Flea & Tick Elimination
Flea and Tick Control Built Around the Life Cycle
Flea problems come back because the treatment stopped at the pet. A female cat flea lays 20 to 50 eggs a day, and those eggs roll off the animal into carpet, pet bedding, and the shaded dirt under a deck, where they hatch and start over. Ticks are a different animal with a different fix. They hold position at the edge of the property, in leaf litter and low grass, and wait for a host to brush past. 101 Exterminators treats both, working the inside of the home, the yard, and the routes wildlife uses to bring fleas and ticks onto the property. SPCB Lic. #9119, on the Central Coast since 2005.
How We Work
Our Process
Every service follows a structured protocol designed to deliver effective, lasting results — not a temporary fix.
Inspection & Source Identification
We look for flea dirt where it collects, check crawl spaces and the shaded ground under decks and hedges, and note where opossums, raccoons, and ground squirrels are moving through the property. For ticks we walk the line where kept lawn meets brush, since that strip carries most of the exposure. What the inspection turns up sets the treatment, rather than a standard package set in advance.
Interior Treatment
Interior work pairs an adulticide for the fleas you can see with an insect growth regulator for the ones you cannot. The growth regulator keeps eggs and larvae from developing into breeding adults, and it goes where eggs settle: carpet, the base of upholstered furniture, pet resting spots, and along baseboards. On hard floors we work the edges and cracks, where debris feeds developing larvae.
Yard & Property Edge
Flea larvae do not survive in open sun, so yard treatment targets shade: under decks and stairs, beneath dense shrubs, along the north side of the house, and wherever the dog lies down. Tick treatment follows a different line, the border where mowed yard gives way to tall grass, leaf litter, and brush. Treating the whole lawn misses both.
Pet Coordination & Follow-Through
Treating the house without the animal, or the animal without the house, puts you back where you started. We coordinate timing so your veterinarian's product goes on the pet the same day we treat, and we walk you through the vacuuming schedule that pulls pupae out of the carpet. Vacuuming does more than clean here, since the warmth and pressure signal cocooned adults to emerge onto treated surfaces.
What Sets Us Apart
Why Choose 101 Exterminators
20+ years of service across four Central California counties. CA licensed, insured, and backed by a genuine satisfaction guarantee.
Growth Regulator in the Plan
An adulticide handles the fleas jumping today. The insect growth regulator works on the eggs and larvae buried in carpet and yard shade, which is where the great majority of the population is sitting at any moment.
Yard and Property Edge Treated
Indoor-only treatment leaves the outdoor source running. We treat the shaded ground where flea larvae survive and the brush line where ticks wait for a host to walk by.
Wildlife Source Assessment
Homes along open space, creek corridors, and farm edges get fleas delivered by opossums, raccoons, and ground squirrels. We find the openings those animals are using and tell you what needs closing.
Coordinated With Your Veterinarian
We time the visit around the product your vet has prescribed, and you get written prep and re-entry steps so the two halves of the job line up instead of canceling each other out.
20+
Years in Business
A+
BBB Rating
4
Counties Served
5★
Google Rating
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I have fleas when I do not own a pet?
Wildlife brought them. Opossums, raccoons, feral cats, and ground squirrels all carry cat fleas, and they drop eggs in crawl spaces, under decks, and in shaded yard soil as they pass through. Larvae develop down there in the damp and the dark, then the adults come inside looking for a warm host. This is a routine finding on Central Coast properties that back onto open space, a creek corridor, or a farm edge. The fix is treating the harborage and closing the access, not treating the living room alone.
Why am I still seeing fleas after the treatment?
That is the pupal stage, and it is expected. Growth regulators reach eggs and larvae, but the cocoon shields the pupa inside, so fleas keep emerging for a couple of weeks after a treatment. At cool temperatures a fully formed flea can wait in its cocoon as long as twelve months before it comes out. Vacuuming daily gives those pupae the warmth and pressure they read as a host arriving, which draws them out early onto treated surfaces. That is why the vacuum matters more than any additional spray.
How should I prepare for a flea treatment?
Vacuum every carpet and upholstered surface, including under the furniture and along the baseboards, then put the bag or canister contents in an outside bin. Wash pet bedding in hot water and dry it on high heat. Clear the floor of toys, shoes, laundry, and pet bowls so we can reach the carpet edges. Arrange for your veterinarian's product to go on the pet the same day. Plan for people and animals to be out until treated surfaces are dry, and your technician will give you the re-entry instructions from the product label.
Which tick species live on the Central Coast?
Two of them drive most of the questions we get. The western black-legged tick (Ixodes pacificus) carries the bacteria behind Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, and hard tick relapsing fever, and it lives in the leaf litter of oak, madrone, and Douglas fir woodland. The Pacific Coast tick (Dermacentor occidentalis) is the grassland and chaparral tick here, and it transmits Pacific Coast tick fever. California has roughly four dozen tick species in all, but on residential property in these four counties the two above are the ones that matter.
When is tick season in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties?
The seasons here stack on top of each other, so no month on this coast is empty. Adult western black-legged ticks are out from late November into late April or early May, riding the wet season on low grass and brush along trail margins. Nymphs take over from March through July and peak in mid to late spring, and they are the harder problem, because a nymph is about the size of a poppy seed and stays down in leaf litter, out of sight. Late summer is the quietest stretch, not a safe one.
Does yard treatment get rid of ticks?
Yard treatment lowers tick numbers in the treated zone, and it works best alongside habitat changes rather than in place of them. Ticks concentrate on the boundary where mowed yard meets unmanaged growth, so keeping grass short, clearing leaf litter, and laying a gravel or wood chip strip between lawn and brush takes away the humidity they depend on. Our treatment is aimed at that same edge. None of it changes the wooded acres past your fence line, which is why tick checks after yard time still belong in the routine.
Do fleas and ticks carry real health risks?
Both carry real risk. Cat fleas are the intermediate host for the tapeworm Dipylidium caninum, which passes to pets that swallow a flea while grooming, and flea bites drive flea allergy dermatitis in sensitive animals. Western black-legged ticks transmit Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, and hard tick relapsing fever, and transmission generally takes many hours of attachment, which is the argument for checking people and dogs the same day. A bite followed by a rash, a fever, or aching joints is a question for a physician, not for a pest control company.
Service Locations
Where We Provide Fleas & Ticks
Related Services
Serving 4 Central California Counties
Monterey · San Benito · Santa Cruz · Santa Clara
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No obligation. Written estimate before any work begins. CA licensed and insured. Serving Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara counties.