fleas help please!!!!

[jessejames]

good morning
i have been meaning to post this for awhile now
this year for the first time ever i have the worst flea infestation ever. i have tried everything that ican think of drops (both cheap and expesnsive) baths every couple days constant brushing with the flea brush etc.
they started when jack the puppy came into the house while i was working on it 2 months ago the last tennants dog was infested with fleas when he moved out (i didnt know this till mine got infested)
and they quickly passed onto assata my old girl who has a terrible reaction to them scabbing etc.
so now i need to get rid of fleas in the house (im not living in it yet) the barn i am living in and the dogs.
i would like to avoid any nasty chemicals. that being said i was using an organic flea shampoo and it was doing NOTHING at least now that i have switched to a hertz product i can see the fleas on the dogs are dying. untill they reinfest.
please keep in mind we cant get the flea bombs you guys have done there across the border (though i may make the trip to get some if i cant sort something out soon)
thanks for any help yall can give me in advance
have a great day
ciao

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Diatomaceous Earth (DE). Powder them well with it. Also, give them some garlic with their food & apple cider vinegar in their water (just a bit, maybe a tablespoon). This makes their bodies inhospitable to fleas.

For the house, get a small nightlight, plug it into a low wall outlet and put a bowl of soapy water in front of it on the floor. Vacuum or sweep very well to hatch & get rid of as many of the eggs as possible, then turn off all the lights except the nightlight & leave the rooms overnight. If you use the vacuum, make sure to change the bag or empty the canister & take the contents OUT of the house. Also if you use the vacuum, sprinkle DE like you would carpet fresh and then vacuum.

You can also purchase nematodes to put out that will destroy the flea population, or at least keep it under control. Just search for flea control nematodes online.

 

[patandchickens]

The main thing isn't the fleas on the animal (although obviously go after them too), it's them BREEDING in the house. If you don't eliminate all the flea eggs/larvae/cocoons invisibly infesting your house, you will never ever make any dent in the flea population. So:

Launder everything landerable in the house that is not in an always-closed drawer or hung high in a closet. This includes dog bedding, people bedding (absolutely every last piece that's out), your own laundry, sofa throws, launderable sofa cushions, bathmat, launderable throw rugs, etc. Then put as many as possible into temporary storage in a closet so that as few pieces are in play as you can manage. Launder at the highest water temperature the fabrics will allow, and machine-dry at the highest setting they will allow too. (Even if you normally line-dry, it is really really worth machine-drying for flea removal, at least the first few times)

Then vacuum everything, honest to goodness EVERY darn thing, even hardwood floors, with special and repeated attention paid to nonlaunderable upholstry, the spaces under and beside sofa cushions, under furniture, and all cracks, crevices and corners. Empty the bag outdoors, immediately (don't leave it sitting around, or fleas and newly-hatching fleas in the bag will find their way out)

Repeat the vacuuming every single day and the laundering every other day (that's why you want to have as few pieces in play as possible!) for at least a month, after which you can slack off a little but still need to do both *frequently* for a couple more months.

It works better IME if you also use a premise spray that includes an insect growth regulator (IGR) compound on non-launderable carpeting and upholstery... but you can substitute with considerable extra work and slightly lowered expectations, if you wish.

I know it sounds like a lot of work -- and especially for the first couple days, it *is* -- but I have cleared a number of apartments of fleas (sometimes SEVERE fleas) this way, and you know what, after the first week it is just not a big deal, you've worked the vacuuming and laundry into your schedule by then and streamlined the process so there's nothing excess getting in your way, and it is not nearly as onerous as it sounds.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[BeccaOH]

I've got the flea issue here too. I feel your pain. My house dogs both react to the liquid drops you put down their neck/back, so I have to find gentle alternatives.

I thought about putting the DE directly into the carpet.

 

[miss_thenorth]

When we bought our house in LaSalle, the previous owner had four indoor huskies (?) Anyway, the house was infested as was the yard. We had to do the revolution on my two dogs and cat for a year. After that. We didn't have a problem. I think it took a month for all the fleas to disappear., but we had to continue to treat the dogs monthly.

Where we live now, my dogs and cats are not treated, and we haven't had fleas here for the two years that we have lived here.

 

[big brown horse]

Sounds like you are ready for the big guns...

I agree with everyone else.

One thing that worked for me in the past was to vacuum up some 7 dust first (or DE or something that you feel comfortable with), so the eggs and fleas that you vacuum up later will not live in your vacuum cleaner bag/cannister. It makes a big difference.

Good luck!

 

[Hen_House_Rocks!]

diatomaceous earth works great, but be sure you wet it down before using it on your pets. the dust is very bad if it gets breathed in.

 

[jessejames]

Great thanks alot
luckily i am moving into the empty house so i can make sure to get rid of all fleas in there before i move anything in and then can be sure to treat everything thoroughly before i move it in to the house. I am planning on making the move in about 6 weeks so this should work out perfectly.
one thing i thought that DE was no good once it got wet is this true or should i just keep it away from snout area when dusting?
thanks again everyone!!

 

[Farmfresh]

HOLD everything!!!!

I have your natural safe solution! Cheaper, easier to obtain and even MORE sure fire than DE.

SALT.

Pat has the right recipe but add one more thing... travel all over your house with a big bag of plain old kitchen salt and sling it around like the sandman!

This sounds totally weird but BOY does it work. When fleas hatch out their first stage is a tiny maggot like larva. Like a microscopic slug. It hits some salt and ... just like the slug ... drys up and dies! (where is an evil laugh smiley when you need one!) This breaks the life cycle and soon you are flea free!

I usually do the laundry/vacuum thing first to eliminate as many adults and eggs as possible. (Be sure to burn or seal and dispose that vacuum bag!) Spread your salt especially on carpets and even on stuffed furniture (like your couch), the dog bed and any other favorite places the dog or cat likes to sleep. Then bathe the animals with commercial flea soap or your natural soap (mint is supposed to be an herbal flea repellent as is penny royal) Remember that soap will clog the pores of an insect and cause it to stop being able to breathe (like insecticidal soap does), so soap them up well and let the soap stay on for several minutes before rinsing.

Every few days I vacuum well again and then re-salt. The salt will work its way down into the carpet pad (where the flea eggs are) and kind of stay there. It should last a long while after your fleas are gone to prevent re-infestation.

I have used salt even on my hardwood (but a warning - I have old tired hardwood) and in the basement. The worst problem I ever had was the salt will cause dampness by pulling the humidity out of the air.

I learned this trick - after LOTS of research - when I had fleas from my cat in the house and a crawling baby and a toddler. I wanted a flea destroyer that would not poison my babies. Been using it for 20+ years. I call it #1 in the 1 - 2 condiment punch for house pets. Punch #2 involves finely ground pepper being placed where the puppy piddles. Later when he is sniffing around for that favorite spot - POW a nose full of pepper. Works every time!

 

[Beekissed]

My son used the salt on his apartment with good results. I have used the pan of soapy water under a light also and it works very well. You just have to keep using it for awhile until everything has hatched. Sounds like a combo of the two would be the best bet.

I'll tell you what fleas hate also when you are shampooing the dogs...Suave brand Coconut shampoo! For some reason the coconut is something they do not like. It lathers great and I usually really immerse the dogs in water for a while to soak off any fleas that linger. I've heard of folks using the coconut shampoos for lice prevention also.