We live between a natural river and a man made one. Sand fleas can become a problem around here. With winter being as mild as it was, it never got cold enough, long enough, to diminish the flea population.
Apple cider vinegar in the pet water greatly helps. But that doesn't keep them out of my house. I remember as a kid, we use to use a reading lamp, a pan of water and a drop of liquid soap. My mom also sprinkled table salt throughout the house. Now it has become a ritual of sorts. Whenever we start to see fleas, salt goes on the floor. But instead of a reading lamp, we use a heat lamp. Within two days, no more adult flea problem. We repeat this about once a month becuase it does nothing to the eggs. it seems that as soon as you have spotted a flea, they have already begun laying eggs.
What do you do if you have a flea problem?
I don't sprinkle salt on the carpet, I sprinkle borax. It seems to kill the fleas and the eggs.
ReplyDeleteThe local vet suggested Borax as well!
ReplyDeleteGlad to know someone else is using it!
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ReplyDeleteI have heard borax, but since I have small children, I am slightly concerned about using that around the house. The fleas have been horrible this year though, and I have heard the eggs can lay dormant for up to a year...if that is the case, I don't know what we are going to do! We don't even have pets besides our little chicks.
ReplyDeleteWhat does the lamp do? I had never heard of any of these remedies. I'll have to try them out. We are right next to a river and our flea problem every year is more than I care for it to be.
ReplyDeleteHaven't heard of using borax. I wouldn't use it personally on the floor due to our pets as it is a poison. If I didn't have things in the house that could ingest it, then I would try.
ReplyDeleteMonika, the fleas are attracted to the heat. Jumping toward the heat source causes them to land in the water. Salt dries them and the become desperate to find a body. The lamp registers as a meal to them.
How about diameticous earth. Not sure about the spelling. I use it in the chicken coop and on the chickens to take care of mites. It works so good for bugs.
ReplyDeleteI don't use diatomaceous earth in closed settings. Breathing it can cause damage to your lungs. It works great outside in the garden, and a barrier around your home.
ReplyDeleteWe used to put brewers yeast & a little garlic oil in the pet's food to repel the fleas from the animals. It always helped them, and we sprinkled borax, vaccuumed obsessively and washed everything that wasn't nailed down to keep them at bay in the house. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI have heard of using yeast and garlic for the animals. I haven't tried it, but I am glad to k now it works!
ReplyDeleteyes, borax. Sweep into the carpet really well and then vacuum. Kills fleas, eggs and keeps killing all year. One treatment and you are done. This was the only thing that worked when we lived in florida...sand flea heaven. Blessings, Kat
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for borax.
ReplyDeleteI've read that vacuuming kills 100% of eggs and 95+% of fleas.
My mother would mix 1 oz. of pennyroyal oil with a few drops of dish detergent in a large spray bottle. This would then be sprayed around the entrances to the house. I can't speak of the true efficacy though this method seemed to work. Due to the toxicity of pennyroyal, I don't recommend it.
I recommend a half a fifth of bourbon everyday. It won't help the flea problem but you'll get to where you won't care. HA HA HA HA just kidding. Hi!
ReplyDeletethe rat
The only sand fleas in my neck of the woods are at the beach and the cats for some reason don't pick up the standard fleas.
ReplyDeleteBorax is poison the diatamectious earth if you get food grade is perfectly safe. you can drink it mixed in water, some people give it to there animals to cure worms.
ReplyDeleteas long as you dont breath real heavy when spreading it you should be perfectly safe. I would use it before borax