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Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / August 2006no pets, but lots fleas (desperate - help!)
We have been living with fleas for over six months now, and are desperate for a solution. There are no pets in the house, however previous renters have had multiple flea outbreaks over the years. There used to be a flea infested cat, which departed with its owner a year ago, but we have had this problem after that. The main sticking points are - we can't see them (but multiple housemates are being bitten) - we don't have a cat - we can't take Advantage etc ourselves - we've had Terminix treatments a few times, flea bombs many times, laundry done daily, vaccuuming frequently - HELP! We know its fleas from the bites, the lifecycle (had 6 months to observe this), and that this is not restricted to time of day (indicating bed bugs etc). Neither the doctor, nor the Terminix guy has been of any help. Please, anything ... Besides the house being treated are you treating the yard? Chances are you are re-infesting the house by carrying fleas in from the yard. Are you positive it's fleas? Some other things that come to mind are scabies? Celeste > We have been living with fleas for over six months now, and are > desperate for a solution. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Neither the doctor, nor the Terminix guy has been of any help. Please, > anything ... - we've had Terminix treatments a few times, ........what did they use? > flea bombs many times, ...........AFAIC these are useless as this stuff drifts upwards - not where the fleas are. .> laundry done daily, .......they don't live on your clothes, they're most likely in the rugs >vaccuuming frequently - ...........vacuum every day and either toss the vacuum bag or put it in the freezer between sweepings. A good vaccuum cleaner will suck up the adults, but the larvae hang on to the carpet. Vacuum your hard floors and give them a good wash. > Neither the doctor, nor the Terminix guy has been of any help. Please, > anything ... ......Get something with an IGR (insect growth regulator) like Precor and spray it on your carpets. Precor (methoprene) keeps the fleas from moulting into adults. Or get the Flea Buster guys in. .......If you haven't seen relief in a couple of weeks, then fleas are not the problem. You can try putting out a physical trap to see how many fleas you've got. Get a shallow pan of soapy water and put it in the middle of the carpet at night. Suspend a low watt lamp over it (got a gooseneck lamp?). The fleas will be attracted to the heat and jump in the soapy water, get caught and die. There's a specific wattage of a yellow bulb that works best, but I no longer remember what that is. You might be able to find it by Googling flea trap. Trapping out insect pests never removes the whole population, but will help knock them down. buglady take out the dog before replying There's a specific wattage of a yellow bulb that > works best, but I no longer remember what that is. ..........did a quick check and if you scroll down this page there's a suggestion to use a commercial nightlight: http://groups.google.co.uk/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/browse_thread/ thread/880b1680a2d388ab?hl=en > buglady > take out the dog before replying > - we've had Terminix treatments a few times, > ........what did they use? [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > buglady > take out the dog before replying This is all *very* good advice. Also, diatomaceous earth (DE) is commonly used to kill flea larva (and other pests) when spread on carpets. It is effective in many pest-suppression strategies. High humidity can reduce its beneficial effect, however. DE is the silica skeletons of microscopic freshwater organisms. Under a microscope, it looks like tiny shards of broken glass. DE cuts through the skin as larva move through the carpet and they essentially die of dehydration. DE is available everywhere in pet stores and hardware stores. Combined with buglady's advice, it should help clear up your problems within a month. I also wholeheartedly recommend treating all proximate outdoor environments as well. Use the kind of insecticide or IGR that attaches to your garden hose for easy and thorough application. Precor (methoprene) is destroyed by ultraviolet light... so something as simple as leaving the windows open could greatly decrease the effectiveness. Nylar doesn't have that issue. Also, it's really important to spray baseboards, floor cracks, around and under furniture, etc., etc. Larva and eggs are very small. You should probably read the MSDS sheets on boric acid, borax and diatomaceous earth. Boron compounds in quantity can cause cardiovascular, kidney, gastrointestinal and reproductive problems. DE, though inert, can cause silicosis if inhaled. Neither are recommended around crawling infants. Kay Thank you all for your suggestions. Terminix definitely used Precor as a growth inhibitor. We've also tried Borax that reduces the bites, but doesn't seem to eliminate. I'm going to research getting some diatomaceous earth. We have only hard woods, but its an old house with lots of gaps and cracks. Definitely fleas, based on our readings + doctor's diagnosis (if only they could prescribe a remedy!) Thanks again, Eric. > Thank you all for your suggestions. Terminix definitely used Precor as > a growth inhibitor. We've also tried Borax that reduces the bites, but > doesn't seem to eliminate. I'm going to research getting some > diatomaceous earth. ........just don't get the kind for swimming pools. We have only hard woods, but its an old house with > lots of gaps and cracks. .........Is it possible there are animals living under the house? Do you have a basement or a crawl space? buglady take out the dog before replying > We have been living with fleas for over six months now, and are > desperate for a solution. Vacuum like crazy, "steam clean" the carpets and then apply an IGR (Insect Growth Regulator) like Nylar or Precor to carpets, undersides of furniture, baseboards, etc.; apply Nylar or beneficial nematodes to the outdoors, wait a while. You can add something like a pyrethroid to the IGR as a knockdown treatment for quick results, but for the long haul, you want an IGR. Repeat IGR spray inside every 6 months or so for a year or two. Flea bombs don't get nearly spread around enough to do any good. http://lancaster.unl.edu/enviro/pest/factsheets/007-98.htm A couple of do-it-yourself type IGR sprays (you'll need a small pressure sprayer, about $10-20 at a hardware store; pump up type. Or a spray bottle and strong hands and lots of patience.) http://www.pestproducts.com/fleacontrol.htm (I don't think I've purchased from this company, but the web page was informative). Kay |
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