Summer weather fosters fleas, and the summer was massively successful for flea populations along the Gulf.  “You could call this tumultuous,” said Pat Stockstill, director of business development for Pestop, a Baton Rouge business dedicated to helping people rid their homes and pets of pest invasions. “Veterinarians are declaring this the worst flea season they’ve ever seen.” He believes one possible cause for the influx is weather. “We didn’t have much of a winter [last year],” Stockstill said. “It didn’t even slow [the fleas] down. When it came to the hot weather, there were already higher quantities than usual.”Fleas have a four-stage life cycle: egg, larva, cocoon and adult. Home and pet owners must worry about the cocoon phase, according to Stockstill. “It has a coat that protects them while developing,” Stockstill said. “No chemical can penetrate it.”It usually takes from seven to 14 days for the cocoon to hatch, but cocoons can survive for as long as a year. This often happens when an area with cocoons gets traffic from pets and humans. Heat, vibrations and carbon dioxide are “signals” to the cocoon to hatch. The fleas sense the presence of a host or food, Stockstill said.Stacy Warren at Sherwood South Animal Hospital in Baton Rouge said dog and cat owners were “freaking out” this summer. “They had never had flea problems before,” Warren said.  New Orleans animal behaviorist Ryan Andree of The Dog House reported almost all of his clients have pets or homes with flea problems. “Fleas require constant upkeep [of preventative maintenance],” he said. “Get on a good flea prevention system and treat the yard.” Flea conditions have not been as bad in Shreveport, said Adam Foret of the University Veterinary Hospital.”I wouldn’t say drastically more, but we’ve seen a slight increase,” Foret said. Foret said the most common flea is the cat flea. – – – -Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at [email protected]