Can I use mothballs in my vacuum to kill fleas?

Question

I have a heavy infested house full of fleas....I hired an exterminator Friday the 5th to get rid of the fleas and they are still there! Is there anything else I can do to get rid of them? I have tried borax and the flea bombers and nothing is working. I heard you can put mothballs in the vacuum bag to kill the adult fleas that hatch inside the bag or that you suck up...does this really work? Is it even safe...I keep hearing mixed opinions. I also heard that after vacuuming you can wrap the vacuum bag in another plastic bag and place it in the freezer to kill all of the existing fleas. Does this method work? Please let me know asap!! I am deperate for any help...They keep biting me and leaving opened wounds on my skin. Any help will do. Thank you!

Answer 1

You can cut up a flea collar and put it in the bag or spray a kleenex with flea spray and suck that up into the bag as well. I would still put the bag into a plastic bag and tie a knot in it before throwing it away.

If at all possible, get rid of the wall to wall carpeting, drapes, pillows, stuffed animals, etc. I know that sounds extreme but it really does work.

Answer 2

THis is not a short answer, but first you have to treat the pets with an effective flea medicine. I have four kitties and live in the country where they go inside and out at will. Never see a flea, I use revolution every month on my pets and treat my yard, just the acre right around the house, not the whole thing. I have never had much success with home remedies for consistent flea prevention. Shampoos and powders kill the fleas on them at the time but don't repel more from jumping on. You should try frontline (over counter), or revolution (which usually requires a prescription and a neg heartworm test for dogs), and be consistent, use it once a month.
First of all, if the exterminator came and the fleas are still there you should call them and ask about this! The eggs fall off and then hatch in your carpets, rugs, bedding, and furniture. You could go to your local pet store and ask for a spray that is safe for use around your cat and spray the entire house, especially where the cats hang out. Also, putting moth balls in your vacuum cleaner bag or canister will help to kill any eggs, fleas, or larva that are sucked up.( IT worked for me, I vacuumed four times a day for a week during an extensive treatment) Otherwise, they will hatch in the vacuum and crawl out later. If the pet goes outside you should also treat your yard. I use sevin dust. Apply just before a rain shower, or use a hose or sprinkler to wet the lawn immediately after application. I am sure freezing the fleas would kill them, but like the one fellow said, you can't put your whole house in a freezer.
If the infestation of the home is too bad you may see persistent fleas and need to treat more than once. I know it's a lot of work, but once you've got them bad it can be expensive to fix. Also, once your pet is flea free, if your pet scratches a lot, then she may need to see the vet. They can develop a topical, or skin infection from digging themselves.

Edit: Flea collars should not be used with any other type of topical treatment such as frontline or revolution. Plus, they just don't work well, and pose more health risks to the pet than to the fleas

Answer 3

The moth balls probably won't do much. They really only work if you can confine the bug you're trying to kill in an air tight container with the gas emitted by the mothballs. So if you had bugs (moths or carpet beetles) eating a wool suit, you would put the garment in giant rubbermaid container with a bag of the moth balls.

The freezing trick works on most bug problems but is most effective if the temperature change is sudden and drastic. Many insects can survive the winter because the temperature drops slowly from summer to autumn to winter. But the instant shock of going from 70 to below freezing kills most anything. Problem is, how do you put your whole house in the freezer? Even if you had a vacuum that could suck up every last flea and egg, would your cats allow you to vacuum them? Eggs can fall off and hatch anywhere including the litter box! Yikes, these bugs don't give up easily.

You can try the above, but the thing that will probably do the trick is to
1) have the exterminator back, they should have a guarantee.
2) starve the fleas. You need to use Frontline on your cats. And you yourself, you should wear flea collars like jewelry. Braceletts and anklettes.
3) wash your bed sheets and pajamas in hot water. wash anything your pets sleep on if you can.

Good luck. You'll survive this. Everybody does.

Answer 4

Flea Vacuum

Answer 5

Or you could just throw the hoover bag out afterwards. Mothballs repel moths, they're not designed to kill fleas, which are quite different insects.

Listen up - flea bombs and borax don't work, they're old hat, used in a time before proper treatments were available. Yes I would complain to the Exterminator - I always wondered what chemicals they use, but did suspect they wouldn't have access to anything you couldn't buy at a vets. Perhaps they don't even use chemicals that good, maybe they just use the random pesticides you buy in shops! Fleas are a little more hardy than your regular bug, they don't get defeated by just anything.

Do you actually have pets? If so, treating them correctly is the key to keeping fleas out your house. By this, I mean getting a proper treatment from a vets, like Frontline, and not wasting money on any store-bought stuff. Using Frontline Plus should also negate you having to treat you house any more.

Chalice

Answer 6

Fleas can be a terrible problem. To help you get rid of the fleas, it is a good idea to try to find out where they came from and try to treat the source or prevent access to the source. If your cats go outside, they can bring fleas in by merely walking through the grass where a cat or dog with fleas has walked.

You might be able to find a website that could give you some specific instructions about fleas, but this is what worked for me. I bathed all the cats in a good flea shampoo I got from the vet. I vacuumed the whole house -- all stuffed furniture and pillows, stuffed animals -- everything. Anything that could be washed, I washed. I threw away the vacuum cleaner bag (mine has replaceable bags). If yours does not have replaceable bags, maybe you can rent one. I can't imagine fleas in the freezer! Then I used a flea spray recommended by the vet and sprayed it everywhere. The entire process needs to be repeated in 3 to 4 weeks.

When the flea infestation is not severe, it may be enough to use Frontline on each cat, but you need to repeat it once a month for three months and I think it is more than $10 per cat per dose.

The problem is always worse in the summer. You can get a fine-toothed flea comb and comb the little black specks out of their fur, which will help their appearance. This is "flea dirt" and should be removed.

Good luck. (Once you get fleas, it seems to be a good argument for not letting your cats have the run of the house).

Answer 7

Mothballs in the vacuum cleaner is the same as Borax in the vacuum cleaner. I have only ever used Borax. But no matter which you use you need to get that vacuum bag in a plastic bag and out of the house fast. Don't be trying to put it in the freezer, just a waste of time. You want all those eggs and larvae and fleas in the great outdoors where they belong. Then put a new bag in with some mothballs or some borax powder in it.
http://www.familymatters.tv/level_4/pets/gotfleas.htm

What you put in the vacuum cleaner bag only kills what's in the bag so you need to keep vacuuming every day or twice a day. You need to break the flea's life cycle. If you treated your carpets and any crevices with Borax that's good(hopefully you left it on for 2-3 days). By continuing to vacuum you'll eventually get all the fleas as they hatch, eggs, larvae and any in the pupal stage. And of course you need to some Advantage or similar product for your cat(s).

What you are doing IS working just not as fast as you'd like. The flea is a complicated nuisance of an insect. Check this out:

"Pupal Window Effect
Once adult fleas begin to emerge from cocoons, they are vulnerable to insecticides. However, after treatment with an adulticide pupae will continue to emerge for at least 2 to 4 weeks. In fact, small numbers of fleas may continue to emerge for periods up to one year; a phenomenon called "delayed emergence." Or "Delayed Pupal Hatching" This continued emergence of fleas following treatment is called the Pupal Window."

"The pitfalls of the Pupal Window Effect are:
1. Re-treatment with adulticides on the pet is needed to control the emerging fleas; and
2. Pet owners unaware of the effect may believe the control measures used aren't working and either discontinue them or switch to other, perhaps less effective methods."
http://www.flea-info.com/about_fleas/en/life_cycle.shtml

http://www.pmra-arla.gc.ca/english/consum/fleas-e.html

Wash & get any unnecessary rugs off the floor. Wash cat bedding and your bedding every few days. Put Borax powder under couch cushions too.

Answer 8

I'd be calling that exterminator for a refund! Borax worked good for us, but it wasn't that bad of an infestation. Did you let it sit overnight? Moth balls do work against a lot of critters, I wouldn't be surprised if it did work. I've always heard to put a flea collar in the vacuum bag and that is supposed to kill them. If you have animals, are you using a treatment on them like Advantage or Frontline? Good luck hope something works!

Answer 9

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Depending on the severity of the flea problem, you should comb your pet at least once weekly or as much as twice daily. Concentrate on the areas where fleas congregate, usually around the neck in cats, and on the lower back and belly in dogs. Drop the fleas in a bowl of soapy water to drown them. Bathing your pet (yes, even cats!) is most appropriate for heavier infestations, and will remove most or all of the fleas on your pet. Never use insecticides on your pet. Flea powders, sprays, collars, shampoos, and dips are toxic, and are harmful to your pet. There are many good quality herbal pet shampoos available that incorporate the essential oils of eucalyptus, citronella, penny royal, or other flea repellent oils. Follow label direction. (Do not use these if your pet is being treated homeopathically, as they can antidote remedies.) Alternatively, you can use any good quality non-medicated pet shampoo, leaving a thick lather on your pet for 10-15 minutes to drown the fleas. Be careful not to let small puppies or kittens become chilled or overheated, and don't bathe more than once weekly. There are a variety of commercial powders and sprays available that do not contain insecticides. Powders and sprays are the least desirable of these methods, and if you find that you need to use them frequently, you should (1) treat the household more aggressively, and/or (2) improve your pet's diet, or treat homeopathically. Nutrition and homeopathy will more effectively address the underlying cause of the problem.Fleas quickly establish a population of eggs, larvae, and adults in a household, and adult fleas spend most of the time off of the pet. If you find lots of fleas on your pet shortly after bathing or combing, then the fleas in the household must be dealt with. Frequent thorough vacuuming is necessary to remove flea eggs and larvae. The vacuum cleaner bag can be a reservoir of flea eggs and larvae, so either (1) put a mothball in the bag or (2) remove it after vacuuming, seal it in a plastic bag, and put it in the freezer overnight. In severe cases, it may be reasonably safe to apply an insecticidal product to kill the existing flea population in the house. Most of the flea bombs and sprays that are available by prescription only (from a veterinarian) are quite toxic, and I do not recommend their use. A commercial product like Black Flag or Raid aerosol is a better choice. Get the animals (and yourself) out of the house until the spray has completely settled out of the air and dried. Use the normal precautions to prevent contamination of water bowls, food dishes, etc. Another possibility would be to use powdered pyrethrum (African daisy) flowers for dusting rugs, floors, etc. These are relatively safe and moderately effective for this purpose, but must be repeated fairly often. Vacuum thoroughly, sprinkle the powder liberally on the rugs, and gently work it in with a broom. Concentrate on areas where your pet spends a lot of time. Wait at least 3 days before vacuuming, and repeat the process. I do not recommend direct application of these products on your pet. Simply killing the fleas will not be effective in the long run in eliminating your pet's flea problem. There will always be more fleas to replace those you kill. If, however, you are preparing a high quality homemade diet, and you still need to apply the flea-killing measures frequently, there is probably a more serious underlying problem with your pet that requires homeopathic treatment.

Answer 10

My mother passed on leaving me with a house full of fleas to deal with... I liberally spread 20 Mule Team Borax and Morton Salt all through the carpet and left it there. I put the remaining cats OUTSIDE. It worked for me. The salt will irritate your feet if you go barefoot so wear slippers at least. After you vacuum repeat the process. I kept both on my rugs for 3 mos. before I quit treating them. Remember its not just the fleas but the hatching eggs you're dealing with and THAT takes time.