"seasonal" fleas

[rickm]

This is odd....last year we had a fairly wet spring. In late May I went into the basement one day and had a bunch of fleas land on me. I dropped a bug bomb in there a couple of times but they still returned. I tried some power, that didn't touch them at all. I sprayed a bit of cedar spray on the stairs into the basement which stopped them from hanging out there. The basement is fairly wide open and there are no warm/wet areas for them to call home. I have a cat but she's an outdoor cat that only comes in during the winter. No mice or rats down there. They returned again this year, I just avoided the basement and would enter through the back exterior door to get the mower out.

What's the best way to get rid of them for good? This year I spray some cedar scented spray at the bottom of the door, inside a few feet then along the window to make sure they weren't getting in from there. They didn't bite when they landed on me....I've heard there are "concrete" or "basement" fleas but I wasn't sure if they'd come and go or not. This is pretty bizarre.

[Joseph Meehan]

As I recall flea eggs can exist a long time before hatching. Almost nothing will kill the eggs. That makes getting rid of them rather difficult.

Of course eliminating any dogs also help.

[rickm]

No dogs, nothing. Just a cat. When the cat goes...well...no more pets. Could be one of the neighbors, a couple of them are rather shoddy looking. :)

I'm going to clean out the basement to make sure there are no damp areas then I'll vacuum the floor with my shop vac. I'm thinking about mopping the concrete with a lot of hot soapy water. I read somewhere that putting salt down can kill them also since it can dry out the eggs.

[GC]

One thing I have tried before,and actually helped was to get one of those lighted flea traps,with the sticky pad in the tray.To my surprise it worked pretty well in my basement.It also caught every other type of bug living down there.As for the floor,try sprinkling a coat of sevin dust or something simliar on the floor and covering with newspapers for a couple of days,then vaccum thoroughly.

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

I had a time with them sometime back and got my bug spraying man to come kill them out in the storage room and yard. The spray they have will kill the live fleas but will do nothing for the eggs that have not hatched out. They have a shell around the egg that nothing will get to it. To remove the fleas from coming back he said you will have to vaccum them up and take the bag out of the vaccum clean after use and burn it or take it to a dump and through it out. If you leave 1 egg they will return because the flea is Male and Female combined. They don't need male and female to reproduce.

I had to remove everything and take it out side that was on the floor or 3 feet from the floor. I had him spray everything and vaccum the stuff that was 3 feet from the floor. Flea will not lay egg more than 3 feet from the floor level.

I must have missed one for they came back in about 3 months but only come back in the store room. I then took some Flea & Tick Killer granules down at walmarts [ 25 pound bag ] and spread it out in the store room and left it there for about a week. I then vaccumed the stuff up and vaccumed everything else in there and That was the end of the problem.

I really don't know where in this process did the trick correctly but it work with this process. It could be the spray weaken them and then the Flea and tick killer stuff took them out but this combination took them out.

TURTLE

[NorMinn]

For your sake and for the cat's, make it an indoor cat or get rid of it. If you keep the cat, get the monthly flea treatment like Advantage. Our cat was an indoor cat all of it's life, but still had a raging case of fleas. (They can get in through screens). Our vet told us, along with starting the Advantage, to treat our carpet with boric acid, leave on for a week, and vacuum. I didn't have to do the boric acid, as Advantage worked miraculously for us.

I wouldn't want anyone's cat droppings in my yard/planters/patio, and I would not give them to anyone else. There is no reward or benefit in letting any pet run loose.

[Sue]

Not so odd, when you kick the cat out for the summer, her fleas are left behind. They'd rather be on the cat, but when she's no longer there they'll jump on you. Treat the basement again and as someone mentioned treat the poor cat. (Advantage, not one of the HARTZ OTC products, unless you want to hasten the cat's demise). She's probably hopping all year long. Next winter when she comes in she is unlikely to have many friends to leave behind.

[rickm]

She gets regular treatments with Advantage.

[Abe]

Turtle,

I enjoy your posts, but for some reason, they never line-wrap properly, and I have to scroll waayyy to the right to see the entire line.

Would you please check your news program settings to make sure the line length is set somewhere between 76 and 80 characters?

Thanks much,

Abe

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out in the storage room and yard. The spray they

out. They have a shell around the egg that

to vaccum them up and take the bag out of the

leave 1 egg they will return because the flea is

the floor. I had him spray everything and

feet from the floor level.

the store room. I then took some Flea & Tick

room and left it there for about a week. I then

the problem.

this process. It could be the spray weaken them

[Josh]

"Abe" wrote

AhHa, it's not just me. (Also a Turtle fan)

[rickm]

They look fine with Agent news reader. Another Turtle fan.

[Greg]

Even AOL handles it ;-)

[Lar]

:) What's the best way to get rid of them for good? This year I spray :) some cedar scented spray at the bottom of the door, inside a few feet :) then along the window to make sure they weren't getting in from there. :) They didn't bite when they landed on me....I've heard there are :) "concrete" or "basement" fleas but I wasn't sure if they'd come and go :) or not. This is pretty bizarre.

For there to be fleas, there has to be a host animal...cat, rat, possum, etc. The source animal will need to be addressed before the problem is solved..treatment or removal. Use products that contain IGRs (Insect Growth Regulators) to break the cycle and keep the larvae from developing into the biting adult. Depending on the floor of the basement may determine what will work best, for example if it is a concrete floor the aerosol type treatments won't last. You mentioned they didn't bite you and you have seen them after a wet Spring. It might be Springtails what you are seeing...they thrive in moist areas. They will be soft bodied, easily smashed with a finger where as fleas will just hop away after trying to mash them.

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

It is said that the early bird gets the worm, but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.

[Lar]

:) As I recall flea eggs can exist a long time before hatching. Almost :) nothing will kill the eggs. That makes getting rid of them rather :) difficult. The eggs will be taken care of easily enough with an IGR, it's the pupa stage that are protected from chemicals and can they can stay in that stage for a year, only to emerge after they sense movement and body heat.

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

It is said that the early bird gets the worm, but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.

[rck]

Oh yes there is. They'll keep a barn free of mice, squirrels, and all sorts of other critters. Having a cat is like owning any other piece of equipment. There are pro's and con's. If a cat is a good mouser, you let it stay. If it doesn't earn its keep, get rid of it and get a cat that will keep the place clean.

Bob

[Wayne]

"rck" wrote in news:l0KFc.4914$ [e-mail]:

Obviously your cat is not your pet!

[Lar]

:) To remove the fleas from coming back he said you will have to vaccum them up and take the bag out of the :) vaccum clean after use and burn it or take it to a dump and through it out. If you leave 1 egg they will return because the flea is :) Male and Female combined. They don't need male and female to reproduce.

Actually they have two distinct sexes...you just have to be thorough thorough thorough. Suposedly a billion dollars worth of work has gone from the pest control industry to the vetenarian industry in regards to flea control (Frontline, Advantage, etc), I say they can have it :)

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

It is said that the early bird gets the worm, but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

Here try this out.

TURTLE

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

Here try this out.

TURTLE

[Josh]

"TURTLE" wrote

Thanks, I read a couple of your other posts in another forum. Views much better now.