Fleas... I'm a magnet.

[Scott Hildenbrand]

Ok, so fleas and mosquitoes love me. I'm not sure why, it could be a body chemistry thing or a slightly higher body temp. All I know is that my wife and I can be standing in the same room... Her, they do not touch but me, they devourer.

At any rate, beyond chemical sprays or whatnot is there a botanical method that can be done in the yard to stop them, or slow them, before they get to the house?

Know people say mint will deter ants, which I'll be planting around the house for the simple reason that I like it in tea if anything else.. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with fleas.

Problem area is not in the main house, but in the basement. We've got a cat door to the basement which we close the cats up in at night to keep them from wandering around. Their litter boxes are also located down there.

Now, I'd say sure, they're living on the cats but this is not the case. I'd sprayed them down with Frontline's spray and there are no fleas on them.

I'll be picking up some glue traps as well. You know, those ones with the night light above them? I'd used them in the past with much success so I'm hoping that it will solve the problem inside. But keeping them at bay outside is another question.

Looking forward to your thoughts.. :)

Scott--

[William Wagner]

A shallow bowl of water with a few drops of cooking oil will work. Just add a night light above it. Ground fault might be a good idea !

or

Bill

[Scott Hildenbrand]

Down side on that will be that the cats will end up drinking it.. Unless I put it in a closed create. They're very resourceful. :p

[enigma]

William Wagner wrote in news:----- [e-mail] pernews.net:

i used dish soap in the water when i got a flea infestation from sitting my brother's dog... you just need something to break the surface tension of the water & soapy water is easier to clean up after than oily water if you spill any. i also had pretty good luck treating rugs & soft furniture with baking soda to help dry up the eggs & larvae (which feed on dust & have a 5-10 day hatch cycle depending on weather. vacuum a lot & make sure to empty the bag into a sealed bag outside. or burn it. or put 1" pieces of flea collar into the bags. do NOT put them on the animals!). now i keep the cats & dogs on Advantage/Frontline... lee

[Janet Baraclough]

The message from Scott Hildenbrand contains these words:

Have you seen any fleas? (they are visible to the naked eye, and hop). Otherwise, you might have acquired some other house parasite, such as bedbugs. Or a more personal infestation, like lice or crabs :-)

Food dishes too? Other cats may come in.

Once animal fleas get into the warmth of a house, they will very quickly breed in furniture, carpets etc, only occasionally jumping onto a host like yourself for a feed.

You need to hot-wash pet bedding regularly, and spray their beds with flea killer. Floors, carpets and furnishings can be treated with a flea powder which you shake on, leave, and vaccuum off. You'll need to do it twice with an interval, to let any surviving eggs hatch then mop them up.

Janet.

[Ann]

Scott Hildenbrand expounded:

My house used to be infested with fleas. I used a powder on my rugs and hardwood floors that eliminated them completely - after fighting them for quite a few years with bombs, etc. This link is to a product somewhat like what I used, I can't remember the name of the one that worked here, but the ingredients are the same.

know they say on this (very poorly formatted) page that you shouldn't use regular borax, but I've read on other forums that 20 Mule Team Borax has the same effect.

Good luck, I don't envy you - getting rid of fleas is very tough to do!

[dr-solo]

[William Wagner]

I tsp Boric acid to 1/2 cup sugar kills ants. Use as bait in your basement. Lasts years. I purchase pharmacist grade as it is very fine. My dad gave me a box of twenty mule team but have yet to use it. Looks like 4 OZ. will last a life time.

Bill

[Janet Baraclough]

The message from [e-mail] contains these words:

but that works by roaches eating it. Fleas won't.

Janet

[Scott Hildenbrand]

Yup..

Ok, so I asked for something botanical to aid in keeping them out of the yard before they reach the house but I guess there's no such solution.. Oh well.. On to other subjects. :)

Just going to have the basement sprayed.. House is already under a yearly contract. Will pick up traps to aid after that.

[Kay Lancaster]

Would you settle for beneficial nematodes outdoors?

however, will not work in drought conditions.

Since you have cats, do not use linalool,citronella, etc.

Many fleas spend a good deal of time off the host, so topspotting with something like Advantage is useful. So would spraying one of the insect growth regulators inside -- my current preference is for nylar -- excellent safety profile in humans and animals other than insects, keeps baby fleas at the juvenile (non-biting)stage but does not kill them. Mix the concentrate in water and apply with a garden sprayer twice a year.

Many home control products are an IGR with a pesticide for immediate knockdown -- I prefer to apply the IGR alone on a regular basis and simply wait out the couple of weeks or so before you start seeing the benefit if you don't use an IGR regularly. Nylar can be used outdoors, but I prefer to keep it in, as it's fairly broad spectrum in the insects it hits.

[Ann]

Janet Baraclough expounded:

The powder I used isn't ingested. It works by dessicating the flea eggs and larvae that are usually in cracks or in carpets.

[Ann]

Kay Lancaster expounded:

is their complete flea control page

'd still give that borate powder a try, it definitely worked here. Now that I see the bottle on the page for Fleastoppers I see that it is the same product I used.

[Dan L.]

Hmmmm....

A friend used to joke with me and say "fleas and mosquitoes are attracted to female hormones". So I quit saying that those pesky bugs were biting and just used a product by "Cutter - botanicals" for the body. It works - if you do not have any allergic reactions to the botanicals products. If you have allergies, the standard bad guy "DEET' like in "OFF" might be better.

I have sprayed my yard near the house with that "Cutter - botanicals" for the yard. It states as a repellent not a bug killer. Read all labels first, just in case I am wrong. Again I have no allergies, if some one does have such allergic reactions, they may have problems, I never did.

Nooooo, Mint is a stinking miserable WEED in my book. I planted just one about 6 years ago, three years later it was all over my yard and garden. It took years more to wipe out that cursed plant.

I have dog door for my little Yorkie. When I first got him I was also concerned about putting chemicals on little Mickey. However, that quickly changed when I saw ticks in his doggie bed. Hail Frontline, it works, no bugs at all on the dog or in the house. Lyme or west nile is probably worse than the chemicals. Little Mickey seems to be just fine. If I have read things correctly, The Bug stuff for pets goes like this. Advantage kills more bugs. Frontline last longer. Your choice or bugs.

I use fly tape in the garage. When it gets dark, I just turn off all outside and most inside lights and close the shades and curtains. I have found, like most people, lights attract bugs.

Sounds like you have a walk in basement. Do you have a dehumidifier? Dryer areas might have fewer bug problems than damp areas. If you have house plants down there - that could also help breed the bugs. Spray the plants. Old broken floor drain tiles could also be a source for bugs.

Those are my thoughts .... Enjoy Life ...... Dan

[Lar]

If they actually had their way they would not leave the host rather than feeding then jumping back off. People are usually too clean to be a host.

And if you are not comfortable with insecticides you could try just the growth regulator to break the life cycle though that would not be a quick end to them.

Lar

[Lar]

Boric acid also works by dessication. There are still companies around the country that treat fleas by applying the BA dust to the carpets/floors Flee-flea Flea-Be-Gone FleaAway are a few that are still around different parts of the country even though many others have been sued out of business. Know though that BA will be many times more toxic than anything bought to use as a flea insecticide. If the idea of it's use is because it is a natural product it can work but takes time if used alone. I have been in numerous homes over the years months after the BA treatment and the biggest complaint is all the dust that is constantly stirred up and has to be wiped off tables/counter/ etc so I would not feel too comfortable breathing the stuff over time.

Lar

[Jim]

about every 5 weeks the three cats and the one dog get treated with FrontLine. the stuff works well and it don't make the cats sick.

for me, when I go to the pond or out where the mosquitoes are thick I use a mixture of water and Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil. get one of those little pint bottles with a pump spray mister. fill it half full of water and then add about

6 to 10 drops of the Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil. I mist myself and the insects will leave me alone.

[Billy]

Have you considered putting a layer of vegetable oil on the pond?

[Ann]

Lar expounded:

I used it as a last resort - and it worked, ending the flea infestation that had started long before I bought the house.

As for toxic, I think the many flea bombs and exterminator chemicals that were used here were far worse than the borate treatment.

Then they didn't use it properly. I had no such issues and got the results I wanted.

[Ann]

Kay Lancaster expounded:

If they worked I'd be impressed - they didn't here. And I say that as a long-suffering flea bitten human who finally got rid of the nasty little buggers with borate powder.

The point is, do you have a persistent problem that hasn't been controlled by other methods? If all of the other treatments work for you then great. If they don't, then this is a viable option.