Flea Market Finds

It’s a jumping, ankle-biting nuisance that most people don’t tolerate all that well — especially when the beloved family dog is under an itchy-scratchy attack. Fleas bite. While this wingless parasite that typically measures 2 millimeters represents a speck of the pest control service marketplace relative to regulars like cockroaches and ants, a number of pest management professionals (PMPs) who participated in PCT’s 2025 State of the Flea Control Market survey noticed a slight uptick in activity.

Louis Dorton owns South Plains Pest Control in Lubbock, Texas, where fleas start hopping in spring until a late-fall freeze. Prairie dogs, possums and foxes carry cat fleas into residents’ yards, especially those with humid, dark hangouts like low-lying brush. They reside under decks that critters access and beneath shade trees.

During flea season, Dorton estimates that 30% of his clients subscribe to a monthly flea control program that kicks off in March.

“People love their pets — and a lot of them like their pets even more than their in-laws — so it’s not a hard sell,” Dorton said. Pet owners represent about 75% of his calls for flea service.

PCT’s flea research indicated a 17% increase in flea infestation incidences, with 70% reporting no change in activity and 11% noting a decrease. Factors that turn up flea pressure include warm and wet weather, sandy soil, unkempt yards, lapses in veterinarian treatment (possibly due to budgetary issues), feral cats and other animal intruders that traipse through yards with these parasite hitchhikers.

Chickens can be a problem, too.

Luis Arroyo said his Lee, Fla., operation’s flea service amounts to about 10% of annual revenue and it has grown during the last year. He’s pointing a finger at homeowners who set up coops to cope with egg prices, not realizing that chicken feed attracts rats, which invite fleas to the scene.

“Their pets are running around the backyard and not on flea medication and backyard chickens draw in rats and raccoons,” said Arroyo, owner of All Pro Pest Control. “Is it really worth it?”

There is also a greater incidence of flea pressure in the rental units he services.

Last year, PCT survey respondents generated an average 4.6% of overall revenue from flea control services. Most (69%) said flea control represented less gross income than this. Just 5% attribute managing fleas to 15% more of revenue.

But much like bed bugs — a bigger chunk of the market — flea bites and an “ick” bad rap seems to trigger calls vs. a deal-with-it mentality. PMPs across the board say it’s a small yet essential public health service.

Chet Miles has watched flea pressure creep up during the last few years, which he said is “a little surprising because of how good of a job veterinarians are doing with prescribing preventive medications.” Even so, the owner of Driftwood, Texas-based Miles Pest Control estimates servicing no more than a half dozen clients with flea problems last year.

Meanwhile, David Bonett, owner of Capitol Exterminating in Brick, N.J., has been in the industry since 1975 and said flea calls are “not as common as they used to be,” estimating the service represents about 10% of his revenue. But when there’s a problem, “People don’t let it go.”