I have fleas in my home.I have done numeous things to get rid of them.can anyone tell me how long it takes....

Question

i have boraxed, salted, scrubed floors with hot water and lemon soap, and not to mention vaccummed and discarded the bags immediatly to the outdoors where the lil buggers are suppose to be. i think i amm over ruling them but i still have them in the basement, any suggestions there to do, again boraxed and put pure vinager on the floors but still finding a few, any one that could help please let me know. oh and also am doin the light, soap and water dih thingy and it has been a bit successful...

Answer 1

Unless they are dormant for the winter, fleas cannot live very long without feeding. They need a warmblooded animal to feed on. So one thing you need to figure out is what they're feeding on and use an anti-flea treatment like Advantage if it's a pet or exclude it effectively (or trap it) if it's a wild animal. Don't forget birds, they really attract fleas.

If you effectively exclude food sources, fleas have to die or leave. They don't travel much off the host animal. Of course, be careful you're not providing a human host for them, either.

Answer 2

Having had dogs and cats for decades, I'm not convinced that dessicants (borax, for example) are effective at killing fleas. I have had many infestations and there is only one thing that I have found that works: A flea spray that contains Precor in it.

You can get Zodiac flea spray at just about any pet store. It contains a chemical that initially kills the fleas and Precor, which is a growth inhibitor. It allows the eggs to hatch. But, the new fleas are sterile. After they die, the life cycle is broken.

To apply it, you spray everything that could harbor fleas (carpets, rugs, upholstery, etc.). And, make sure to get all areas (under beds, in closets, etc.). This will kill the fleas on contact, but the eggs will hatch in about a week. If you see the fleas, you'll notice they are very small (immature and sterile). You can spray again at that time to kill them on contact. And, after that, you will not have any fleas.

I've even gone two years between applications and, even though the dogs and cats are coming and going in and out of the house all summer, the fleas never got a foothold.

If you are wanting to avoid using chemical sprays, you may not ever find an effective way to get rid of the fleas. But, I know from lots of experience that Zodiac with Precor works.

Answer 3

So long as you are treating your pets with a good systemic flea treatment like Frontline, or Advantix, the problem will sort itself out in a few weeks. The fleas jump on the animals to feed, and actually live in your carpets, sofa, e.t.c. By treating the pets, the fleas feed from the animals blood, and the treatment renders the fleas sterile, and they cannot breed, so eventually, they are eliminated. It takes a few weeks but it does work.

Answer 4

Oh yes ... I can answer this question ...

I was totally infested with fleas including two cats this last summer and like you I tried all of the standard methods for removing them ... all ending in bitter frustration.

Fleas have a life cycle and can remain dormant for long periods of time. Vibration and / or warmth can bring them out of their cocoon ready to jump on your pet where the cycle starts all over again.

I tried the shampoos, chemicals, and bombs ... nothing seemed to work

Here's the condensed version of did work.

You have three battles to face the fleas on any pets, the fleas that live in the carpet and clothes and the life cycle.

Shampoos are effective for killing fleas at that moment but offer little protection the next day or the day after.

This is what you need to get for any pets.
http://www.diatect.com/flea-and-tick-killer.php is magical.
You can also apply this to your carpet in flea infested areas.

One of the key ingredients in this product is Diatomaceous Earth (silicon dioxide). This is the real important one because it breaks the cycle.

Diatomaceous Earth is a fine powder (think talcum) that is safe for humans and animals but lethal to fleas and lots of other insects. For them it is like crawling through razor wire that has ultra sharp shards of glass and needles etc. When insects come into contact with Diatomaceous Earth it punctures their exoskeleton and they dehydrate ... loose all of their moisture. THEY DIE!!!!

You can buy large bags of this stuff at lawn and garden centers fairly cheap. http://www.v-p-g.com/Labels/NaturalGuard/Dry_Insecticides/NG%20Crawling%20Insect%20Control%20Containing%20Diatomaceous%20Earth%20Label.pdf

I originally used a sieve (like applying powdered sugar to the top of a cake) to apply the Diatomaceous Earth to the carpets but that was super dusty. So I invested in a 1 gallon water sprayer. I have used it for other projects now that I have it so it was not, at least for me, a one time investment.

Mixing the Diatomaceous Earth in water allowed for a more even distribution on the carpets without the dust in the air. Once the Diatomaceous Earth gets into the carpet it just keeps working and working. New fleas that hatch come in contact and very shortly they die.

Stuff on Diatomaceous Earth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

7th paragraph illustrates how some farmers use it to control internal parasites in farm animals.
http://www.internet-grocer.net/diatome.htm


Once I found this solution it took less than a week to get it under control. Once you get it under control you can lightly vacuum.

Using the Flea and tick killer the animals stopped itching within a couple of hours and the ticks fell off within a couple of days. The fleas died quickly and the product being a powder got absorbed into the fur. Any new insects were subject to the chemicals and "razor wire".

The Diatomaceous Earth by itself provides the long term barrier to keeping the fleas from reinfesting.

Hope this helps…

Answer 5

I normally don't like bug bombs, and have never had fleas after I used borax and vacuuming. But in this case, you might need to go ahead and use one. And have the yard treated, in case the little pests are hiding there.

Good luck!

Answer 6

I used Zodiac spray, deep cleaned with a carpet cleaner and vacuumed over and over. Also, treated the dog numerous times. The carpet powders didn't work very well because of uneven spreading and it wasn't able to get down into the deep fibers.

Answer 7

Your best bet is to do a bomb. You can buy one pretty inexpensive. Only thing is you will need to stay out of the house for at least 12 hrs possibly 24 hours.

Answer 8

I personally have never had them but I have heard that you have to bomb your house to get rid of them. I had a friend who had that problem and the only thing that worked for her was bombing, you put a bomb on all floors and clear the area until instructed. Then you do all the cleanup and cleaning you are doing. Only once you kill them can you get rid of the...