Fleas
Getting out of carpets:
“Fleabusters is the way to go. A powder goes into the carpet and the fleas dehydrate to death. And it is safer than those sprays and foggers.”
”Get: ’Adams Home Protection Inverted Carpet Spray.’ Works good, says:
’Kills fleas and controls re-infestation for up to 210 days.’ Get at Wal-Mart.”
All over:
”Use FOGGERS that specifically say they are for fleas/larvae.”
”Use FLEA STICKY TRAPS.”
“It’s not at all necessary to have a pet to have a terrible flea infestation. Fleas live naturally outdoors in grass, and dry weather conditions in particular make them multiply by the zillions.
“Yes, unless your mum has chemical sensitivity issues, fog the place. My in-laws have had to do it three or four times over the years, and if it will work in their overfilled home, it will undoubtedly work in your mum’s place. Sticky traps are good for picking up any new fleas before they multiply enough to cause trouble (Raid makes some, but they can be hard to find). You can also buy plain old boric acid and spread it around (assuming you can find the floor space and no small kids or pets will get into the powder!) and then vacuum it and the fleas up. Boric acid will kill them in the vacuum bag or cup collector. I know that you may not be able to get a regular push-vacuum cleaner around, but you can use the attachment hose if you’ve got one”
Getting fleas off animals:
“The vet told me that what they use to de-flea animals is not fancy flea shampoo, but BLUE DAWN DISHSOAP. This suffocates the fleas and kills them. (Lather/keep on 10 mins.) Then of course Frontline to the skin so when the fleas bite they then die.”
”Use FRONTLINE FOR ANIMALS. Can get at vet or at some pet stores—maybe even Wal-Mart now. Make sure you are getting correct dosage for their weight.”
I use this product:
DIATOMACEOUS EARTH (Get at Gardening Supply Store)
“I had a terrible flea infestation this year (2 big dogs and 4 cats) and solved it by treating the animals with Frontline Plus (it took 2 months) and then I used Diatomaceous Earth (NOT the pool stuff, but the insect/food quality) which I bought from my local gardening supply store. By using the DE I also got rid of my 5 year long ant problem which I never thought I’d get rid of.
“Getting rid of fleas requires lots and lots of vacuuming to get rid of all of the eggs that are in the furniture and any carpeting you may have. I was vacuuming every piece of furniture and beds daily for a week. In addition, since we were removing gross carpet from our house I went ahead and took up the rest to reduce my vacuuming. You will make huge inroads on getting rid of the fleas by treating the animals first.”
More on product: Diatomaceous Earth Powder…
“DE comes in powder form so I put it where the fleas/ants were. I put some on my couch and on the mattresses (and would have put it in my carpet had I had some). I was having a terrible time with ants, too, coming in along some windows so I put some on the counter and along the sliding glass door. In the bedrooms since I saw them on the floor, I put some along the mattresses and where the animals were sleeping. I put it along baseboards. I left it there for a while and started vacuuming everything up. Since I had treated the animals with Frontline it wasn’t that long before we saw a significant reduction in the fleas. The ants died pretty quickly and even now if it rains they start coming in again so I put it in a few spots and within hours there are dead ants and the rest stop coming in the house.“
“I was desperate for relief from the fleas. I could see them hopping on the laminate floor, my kids were complaining that their beds were infested (the dog was sleeping on it) and every time I sat down on the couch they would jump on me. It was a terrible infestation. I started researching and found out about DE which works by cutting up the insect exoskeleton so it isn’t a poison that the insects can develop resistance. I kept my kids out of the areas I treated but I didn’t panic if they got into it (I have a curious 19 month old) and just washed him up immediately as I felt it was a safer than some of the poisons that I could have used.”
Here are some links on DE:
http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html
http://www.whiteearth.ca/de.htm
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/diatearth.htmRemember: pool grade DE is NOT the same as food grade.
Fruit flies
”Put cider in a small glass with a drop of dish soap. Cover with plastic wrap. Poke holes in plastic wrap with a toothpick. Fruit flies will be attracted to the sweet cider, climb in holes in wrap and will get trapped in glass.”