If you have pets, you know that summertime is the prime season for fleas. As I discovered yesterday, it’s much cheaper and easier to prevent a flea problem in your house than to treat it. For example, a $40 monthly treatment of something like Advantage or Frontline may sound expensive, but once you have fleas in the house you’ll need to spend money on flea bombs or carpet spray to get rid of the fleas and eggs in the house, as well as treating your pets to get rid of any fleas they are carryingI’ve done some research to find out some tips for preventing fleas from moving into your home.

Prevention is better than cure! * pre-treat all your pets with a treatment like Frontline or Advantage. You may want to start doing this as early as November to make sure they’re protected when flea season starts. These products work by cutting off the breeding cycle of the fleas. If you do this vigilantly you greatly minimise the chance of getting fleas. Set a reminder in your calendar of choice to reapply every month.

* sweep wooden floors, vacuum carpets and rugs and your pet’s bed regularly. As a rule of thumb – if pet hair collects there, it’s a pet bed, whether it’s an old towel they like to sleep on, their designated bed, or your couch. clean the outdoor areas where your pet hangs out too – eg doghouse

* if you have a garden, plant lots of pyrethrum, pennyroyal or mint, which are deterrants to fleas. A planter near your front and back door, or near the doghouse, sounds like a good plan.

Too late?If your pet has already picked up fleas (contact with another animal or from visiting an area with fleas), you’ll need to do the following: