When I started out in the pest business 30 years ago I never dreamed I would be writing an article on how to kill fleas, but here I sit doing just that. I just read an article about vacuuming and how important it is in getting rid of fleas. That is one of the first things I learned as a pest control person was the importance of vacuuming for fleas.
Above image is flea bites
Remember when you vacuum, throw out the bag. When I say throw out the bag, I mean place it in a plastic bag tie up the top and get it out of the house. If you leave a bag in the vacuum cleaner the fleas that may live through all the turmoil, and some will, will find their way back out.
Vacuum the carpet, the furniture, the hard floors, and especially the place where the pets spend most of their time.
I do believe the Ohio State University insect specialist who says that the they believed that the damaging effects of the brushes, fans, and powerful air currents in vacuum cleaners combined can kill the fleas.
I am just not sure how many it will kill. After all these years my experience is that it won't get all of them. I know one thing it certainly won't kill the ones on your pet or in the places you can't get with a vacuum. I have said it time and again, you just can't do one thing and get rid of fleas. If you have read any of my post, you will learn I am a firm believer in a combination of treatments.
Treat the pet
Treat the inside of structure
Treat the yard
That is the only sure fire way I know of, I will always say if your not sure you can do these things, call a professional, there are many out there.
1.Orkin
2.Terminex
3.Truly Nolen
4.Nozel Nolen
I have named a few of the larger pest companies, but there are many local company's who will do you a good job.
If you do decide to do your own flea service then check your local Do It Yourself company's.
Remember always read the label, and do not deviate from it. The label does take predominance over anything else you do in learning how to kill fleas.
John
Thanks John for your help. I currently have a flea problem and your blog had good advice on what to do.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your advice. And my stinking pet cause them so thanks
ReplyDeleteIs there anything that is non-toxic to children
ReplyDeleteand animals that will get rid of a flea
infestation? I have two cats in my basement and
they have fleas. I need something I can maybe
give them orally and on their bodies that
won't be poisonous to us. Thanks
My arms and legs look horrible from flea infestation in my house. What are doctors using to treat this calamity? anacostia@comast.net
ReplyDeletecheck with the vet for a solution for the pets, most of the treatments for pets will not bother humans as long as you just keep it to the pets
ReplyDeletethe best way to get rid of fleas is do the steps, and also do a repeat treatment.
ReplyDeletecopy and paste the link below
http://fleas-success.blogspot.com/2007/09/why-you-are-not-successful-in-getting.html
A flea bit just takes time to heal, check pharmacy for an ointment to ease the scratching., try to refrain from scratching the area will heal quicker.
ReplyDeleteWe have a cat and a dog. Of course I treated the animals 1st: flea shampoo, medicated drops, and flea collars. The animals seemed to be doing fine but the fleas were still biting us. I just used Raid flea. I treated all the carpets, the linens, and upholstered furniture. It worked really well.
ReplyDeleteI hope this works. my friend jon (irony lol) had a couple of cats and they infected the apartment with fleas and now im covered in bites and im mad as hell he didnt tell me until it was too late. But thank you for the advise im SOOOOO ready to try it out!!!
ReplyDeleteYour welcome Freshcovina
ReplyDeleteYour blog is a great help! Thank you!
ReplyDeletemy cat had fleas and I treated it with shampoo and a collar but they came back and my 19 month old has the bites on his face around his hairline. I checked his hair and there are no fleas, then I found one in his ear. My concern is that they have laid eggs on him or his ear. what should i do?
ReplyDeleteI don't think you have any worries about fleas laying eggs on your 19 month old, I am sure if they do they will wash off or roll off before any fleas hatch out.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Fleas Anonymous. I too have just started getting fleas after living here 10yrs without a problem. I spent 5 hrs spraying my fenced in backyard that contain 4 cats and a dog, but i cant really reach under a screen porch and front deck as the spray wont reach all the way and the deck has fencing around the bottom so pets don't get out. I also used Ortho Max granules for the yard which only covered about a quarter of it, but sprayed everywhere else. But the fleas still persist on the the cats but not the dog, which is weird. I also just used powder flea control on the carpets inside and just finished carpeting as i type this. As someone mentioned above i think i'm gonna also try the Raid Flea Spray and give the backyard another dose of chemical warfare..Also get a flea comb and brush out your pets, this helped to find the ones the Frontline i gave them didn't kill. The initial tips that John mentioned are very useful.Application,Application!......Thanx!!
ReplyDeleteis there such a thing as fleas that are resistant to frontline. I treated my cat and dog, And ended up having to go to my folfs to help them out. Well they have a LARGE flea infesttaion and now both my pets have fleas. And I just treated them that day.
ReplyDeleteI think any insect could build up a resistance to a chemical, if you take your animals to another home or residence there is a good chance the fleas will go with you. get them dipped by a professional or do it your self right before you leave.
ReplyDelete