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To get rid of Houston fleas and stay ahead of them,
this is what you should know:

Adult fleas are small, black to brown-black creatures without wings. They are 1-4 mm long with laterally flat bodies and strong spring-like legs capable of leaping several inches high.  

Fleas can survive several months without a blood meal if no host is available and adults can live for many years. People entering vacant homes or buildings are sometimes attacked by hungry fleas awakened from hibernation by the walking vibration and the hosts' emission of detectable carbon dioxide. 

Reproduction Cycle

Females require a blood meal to lay their eggs. Fleas cycle through stages from egg to larvae, pupae and then adult. The eggs from the flea species that commonly attack man generally take 10-21 days to hatch out depending on the temperature and humidity present. In a cold environment the hatch cycle can take several weeks to complete.

Eggs are laid on the host but are not attached and commonly fall off ending in nearby cracks and crevices, on bedding, under edges of carpeting and in pet boxes or kennels. The female fleas produces 4-8 eggs after each blood meal and can lay typically hundreds of eggs during her life span.

Flea Species

There are over 1500 species of fleas in the world with 95% of fleas attacking  mammals and 5% attacking birds. Fleas are found on numerous rodents and animals including mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, cats, dogs and often readily transfer to humans. Of the hundreds of flea species, only a few species present as a significantly important pest to humans or man's pets.
 
Cat Fleas

Cat fleas are the most commonly encountered species in the home in the U.S.. Frequently these fleas hitch a ride in on an indoor/outdoor pet that picks them up in the yard. Sometimes they attach themselves to shoes or pants and get transported indoors in this manner. Every year many homes become infested in this manner even though the homeowner may not even have a cat or dog.

Cat fleas love cats, like dogs but will settle for humans if convenient or necessary to obtain their blood meal.

Besides the irritation and discomfort caused by flea bites, fleas are a significant concern as a pest that is capable of transmitting diseases such as typhus and the plague. Even though fleas have their host species preferences, they will move to other available hosts making cross species transmission of diseases possible.

Fleas prefer a warm and humid environment which accelerates their reproductive cycle. Some parts of the South with it's longer warm season experience an extended active flea season with some flea treatments even required in winter months.