How to Treat a Flea Infestation

A flea infestation, whether on your pets, in your home, or even worse, both, is one of the hardest insect infestations to fight. Anyone that has experienced this, will understand. The flea is the equivalent of a blood sucking, hitchhiker. The flea will attach themselves to a humans shoes and pant legs and take a ride into the inside of your home. They can jump up to 7 inches vertically and 13 inches inches horizontally. They also hitchhike into your home on your pet!

The adult flea will die if exposed to cold temperatures (40 degrees and below), Unfortunately, the flea eggs will not die, but lay dormant through out the winter. When the warm weather returns, they awake from their hibernation ready to feed. We moved into an apartment that had not had the carpets cleaned prior to our moving in with our cat and dog. The animals and the apartment became infested within three months of moving in. The cat was also going outside, which could have been a contributor, but we also learned that the non-hatched flea could lay dormant inside the apartment for up to one year waiting for a host to feed on.

It is true that the flea thrives in warm, humid weather, but in the non-hatched state can survive a brutal winter until the warmer temperatures arrive. The life cycle can be as short as 20 days or as long as one year. The one year time frame is if the flea lays dormant in the non-hatched stage. Each adult, female flea can lay up to 50 eggs daily. The eggs are normally deposited on your pet after the female feeds. Eggs deposited on a pet can often roll off the animal in your home. The eggs will hatch 2-14 days after being laid. The eggs hatch into larvae. Larvae are small and white and rely on adult flea excrement (known as flea dirt) for nutrition. The larvae spin cocoons around themselves, this stage can last one week, unless there is no host to feed on. The cocoons, now referred to as pupae, can lay dormant up to one year or just days if a host is nearby. Warm humid weather speeds the entire life cycle of the flea. The flea pupae is the most resilient stage of the flea life cycle. It is important to make sure that whatever treatment you use, states that the egg, larvae and pupa will be killed.

The pupae hatch into adult fleas, ready for a meal. The adult flea feeds on blood. The blood of your precious pet. They grab a hold of your pet with their six hooked legs, use it's sharp mouth parts to cut a hole and insert it's feeding tube into your pet. After feeding, the flea lays it's eggs on your sweet little cat or dog. An adult flea can last up to 58. Don't think that you have rid your pet of fleas, just because you do not find a live, adult flea on your pet. Check your pet for both, live fleas and flea dirt. Flea dirt (flea excrement - dried blood from your pet) looks like tiny specks of black dirt. This is left behind after the flea has fed off of your pet.

Once the flea has taken hold of your pet and your entire home, they are very hard to get rid of. By the time I realized that the dirt falling off the cat was not sand from outside, it was too late. The entire home, dog and cat were infested. I realized we had fleas when I saw a multitude of jumping bugs on my little 4 pound Pomeranian's stomach. The first step was a bath for both. The fleas dropped off them both by the multitudes in the bathtub. I put flea collars on both of them, thinking this would be the extent of the infestation. But as I studied, the shampoo only kills the adult fleas. The eggs that had been laid on my pets before the baths hatched and we started the cycle all over again. I tried to treat them holistically, but whatever the reason, the cedar oil, lemongrass oil, apple cider vinegar, brewer's yeast and garlic did not work. I vacuumed daily and immediatley emptied the vacuum canister outside in the trash and washed sheets and bedding twice a week. I sprayed a concoction of lemongrass oil, water and cedar oil all over the freshly washed bedding and all over the carpets. The vacuum canister was emptied immediately after using outside and sprayed with flea spray (bought from the store) after every vacuuming. I sprinkled salt unto all the carpets as well as baking soda on the carpets (in retrospect, the only thing I recommend to sprinkle on the carpets is Diatomaceous Earth - the salt did a number on my vacuum), pets and matteress's. And after all this, the fleas prevailed!

I broke down, spent $63 at the vet and bought Frontline Plus and spray for the house. I sprayed the entire home, especially the corners of each room, under the furniture and sprayed a fine mist on the mattress. As soon as I administered Frontline Plus the fleas started dropping off, dead! Hurray! It was over! Or so I thought. Much to my surprise, there remained a remnant of resilient fleas. Especially on the cat. I had not given either pet the entire dose. After 10 days, I fully dosed them (not exceeding the directed dosage). During this time, we moved! We also no longer let the cat outside and the dog is walked in areas where no other pets are let out (since he is only 4 pounds, we have made a grassy area on the balcony for him to use). We also will never take our dog to a "dog park" again.

I checked them 10 days after administering the second dose. They each had two live fleas! I combed the cat with a flea comb and was able to remove the ones I found on him. But using a flea comb on a Pomeranian is like using a fine tooth comb on Phyllis Diller! I had hoped these were just the fertile flea eggs hatching from the previous adults. I waited another 10 days, I found no fleas on the dog and combed two fleas off the cat accompanied by a little flea dirt. I reapplied a tube of Frontline Plus. I sprayed an area in the house where the cat lays. I have read (please see link below) that people are having trouble with Frontline Plus working. It seems to have worked on my dog. After applying the additional Frontline Plus on the cat, the fleas were gone (the cat may have needed more as he weighs 22lbs - contact a veterinarian or Frontline for proper dosage). A week after all the fleas were gone, a flea jumped on my sons arm while he was lying on the floor playing video games! Oh no, I thought, they are back! We vacuumed and have not seen another. I think that may have been one of the last, that may have jumped off the poison pets to try to bite and feed on a human (sick thought isn't it?).

Do what you must to get this problem under control. During the infestation, both my daughter and husband were bit. Now, I am told the pets must be wormed as the fleas cause worms! Check your pets weekly for flea dirt. If you find it, know you have fleas. Another process used to determine whether there are fleas in your home is to place a pan of water under a lamp on the floor. If the home has fleas, they will jump into the pan of water at night. I think I could have actually saved money and stress, by contacting an exterminator in regards to bug bombing the home and if needed, I will do so in the future.

In regards to your pet, you MUST get the fleas off of them. They will cause anemia and actually cause your pet to die if not treated and the pet becomes infested. The flea literally sucks the lifeblood from your pet.

1. Determine if your pets have fleas: Search the pet's fur for live fleas and flea dirt

2. If evidence of fleas and flea dirt are found, assume the fleas/eggs, etc. are in the home and the pet's bedding. This includes the furniture, carpet and your bed.

3. Leave for the day with your pet. Bug bomb the entire home. (contact an exterminator to verify when it is safe to return). Spray (verify that spray will kill fleas in all stages - recommended that you purchase from professional exterminator) all corners and under furniture. Ask a professional exterminator for any other information needed. Make sure spray and bombs have Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) to prevent eggs from hatching and larvae from pupating

4. Vacuum the carpets. Immediately empty the vacuum bag/canister outside. Frontline spray, Demize spray and Fleabusters powder are just a few options to use on the carpets. The sprays can be used on furniture.

5. Wash all bedding. Pet bedding should be washed daily until the infestation is gone. This includes your bedding, if the pet sleeps with you.

6. With flea shampoo, wash all pets. Let the pet sit with the shampoo for 15 minutes, then rinse.

7. Spray floors with flea spray (verify that spray will kill fleas in all stages). Keep pets and children away from room that you are spraying. Wait 60 minutes, then mop.

8. Consult your Veterinarian, treat your pets. Remember if using "spot - on" flea killers (Advantage, Frontline Plus, etc) wait to use for 48 to 72 hours after bathing. Use a flea comb daily, if possible. Dip the comb in warm, soapy water to immobilize any fleas in the comb. Several treatments are available: "On-Spot" treatments, such as Advantage II, Frontline Plus, Advantix II, Revolution, Parastar Plus, Frontline Top Spot. The On-Spot treatments are supposedly waterproof, but I was told that if the pet gets wet after treatment, the treatment is rendered minimally effective.

Pills: Trifexis, Capstar (I have read that Capstar can be given up to 3 times a week and in conjunction with on-spot treatments). Please consult your veterinarian. Holistic treatments include: Brewer's Yeast -grind one to two tablets up - depending upon pets weight- sprinkle over food twice a day. Garlic - sprinkle a very small amount of powder over your pets food twice daily. Apple Cider Vinegar - Place a teaspoon in a small bowl of drinking water daily for your pet. Apple Cider Vinegar can also be used (1 tsp per one gallon of water) tor rinse your pet after a bath. Lemongrass Oil/Cedar Oil can be used (see directions - a little bit of aromatherapy oil goes a long way mixed in water) in water to spray the home as a bug repellant as well as rinse the pet after bathing. Salt and Baking Soda will dehydrate adult fleas, but do nothing for eggs, larvae and pupae. PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR VETRINARIAN BEFORE USING AN "ON-SPOT" FLEA TREATMENT AS WELL AS GARLIC. BOTH HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS. NEVER USE TEA-TREE OIL ON CATS, IT HAS BEEN KNOWN TO BE DANGEROUS TO CATS.

9. Vacuum daily. Borax has been a long time use in carpets to kill existing fleas. I have read that it is not "good" for your carpet though and should be researched. Again, it is only for existing, adult fleas and not safe for use on animals or humans. It may not be safe for use where children and pets are present and could propose health problems later if not completely removed from carpets. It is suggested that carpets should be shampooed after using.

10. Continue these process' (with the exception of bathing - shampoo kills adult fleas only) for at least 30 days.

11. Don't forget to treat your yard. Consult an exterminator about what treatment will work best for your area. Some treatments work great but are not water proof. If you live in an area with alot of rain, some treatments may not work. A product named Diatomacious Earth has been know to be effective, but is not water proof. A mixture of Borax, Diatomacious Earth and Salt is effective in the yard, but again, not waterproof and the Borax is not healthy around pets.

12. Remember to spray the bottoms of your shoes and your pant legs before entering the home. Especially if you live in an apartment that has pets that frequent the outdoors (fleas can drop off or jump off and then jump unto your shoes/pant legs.)

13. Use your best judgment when allowing pets out of doors as well as interacting with others pets. A flea can easily jump from another pet onto yours.

Fleas are hard to rid your home/pets of, once they have infested. It will take diligence to rid yourself of them.

THEY'RE BACK!!!! The neighbor told me his dogs had a flea problem, this is in February, not the hot summer months. I pulled out my dogs brush, brushed him and checked, I found nothing. I had not used Frontline in two months. Within a week, the dog - not the cat, was itching. I checked and found one flea and a little dirt. "Sure enough", I thought, "somehow he had gotten them from the neighbors dogs". But wait, I did not walk him where the neighbors dogs walked. I carried my dog and for the most part, walked him on concrete or asphalt. Then it occurred to me, I had brushed him with the brush I had used during the flea infestation. I must have taken some eggs of him or the cat during the first outbreak and they no doubt sat in the brush unhatched until they came in contact with a host. I had sprayed the brush after using it and used spray that was supposed to kill unhatched eggs, but the brush had thick bristles and the spray may not have reached some of them. So, we started it again, but this time I didn't mess around trying different techniques. The first thing I did was throw away that brush, then I immediately went to Walmart and purchased SafeGuard on-spot treatment for dogs and Advantage for cats, both are half the cost of Frontline and according to the veterinarian, SafeGuard has the exact same ingredients. Since I found no fleas on the cat, I did not go through the horror of washing him again but gave him his treatment of Advantage, the dog was washed immediately, three fleas came fell off him in the tub. Three days after washing, I gave the dog the dose of SafeGuard. I remembered from the last incident that the fleas would not go away immediately, so I waited. He continued to scratch for a week and then they were gone. Not wanting to go through what I did before, I treated the apartment. One of my neighbors that has three dogs, told me about her infestation issue. She had sprinkled Diatomaceous Earth (not pool grade) on her carpet and left it without vacuuming. She explained that although it looks like talcum powder to us, it is small fossils, which when the flea walks across, actually cuts the flea in pieces. This sadistic torture of these tiny invaders brought great joy to me, so I did it. I sprinkled it throughout the house, especially in the corners and under furniture. I had to open all the windows as it made me feel like I could not breathe. I am not so sure I would want to do this on dark carpet either, as it was hard to get it absorbed into my light gray carpet and I actually ran the vacuum over it quickly, hoping most had been absorbed. They are gone again and I have a big bag of Diatomaceous Earth just waiting to be sprinkled on the carpet next week after vacuuming, as I figure the only way those things will come in contact with my pets and my home is if they hitchhike in on my shoes!