro-Lok Insect Trap allow us to cut the trap into different shapes and sizes. The Trap detects fleas in anywhere like home, hotels, transit and schools etc. The glue trap attracts both adult bugs and instar nymphs. Both our technicians and user can easily check to see if bugs have been detected and trapped. It is a cost effective product to provide long-term monitoring program. If a bug shows up, we can then arrange immediate action to eliminate the infestation.

**Reference sources: UC IPM Online