Fleas-First Official Post

Fleas

-Fleas have to be prehistoric, because nothing seems to be able to wipe them out. I have scoured the internet, read over one hundred articles and have tried dozens of products to eradicate them from my home immediately. I have entered every type of keyword, phrase, title and even common misspellings and no luck. It can not be done quickly. I did find one site, that pretty much says it all, called; richsoil. This site covered nearly everything I had seen over several sites, as well as great forum on the subject. One thing he does mention was how the flea is a nuisance that causes panic and that leads people to buying all kinds of toxins to get rid of them, asap. There is NO quick fix. I do have a few techniques and suggestions you should read if you are battling the dreaded flea or wish to prevent having to. I won the war, however, lost a few battles as well. You don’t have to.

 How I Battle Fleas

Dawn dish soap is great for a few methods. Bathing an infested animal, traps and cleaning. I absolutely love this product. I compared another popular dish soap to dawn when it comes to fleas and it failed miserably. I was combing my cat with the flea comb and got one trapped in the teeth, so I grabbed a dish soap I had bought on sale (works great on my dishes) and squirted some out on the counter and placed the flea in the small puddle of soap. Little bugger started swimming in it. I added some dawn and it died. I figured I needed to test another subject, so I continued combing and found another. I placed it in a small puddle of dawn. It didn’t move, was dead instantly. I grabbed the other cat and thought he may have a few test subjects on him. The results were the same every time, they lived in brand b and died in dawn as well as in brand b with dawn added. I only use dawn dish soap to kill fleas in my traps. When I set out a trap, I also like to place a fan on the floor about two feet from the trap. The vibrations from the fan draw fleas to the area and then to the trap. I’ve tested this in several areas and each way in the same area. The traps with fans caught 10x more fleas.
I have only been able to find one thing that you can use on kittens or small puppies to help them out when troubled with fleas. What can you do about kittens with fleas? Fleas can kill young kittens. You can bathe them with dawn dish soap. I would think this method will also work on puppies.

Bathing Your Babies To Kill Fleas

Take a light colored micro-fiber cloth and soak one corner of it with warm water. Starting at the ears and quickly working your way around them, to keep fleas from seeking shelter in the ears, wet fur thoroughly.Working the cloth in a motion that will force the fleas to go to the body of the animal. Now do the same to areas around the mouth and cheeks. You may see fleas around the eyes and nose. Wipe these buggers off with another corner of the cloth, flea comb or your fingernail, moving them away from the head or removing them completely if able. Fleas do not like the water and will go to dry areas. They also seem to surface when fur is wet and matted to the skin. You can  try vinegar water for facial area as well. I have read that fleas hate the scent of vinegar and will avoid it at all costs. For cats vinegar can lower their PH levels and should not be ingested on a regular basis, so use caution.
After face is soaked and you no longer can see any fleas, begin to make a soapy collar around the neck. Be sure to get it good and soapy, not diluting it too much with water. Continue to search face for those who tried to escape the wrong way. After you have created a nice wide collar of detergent you can now bathe the body. Dip the poor baby into a bucket of warm water, keeping head and soap collar above water.
Note; If water is too hot a kitten will fall asleep because it’s body temp is dangerously too high. Kittens are prone to heat stroke, so be alert. If the kitten begins to relax too much this may be the case and you should cool it down as soon as possible. Do not overheat or chill a kitten. Body temp water is fine in a warm environment.
After dipping the animal, remove from the water and begin lathering it up, starting at the collar, working your way to the tail slowly. You can use a flea comb at this stage to release any fleas that may currently be attached to the animal. Starting at the collar, work the comb through the fur while dipping it often in another small pail of water and dawn to clean off any fleas you may catch. Fleas that are attached to the animal will release when the teeth of the comb run across them. These fleas stand a good chance of survival and must be released from their grip. After the animal is completely lathered up let stand for about 5 minutes. After the time is up, use your cloth to wipe away the soap from the body, rinsing it often and squeezing it out. After that wipe and rub the animal with the cloth, it’s fibers will catch the fleas and assists in removal. A washcloth with loop fibers will work if you do not have a micro-fiber cloth. Now you can dip the animal, up to the soap collar, in the bucket of water and repeat if needed (badly infested stray or otherwise). Some claim the Dawn takes ten minutes to kill a flea. Repeating will give you that ten minutes, warm the animal back up a bit, and may cause fleas to release their grip.
I now take the wet slightly soapy animal to the sink an use the sprayer to rinse completely, just like washing the car, rinse from the top (head) down (tail). I’ll use a new cloth to ruffle fur up while rinsing. Again, be sure the water is not too hot or too cold. I squeegee off the water with my hand and place the animal on a towel and dry the face with one corner of the towel.  I then take the animal outside or to a surface that can easily be cleaned (not carpet or rugs). If it is cold outside I will lay a sheet on the floor in the kitchen and dry the animal off as much as possible. You may notice several fleas dropping off the animal on to the sheet or towel. DO NOT assume they are all dead, some may have released as you rinsed and did not get exposed to enough of the soap. I tested this and found that about 10% of fleas I thought were dead were in fact alive and only a bit sluggish for a short time.  I like to use light colored sheets, cloths and towels, so I can remove by hand or shake off (outside), each and every little one. Then, into the washing machine they go. A blow dryer on low does nicely as well to help dry, warm them up and get dead or sluggish fleas off the animal. You will more than likely blow a few dead or half dead fleas around, so do it over a damp bathtub or outside if possible. You can easily clean the tub by making a shallow bubble bath with dawn and rinse them down the drain after a few minutes. Add about a tablespoon of dawn to a cup of water to pour into the drain after tub has drained to insure any in the trap will die and not come back to haunt you. As your animal dries off more fleas may fall, so I prefer having them dry off in the bathroom. It makes it easier to insure all fleas that dropped off can be cleaned up and removed from the home.
As the cats dry off in the bathroom, I vacuum everything I can and mop with dawn and a splash of bleach for good measure, to insure I have removed as many  eggs, larva and pupa stage fleas that may be in the house. Vacuuming does not remove adult fleas or larva very well from carpeting, they have these grabber type spines on them that allow them to hold on tight to carpet fibers, however it does gather eggs, droppings and pupa stage fleas quite well. You will most likely have to repeat this often during the flea season until you no long find any fleas on the animal or in traps.

After animal is completely dry, you may choose to use a flea control toxin or home remedy of your choice. I personally have not found one that works yet and because I am a cat lover, I’ve dealt with fleas for a several years. Only since I moved to south east Michigan though. For some reason, Northern Michigan does not have the flea problem the lower part of the state has. Maybe it’s all the cedar trees or the ant population (they eat flea eggs, larva and pupa). I have actually thought of infesting my house with ants to get rid of the fleas, then get rid of the ants. They are much easier to get rid of than fleas. At least they do not cause my cherished pet so much aggravation.

More Info

Out of all the creepy, crawly, critters on this earth, I do believe the flea is on the top of my list, of most despised creatures. These things are bullet proof. I have found only one product that actually has any kind of impact on fleas, that you don’t have to fear for your health, when using it. Unless of course, your bathing a rather viscous, uncooperative, large dog. Two thumbs up for Dawn dish soap. (Yes, I use the original blue)

This has been a very humid warm summer so far and at this point I’m looking forward to fall and winter. My cats stay inside and I have no dogs, yet the fleas are worse than I’ve ever dealt with before. House is very clean though 🙂 Perhaps it’s this disposable (manufactured) house I live in that I bought last year. It’s in a manufactured home community, so it has no foundation and just skirting around it. The skirting seems holds moisture under the house and fleas do not need a very big opening to access your dwelling. They can hitch a rind in on shoes and clothing as well.

Bottom line is; There is no product that will “quickly” kill all stages of fleas in your home with one application. Not even bombs or foggers. Most products do not work as they claim, I’ve tried them. I’m beginning to believe no pesticides or treatment is as effective as they state on the label.  Every situation is different, so perhaps in their controlled “test environment” it worked. Prevention is key to flea control. Fleas can also adapt to some treatments. You may need to alter with different brands now and then as well.

Zodiac- Warning

One product I used to spray on the older cats actually destroyed the brush I used to spread it throughout the fur. I’d spray the brush twice and then brush the cat. After doing this only three days, the handle broke off and then I noticed all the plastic on the brush was all cracked up. I could have ran this brush over with the car and it would have looked better than what this product did to it and to think, I sprayed it on my precious old kitty and my grand-kitty. It was Zodiac Flea and Tick Spray for Dogs, Cats, Puppies and Kittens.

Prevention

Some products will help and those with IGR or FGR, (reproductive control; Growth Regulator) do help to some extent, but there is no quick fix to get rid of all fleas in their various stages of life once they have made a full invasion into your home. You just have to be diligent, patient, love to vacuum and love your pet more than you hate fleas.

Don’t wait till it’s too late! When the weather starts to get warm, vacuum often, you can spray something that has an IRC or FRC to halt reproduction and use a repellent or product you like, on your pet. It will help. Cats are among the hardest to treat for flea prevention. Check you animal often for signs of fleas, some do not scratch at them if they are not bothered by the bites. Don’t wait till you find fleas to treat your pet if you live in an area that has a high risk of your pet getting them. (check your local vet if your new to an area.).

Begin using an applied at the neck product before flea season or all year round, so the pet builds up the toxins that kill the fleas before they become a problem. I personally have seen no difference between the “Over Priced” products and the shelf brands, such as Adams at $14.99 for three monthly applications. I also like the PetArmor Advanced2 that I usually get on sale at Meijer for about $25 for a four application package. It worked really well. I will also alternate treatments using a different product to insure the fleas do not build up a resistance to one product. Be sure to use the right dosage. I actually have to double dose my big kitty, because he weighs over 18 pounds.

Sure, Frontline has a guarantee, and all that means, is if it fails, they will bomb your house. It failed when I used it.  I can afford several bombs for the price you pay for their product. I simply do not wish to deal with having to bug bomb the house. Bombing is more of a pain than it’s worth, because it most likely will have to be done again in about 3 weeks. Bombs and foggers do not kill the pupa. Their high price, is for all the guarantees that fail. Think about it…some guarantee…lol.

Look for little black droppings by brushing your animal over a white surface then mist the surface with water. If droppings are present you will notice brown or red spots showing up more clearly. Prevention is always the best route to take. Perhaps some products work on some animals and some don’t. One thing for sure; that Zodiac Spray….did, indeed, kill my brush!

A good flea comb will be a metal one, with nice stiff teeth that are very close together. I find the plastic one’s teeth tend to separate too much to catch the fleas as you use it. The fur will actually cause the teeth to spread apart, thus making the comb useless. If you look closely at the above photo you will notice the teeth have tapered edges that will trap the flea between the teeth and not allow it to escape. ( The teeth in the photo are too far apart in the example. It was primarily to show the edges of the teeth.)

When you leave your house closed up for a while, perhaps to go on vacation, you may return to find it has been infested with fleas. You are going to have a real big problem getting rid of them. This is what happened to me. I came home and within ten minutes I had been bitten on the leg over 30 times. Have your pet sitter check your pet while your away, keep the air conditioner on low and even have them run the vacuum each day to help control the possibility of a major outbreak.

Infestation

If you have a serious flea problem, take these steps. It will take about a month and a half to get this problem under control.  Work on cleaning one room that you can close off from the rest of the house to keep animal (s) in. If possible choose a room with no carpeting. The bathroom is the best place if you have a second bathroom to use, especially cats, they are the most difficult pet to treat and get rid of fleas on. They may complain about it, but will thank you later. Use a towel for them to lay on and replace and wash it often. Clean every nook and cranny then use an IRC spray.

If the room you have chosen has carpeting, remove as much furniture as possible and dust the carpet with your choice of product and work into carpet with a brush or broom. I did find a powder that actually kills all 4 stages, they do make them. I get mine at Tractor Supply. Leave the room undisturbed for at least 24 hours. I securely taped (Frog tape) a piece of cardboard in front of the door about 2 feet high. I also wrapped a piece of sticky tape, so sticky side was out, horizontally around the cardboard. I did this to insure the room would not have any escapees and left it on to prevent re-infestation.  Go into the room daily for about a week and use a broom handle to thump on the floor to activate the pupae to emerge from their cocoons, just for good measure This works for both carpeted and non-carpeted floors.

Try to keep the room warm, 85-90 degrees, if possible and humidity above 70%, but not above 80%. You do not want your dusting to no longer be a dust. After a week or two if possible, vacuum or mop floor completely and spray with something that has an IGR or FGR, some claim to work for 7 months, but I personally can’t say it is an accurate statement, as of yet. Set out a trap and see if you have any fleas in it in the morning. If there are NO fleas you should be fine to place your bathed and flea free animal(s) in the room. Treat your pet(s) once they have dried off completely, after grooming well with a flea comb. When feeding and attending to you pets that are in the “safe room” be sure not to transport fleas on you when you enter. Groom animal daily with a good flea comb and check for signs of droppings.
While you were preparing the safe room you should first spray all carpet and your upholstered furniture, to begin breaking the cycle. Note-eggs hatch in two days to two weeks, the larva eats, slinks off to a crack or crevice and forms it’s own little safe house in it’s cocoon. It takes 3 weeks before it can emerge, but only if it chooses to do so. It can lay there in wait for months, possibly years. It must sense a possible food source by detecting vibrations, warmth and carbon dioxide. No matter how you look at it, your looking at a good five weeks to start seeing good results. If there is no food (cat), you are vacuuming and making vibrations, keeping the house warm and humid, you will trigger them to come out and die.
Once pets are no longer around you can now focus on the rest of the house. Your pet will no longer be dropping eggs everywhere and you finally have some control over the situation. Within two weeks all eggs should have hatched and if you have cleaned and removed all untreated organic matter, that a flea larvae can eat, it will not be able to form a cocoon. Be sure to vacuum out floor registers. Keep your plants off the floor and keep crumbs off the floors and off furniture. Place cardboard boxes up high off the floor. Cardboard is considered to be organic. If the larva only has what has been sprayed to eat, you will have won a major battle. When you have a day to spend cleaning heat up the house to above 85 degrees the day before and make vibrations with vacuum, fans, thumping floor, what ever it takes to trigger pupae to hatch. If you can get a carbon dioxide spray, this will also help trigger them to hatch. You can now bug bomb the house or use spays if you choose. I did not use a bomb or fog and successfully rid the house of fleas. I used an aerosol spray the first round and about five weeks later I bought a liquid that I poured into a deck sprayer and kept pumping it up for a good fine mist. Your pets will most likely only need to be kept in the safe room for about three weeks at the most, if you time it right. I have not caught a flea in my trap since.
TIP: If you find fleas are jumping on you, before you get a chance to rid your house of them. I used bug spray or vinegar water on myself to keep them from feasting on me, reapplying as needed.  Cutter advanced did not work. Deepwoods off did work very well. Wash everything that is washable, pet bedding, my bedding, blankets, cloths that were on the floor, ect.  In just over a month after you begin cleaning everything, your flea problem should no longer be a threat to you or your pets.  I’m not going to lie, it’s a real PITA.

If your pet has a repellent or treatment that is effective, they will no longer be a host for reproduction. Humans can not sustain fleas.  The spray you used should kill anything that may be lingering. Be sure the pet is flea free before releasing them back to roam the rest of the house. They have now had the treatment on long enough to work better at controlling flea re-infestation.
The most important part of flea control is to remove their food supply. If they can not feed they will not reproduce, larva and adults will die. At up to 50 eggs a day for each female flea, this is crucial. If you find 10 fleas on your pet, chances are that is less than half in the home. Flea population ratio is 5% adult, 50% egg, 35% larva and 10% pupa. If half of them are females laying 30-50 eggs a day, you can do the math. The numbers are not good.

Tips

To kill fleas on pillows, comforters and other smaller items that you can not wash, try this. Put them in your car on a nice hot sunny day, with windows rolled up. The fleas in any stage can not survive temps over 115 degrees F. Make sure the windshield is facing the sun and bake everything for the day. Leave them in the car or seal them in a space bag once they are free from the pests. I have a beautiful down comforter that I love and did not want to wash it, I wash the duvet often and my comforter is still like the day I got it.

Try wearing shorts with a pair of white socks (fleas are attracted to white) to check for fleas before letting your pets back into a room. Then simply go outside to remove socks. If fleas are still present, leave them outside if your not washing whites that day.

Disinfect litter box and put new litter in it before placing it in the flea free room. I forgot to do this and I’m sure it would have been contaminated with eggs larva and pupae. Plenty of organic matter in there for them to eat. One of the battles I imagine I lost the first time.

I only have two rooms with carpeting and I have found the flea powder is one of my best weapons to use against fleas. I’ll dust the wood floors and then sweep with a broom to insure the entire floor and every crack has come in contact with the powder. I can often reuse the powder I sweep up to help treat the next room. I’ll vacuum the next day and mop a few days later. This works really well for me and I now do it at least twice a year.

In a future post I’ll list all the facts I can find about fleas. Such as; Fleas take nearly 24 hours to drown, they may look dead after 20 hours, but will revive after a few hours of being out of the water. I believe they are able to go back into a sort of dormant state, similar to that of when they lay in waiting as pupae. There are cat fleas and dog fleas and about 1600 more species of flea, I do believe. The list goes on…..will insert a link here after it posts.

Love To Hear It

If you have found a product that actually works and/or quickly, please share with the rest of us.