ABSTRACT
The pests include fleas in the fur of dogs and cats kept as pets, human lice that depend on intimate or casual contact for dispersal, scabies mites that tunnel the skin and cause irritation and dust mites that cause asthma. The deep pile of wall-to-wall carpeting provides stable conditions, a protected food supply and a microclimate suitable for cat flea larvae to flourish. Human fleas, fleas associated with cats and rats, head and body lice, scabies and house dust mites and bed bugs directly impact household residents. From the 17th to the 19th century the human flea was a very common household pest, regardless of the house or the family's socioeconomic status. The conditions suitable for the human flea probably existed throughout Europe and North American for many years. The cat flea has become a common household pest within the last 20 years. Mites have successfully exploited a variety of habitats in the urban environment.
