The fleas returned this summer, the nematodes apparently having run their lives and died out.
We had a miserable time with them in the house again before I salted the rugs one night and let that desiccate their eggs. That killed the eggs, a bath washed them out of Sandy's fur, and then a flea collar ended up being what it took to keep them off her afterward. Can you believe that Frontline failed to kill the fleas on her, even when I waited a week after giving the dog a bath to apply the stuff?
It took until the onset of cold weather to kill the fleas in the yard, which meant we had to keep Sandy out of the yard and let her out only for walks on the street.
With the recent warm weather around Christmas, the fleas managed to re-enter the yard and we even found one inside the house today. Now that the ground is frozen solid again, I expect we'll have a break from them until springtime, when I'm adding more nematodes and planting a few bazillion marigolds to keep the groundhogs, insects and stray cats at bay.
With any luck, Sandy's flea collar will take care of the stragglers in the house, although I'm tempted to salt the carpet again.
I'm probably also going to check and see what I can do legally about cats wandering through my yard, since they bring fleas to the yard, dig in my flower beds and leave their disease-laden presents where my children can find them.
(I'm tempted to plant a bunch of catnip in the pesky neighbor's yard down the street, to draw all the cats there, but that would be low.)
Showing posts with label fleas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fleas. Show all posts
Monday, January 17, 2005
Thursday, August 22, 2002
flea control redux
Salt seems worthwhile for destroying fleas indoors; I am guessing what it does is drain the water from the eggs via osmosis and kill them. And the garlic solution matches what somebody else told me too.
I sprayed nematodes over the back yard as I had said, and have found them to be very effective. Not only do the fleas seem to have disappeared, but the lawn-eating grubs that were in my compost also all died in a couple days.
The infestation in the basement took a few days longer, but the diatomaceous earth I used -- ground up sea diatoms -- appears to have done the trick. And the vacuuming also has removed them upstairs. Don't know why that should be the case, but it appears to be. No one's had any flea bites for a while now.
My younger brother, who has worked at a vet's office for several years, recommended something I can't recall the name of. Top SPot, maybe. Applied to the dog's skin by the neck and along the spine, it is carried down her body by skin oils and kills all the fleas. It also makes her hair lethal to fleas so it kills them in the carpet as well.
In any event, they're gone.
I sprayed nematodes over the back yard as I had said, and have found them to be very effective. Not only do the fleas seem to have disappeared, but the lawn-eating grubs that were in my compost also all died in a couple days.
The infestation in the basement took a few days longer, but the diatomaceous earth I used -- ground up sea diatoms -- appears to have done the trick. And the vacuuming also has removed them upstairs. Don't know why that should be the case, but it appears to be. No one's had any flea bites for a while now.
My younger brother, who has worked at a vet's office for several years, recommended something I can't recall the name of. Top SPot, maybe. Applied to the dog's skin by the neck and along the spine, it is carried down her body by skin oils and kills all the fleas. It also makes her hair lethal to fleas so it kills them in the carpet as well.
In any event, they're gone.
Sunday, August 04, 2002
flea control
My wife and I are being driven crazy by an invasion of fleas into our home. The best route we've been able to figure is that the feral cats next door left fleas in our yard, where our dog Sandy picked them up despite her flea collar. Sandy brought them inside, where they have multiplied and spread. Somehow they got into the basement, where they climb up onto us every time we use the washing machine and dryer.
I sprayed for the fleas down cellar yesterday, and although this has not eliminated them, it has reduced their numbers. (I got only six fleas on my legs this morning instead of dozens.)
we haven't completely ruled out resorting to chemical warfare against the bugs if we need to, but we're hoping we won't need to. Last summer Sandy was bringing in some fleas, and we found that vacuuming every day for over a week -- close to two actually -- managed to clear up the problem, in conjunction with her flea collar.
One of the concerns with using chemical means of control is that it's indiscriminate. Chemicals kill the fleas, but they also kill the beneficial insects we've been working so hard at bringing back to our yard, they harm the earthworms and generally mess up the soil -- and, ultimately, the groundwater as well. On top of that, there's the observed effects prolonged exposure to pesticides has had on children's behavior and cognitive abilities.
I came across one solution I want to try that involves adding nematodes to the yard. These particular nematodes prey upon pest insects -- like fleas -- but are harmless to the worms, my garden, and -- most importantly -- my kids. (As a nice plus, beneficial nematodes also kill termites, which would address that other problem I've had, with no need for firing bowling balls from an orbital launcher.) There's a garden store where I edit the local newspaper. I'm going to stop by the store tomorrow when I'm in town and see if I can pick up some nematodes there.
As to the fleas in the basement, I'm probably going to spray there again with some Raid or something. On the About.com gardening forum, one person suggested an interesting technique: You set up a bowl of soapy water about a foot under a lit light bulb. The fleas jump at the light, fall into the water, can't get a grip because of the soap, and drown.
They also suggested a few dietary changes for Sandy to make her less appetizing to the fleas without harming her. (Adding a little garlic powder to her food and a little vinegar to her water.)
I don't know how well those tricks will work, but I figure it's worth a try too.
The sad thing is, I realize the problem has been aggravated by own procrastination. We had to cut down a tree earlier this summer because there was a risk of its falling on the house (or children). I've taken too long to cut it up and remove it, with the result that its become a great place for the fleas to live.
Guilt. Just what I need.
I sprayed for the fleas down cellar yesterday, and although this has not eliminated them, it has reduced their numbers. (I got only six fleas on my legs this morning instead of dozens.)
we haven't completely ruled out resorting to chemical warfare against the bugs if we need to, but we're hoping we won't need to. Last summer Sandy was bringing in some fleas, and we found that vacuuming every day for over a week -- close to two actually -- managed to clear up the problem, in conjunction with her flea collar.
One of the concerns with using chemical means of control is that it's indiscriminate. Chemicals kill the fleas, but they also kill the beneficial insects we've been working so hard at bringing back to our yard, they harm the earthworms and generally mess up the soil -- and, ultimately, the groundwater as well. On top of that, there's the observed effects prolonged exposure to pesticides has had on children's behavior and cognitive abilities.
I came across one solution I want to try that involves adding nematodes to the yard. These particular nematodes prey upon pest insects -- like fleas -- but are harmless to the worms, my garden, and -- most importantly -- my kids. (As a nice plus, beneficial nematodes also kill termites, which would address that other problem I've had, with no need for firing bowling balls from an orbital launcher.) There's a garden store where I edit the local newspaper. I'm going to stop by the store tomorrow when I'm in town and see if I can pick up some nematodes there.
As to the fleas in the basement, I'm probably going to spray there again with some Raid or something. On the About.com gardening forum, one person suggested an interesting technique: You set up a bowl of soapy water about a foot under a lit light bulb. The fleas jump at the light, fall into the water, can't get a grip because of the soap, and drown.
They also suggested a few dietary changes for Sandy to make her less appetizing to the fleas without harming her. (Adding a little garlic powder to her food and a little vinegar to her water.)
I don't know how well those tricks will work, but I figure it's worth a try too.
The sad thing is, I realize the problem has been aggravated by own procrastination. We had to cut down a tree earlier this summer because there was a risk of its falling on the house (or children). I've taken too long to cut it up and remove it, with the result that its become a great place for the fleas to live.
Guilt. Just what I need.
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