FLEA'S, FLEA'S and more FLEA'S

[PBMAX]

FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

Can any of you fine folk tell me what it takes to break the cylce of flea's?
I have closed off the basement from the dog and cats and started spraying Diazinine(SPELLING?) for them. I have treated the entire basment 3 times in 3 weeks and still the jump on you thick enough to notice it around your feet instantly.

I relize that with all the tall weeds and so on(in the butting 33 acres) I'll never get them out of the yard, but I do spray around the house and wash down the drive way and this actually has mad life better out side. But man i can't seem to get them out of the basement. Maybe I should double the strength... But I have soaked the place 3 times.

This is just storage and 1 car parking space so exposure isn't to big an issue yet...

Any ideas...Is there something better out there...?

 

[bgott]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

This is going to be a little less than helpful, but, they have some stuff you mix in with your flea poison that messes with their reproductive cycle. I can't remember the name of it, I just ask for a little bottle of flea birth control when I buy the insecticide. I guess it hangs around longer than the insecticide and nails the ones the other misses.

Here is a little more info. The people I buy from sell a half ounce bottle so I don't need to buy a pint and have it set around and decompose.

http://www.pestproducts.com/archer.htm

 

[Bird]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

Paul, the only time we ever had a problem with fleas on a dog, a vet recommended dipping in a solution of liquid Sevin (I think they called it "Flowable Sevin"). We just mixed it up, dipped the dog right up to his ears, then poured the dip into a spray rig and sprayed it. It's been a few years, but worked great and fast for us.

 

[MossRoad]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

When there were fleas at my dad's house, we had to dip the dogs, then bomb the house. We had to repeat it avery few weeks. I think we did it 3 or four times. The problem with the bomb is it only gets the live ones, not the eggs.

 

[PBMAX]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

I haven't gotten to the dog yet other than a bath just to give him some relief...We just don't let him in during the summer. We provide a nice shady area with lots of water...besides he can always go for a swim in the pond....

But i can't get more than a reduction in the flea pop in the basement...even with the animals restricted...to out side....

The thing thats strange is the stuff seems to really be working out side the garge door on the drive way but not so great in the basement. but the constant climate inside may have something to do with that...

 

[PBMAX]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

i didn't mention it earlier but we had already bommed 3 times upstairs and in the basement and upstairs clean but its been 3 bombs 7days apart and 3 diazanine treatments 7 days apart so far in the basement... thats six week total. I had always under stood that it took up to 4 weeks worth of treatment top stop the pop of fleas....

Granted the fleas have been worse this year than the 2 previous summers...i don't know maybe these are mutant fleas /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif or maybe some body sold them the antidote.... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif But I can't ever recall it being so tuff to break the cylce....

 

[PBMAX]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

thanks for the link bgott... I'm gonna spray one more time with a good strong dose of diazanine (which will not be available next yr) and if that dont' get it I'll have to look into this stuff....

 

[wichiwichi]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

5% SEVIN DUST works well. Low smell and you can even dust the pets with it.

 

[shado]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

Chemicals have too many repercussions. Why not try something a little more useful than just doing in the fleas? My mother had a minor flea problem in her house with a cat, so she got hold of some 'nightlight' gizmo that was suspended over a 'glue trap.' The little buggers seemed attracted to the night light (of course it has to be dark in the room) & would land on the glue trap as they headed for the night light. The thing had a plastic grid so that something larger would not get stuck on the glue trap, but I would leave it flat & exposed so that anything else crawls on top of it, they get stuck. Get the flat, low profile glue trap, not the one that has a raised ridge like a small tray. Wal-Mart (no, I don't own stock in Wal-Mart) sells them in the bug spray section.
J.W.

 

[Phred]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

Paul,

A vet can sell you "frontline plus" for dogs, and I think for cats. This stuff will just flat put a stop to fleas. Also does a job on ticks but not 100%. It will kill the fleas and eggs, and kills the ticks after they wander around on the dog a while.

You pour this stuff on them once a month.

The only problem I have found with ticks is sometimes the ticks jump off the dog before they die, and since I don't use frontline or a tick collar on myself...... they can still end up on me. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

This won't get them out of your basement but it will keep the animals from putting them back in.


Fred

 

[bgott]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

A bowl of water and dishwashing soap under a night light will do the same thing.

 

[pruntyc]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

Living in MS, I did have the same problem, as I live out of town on a few acres. I got rid of them with Diatomaceous Earth. You can mail order it from several places, I got 50 pounds of it and dusted all around, and you can use it on the animals too. I use it in my chicken house, and also in their food, as it is harmless to animals and people if eaten. And it keeps the flys out of the chicken house, as it kills the maggets where the flys lay them in the chicken dung. My cats no longer have to be wormed as I put a teaspoon of it in a gallon of there dry food, and mix it in. It works and is organic, so its safe. They say don't breath a lot of the dust, as it has silicon in it, other than that, its safe to use anywhere. Just put in the name on your search browser and you can find where to get it. It does work.

 

[pruntyc]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

OH yes, I guess I forgot to tell you how to use it. I bought one of those dusters that has a handle you crank and dusted the rugs in the house and all the floors, don't vacume for a couple of days to give it time to work in and work. Then I dusted all around the house outside, and where the animals go most. Probably out at least 20 foot all around the outside. You might have to do it a couple of times the first year. Now I just generlly do it once in the spring and don't have anymore problem with them. But its easy to do if you need to do it more times. It takes a few days and they keep hatching out and it kills them, so its not a over night thing. Takes a few days, but then they will be gone.

 

[frank_f15]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

i don't have a flea problem, but this post has got me itching and scratching /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif hope u get the problem solved. let us know what worked for u.

 

[dmccarty]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

Pburns,

I have had this problem off and on over the years here is what
has worked for me.

Get some Borax and sweep it into the carpets. Borax should
kill the fleas that are already there. It might get the eggs as
well.

Just make sure that its the box of borax and not dry dish
washer soap. Dont keep the two togather. Don't grab a box
in the dark. Don't grab the box when you are tired. Read
the box after you grab the box to make sure that what you
just dumped on the floor is borax and not dish washer soap.

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Years ago I found a spray for fleas in the store that would
kill the fleas and eggs for something like 60 days. I had to do
two treatments but it worked. The dog that brought in the
fleas was only in the apartment for a couple of days and she
picked them up outside and brought them in. So there was
not an animal reinfesting the place. The other thing I noticed
with this event was that we left a tall container on the floor
that we had used to water plants. There was a bit of water
in the container and the fleas went after it since there was
not other liquid supply. Lots of fleas in the container. For
some reason they could get in but not out. It was a tall
rubber maid drink container. Maybe 8 inches tall but narrow.

Our dog(s) have been on the flea birth control pill for years
now. We have only had one epispode with fleas since then
and we put on Advantage or similar products and that solved
the problem. If you dog is outside I think you are pretty much
going to have to put an Advantage type product on the dog.
Those fleas are going to be around until they are killed. I have
tried to spray the yard but that was a waste of time and
money.

Good Luck,
Dan McCarty

 

[PBMAX]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

shado, I'm no great fan of chemicals but if it were minor, that would be great...or as mentioned a bowl of water with a tad of soap and a light... But when you walk in the door to the basement and your white sox go alost black it's time for something a bit more harsh...

It's gradually getting better and thankfully the rain has eased up so the spray I used out side has not had to be re-applied...down to an assault group of fleas jumping on you instead of the whole army...

 

[PBMAX]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

I've used 7dust and it works ok but now with the lil one playng with the animals I'd rather not. and frontline for 4 animals is a tad $$$$...even over the net.

 

[PBMAX]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

pruntyc, thanks I have heard of Diatomaceous Earth but never used it. I'll cheack it out... Does it stand up well with wet weather? I think that has been one of my problems with 33acres of brush with more rabits,deer and field rats than you could count it 2 life times...so there is plenty out there for the fleas to feast on...

 

[PBMAX]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

dmccarty, Borax ok i'll look in to it...Can't hurt to have options..

This may strike some as strange...I usually have good luck just sprinkling salt around the base boards....I used this all the time at my old casa and the fleas rarely botherd us...I guess some how they are atracted to the salt...For I never had to use chemicals of any kind there and we always had 3 or more animals with nothing more than a flea caller in the house...year round... and the house prcatically surrounded by woods,but the fleas have been amasingly thick this yr....


Thanks for all the ideas so far and any new ones. Ya'll as usual have been grrrreat!!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[pruntyc]

Re: FLEA\'S, FLEA\'S and more FLEA\'S

I have even sprayed the diatomaceous earth in a hose end sprayer, where it mixes it with the water. It's just hard to keep it mixed, so I prefer the dry dusting. but it works wet or dry. It is the skeleton remains of diatons which is a small water life thing. They grind it up, and it has razor sharp edges to it, which cuts the small things and makes them bleed to death, like fleas and ticks, slugs, grass hoppers and such, and if they eat it, then it cuts their insides also, that is how it kills them. But to us its as fine as flour. That is why I can feed it to my cats and chickens, or any other animal, they feed it to cows"mix it in their food", and other animals. So no the rain will not hurt it, unless of course some might wash away, but I havn't had that problem. I had them like you, and I'm thankful this works, as I don't have any now.