I'm doing all that. There must be one area where there's an infestation, that I'm not finding
Where do THEY SLEEP? You need to pay special attention to that area....if they sleep on your bed you're going to have to change the bedding every day.
Don't buy into those ''green'' ''eco-friendly'' or ''essential oil'' flea drops. You want the fleas to die. Your dog won't get sick or anything.
They also wont work, in a lot of areas of the US.
Reposted from another Section: And yes its long...But if you want your little insect friends gone, read and pay attention. I know what Im talking about. I was a pro for many years.
Its going to depend greatly on where you live, and the length of the flea season in the vicinity. If you get much rain....over half an inch a year is what I mean, you will have ZERO luck outdoors with Diatomaceous earth. It will sink below the level where it is available to work on a flea. Diatoms can work indoors up to a point, by dusting carpets. But youd better be able to tolerate being bitten after you put all the other repellents on your dogs. Its also going to depend on the basics of flea biology. You did not mention it, and it is important, so it appears you know nothing about it.Fleas that bite dogs most commonly are cat fleas...and are usually CARRIED by squirrels. Fleas do not stay on a host for very long...they bite, lay an egg and split. The blood proteins are necessary for mama to create eggs. Flea eggs are sticky when first laid, but dry within a few hours and generally fall off the host. They tend, therefore, to gather most often where the host sleeps. Indoors, pet bedding and sleeping areas will be the hot spot. Washing the bedding in hot water will kill fleas in all their cycles...105 degrees is fatal for most insects, over time. Carpets can be shampooed with rental gear and HOT water as well.By the way...I wouldnt pay much attention to anything PETA has to say...to them, the poor little flea is just as important as the great big doggie or kitty...or YOU. Got a clue about the Life cycle, and why that makes fleas a problem? Here is the deal in a nutshell. Fleas go from an egg to a larva to a pupa to an adult
( complete metamorphosis) like some other insects. UNLIKE other insects, Fleas do NOT stop growing as adults. They may live two years, during which they will get better at biting undetected. They learn as they go. Thats important. It means that some will always survive. As an egg, the flea is immobile, but that lasts only a matter of days. They hatch to become a tiny, wormlike larva. You would likely not think of a flea looking at it...it looks like a skinny dustbunny. But they cruise around eating anything organic they can find...outdoors it could be crunched up leaves, dead bug body parts...almost anything... Indoors, anything that can be caught in the crack of flooring, or ground into a carpet will do...as long as its organic.... These larvae will try to stay below the level of Crush in a rug, or in a crevice between floorboards, anything to keep from being squashed. They will cruise around for as much as 90 days, until theyre ready for the next stage.The Pupal Stage is the problematic one. Dealing with this stage is either successful or you spend the rest of the season itching right along with your dog. When a Flea is ready to go from Larva to Pupa, they find a quiet area and start spinning a cocoon. It is waterproof, largely temperature proof and secure. In this stage they can go dormant for up to 9 months in some species. NOTHING you can spray or do to them shy of heat treating a carpet will touch them. If they get INTO that cocoon, they ARE coming OUT and biting. Once they are fully developed, they can be dormant for months...just sitting in the cocoons and waiting it out. And they WILL wait.
When they are triggered, they come out of the cocoon like a heatseeking missile, and they hit what they aim at. If it's a bitable hide, they bite...if not, they will crawl, usually upwards, until they find one. The juvenile fleas tend to be clumsy biters...they hurt...Really. The bites itch later, but they're painful first. The victim knows hes been bitten. The biter will then jump off the host, looking for a resting place, to digest the blood, and a mate. 94 percent of the hatched females will be mated withing 38 hours. They will never be far from the chosen host.Since they will lay as many as 40 eggs a day, the problem builds fast.
The simplest way to get rid of them is to call a pro. They know what they're doing. If you cant bring yourself to do that, or economics don't allow it, there are ways. But be aware...once you have an indoor infestation, it takes WORK to get them gone. Fleas are triggered into coming out of the cocoon by humidity, temperature, CO² in the air and vibration...These together signal the presence of a living target host. No three will trigger...it has to be all of the above. This, coupled with the impermeable nature of the cocoon, is why fleas are so hard to kill off. So...to solutions.
First....Do NOT use anything on your dog or cats skin you do not know to be safe. Dishwashing liquids are wetting agents...they remove oils from skin and hair. That cute baby duck on the label may have been a victim of an oil spill, but your dog isnt covered with petroleum. Almost any suitable shampoo will work to keep your dog clean.And you do want to do that; one of a larval flea's favorite foods its the half digested blood mama excreted as what is called flea dirt. Pure protein and semi digested...yum.
Next thing...buy a flea comb. it has a coarse tooth and a fine tooth side, but fleas cannot slip between those teeth. Sit on the floor with your dog between your legs and a bowl of warm soapy water alongside you. Comb the dog...and as you spot fleas on the comb, knock them off into the soapy water. They will drown, and Dawn is perfect for such things. The nice thing about this method, aside from its effectiveness, is that your dog is getting ALL your attention for awhile. Never seen one complain yet. Flush the little buggers down the john.
Lastly....Get your vac out...and vaccuum every horizontal surface you can find, paying special attention to the places your critter sleeps. When youve finished, empty the cup or dump the bag.....OUTSIDE....or you'll have to chase them all over again. You'll need to do this every day for a while...get used to it.
Whatever method you try, vaccuuming daily is going to be part of it.
If you have a carpet that can be taken outside and hung on a line, you can beat it with a tennis racket for a bit...HARD. I used to make a lot of spring pocket money that way as a kid. The beating literally springs the larva eggs cocoons and adults off into the world they belong in. The sun on the rug wont hurt, either...Remember....if you use diatomaceous earth, you'll have to reapply it every time you vac. That gets expensive. It CAN be useful on upholstered furniture, dusted into the crevices where the cushions sit.
And STOP eating on the furniture. All those snack food crumbs down the seat backs are food for fleas, and other nasties; spiders particularly enjoy the creatures you're feeding.
Yep...its long. But there is your SCIENCE, and there is your LEAST toxic method. There is no easy way. There are some more effective ways...but this is the easiest.
