I need help with fleas. I just got new kitten. Have been bathing her with special, natural flea shampoo, however there are still fleas in the house. Does anyone know the life cycle of a flea? Do fleas die if they do not have anyone to feed on? I am away from my house 4 days a week, kitten is staying with family. How do I get rid of fleas in my carpet? Is bombing the only way to get rid of them in carpeting?
By Rose Smith from Malvern, PA
I don't know if this works or not as I haven't had a need to use it, but I read somewhere that you want to put a pan of water on the floor underneath a plug in nightlight. The fleas will be attracted to the light and jump up to the light (or maybe it's the heat the light puts out), and then they will fall or bounce off the light into the pan of water and drown.
Also, this I do know that works, is vacuum often. (08/05/2009)
By Christina
Hi. I think you can put baby talc powder on the carpet and vacuum. I believe the talc in the powder kills them, so they won't just crawl back out of the vacuum. Also, you can call your local community extension office. You'd be surprised at the wealth of information they have. They can give you natural ways to treat/get rid of things that won't harm animals and children. Good luck with getting rid of them! (08/05/2009)
By Della
Could you use the talc powder on the pets? (08/05/2009)
By Kelli
These suggestions came from my "bug man":
1. Put ONE mothball in your vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum your house thoroughly - especially carpet and upholstery. The mothball will kill the flea eggs as they hatch in the vacuum cleaner bag.
2. After vacuuming, sprinkle crumbled oregano on your carpet and leave it there. You can mix it with baking soda as a deodorizer and that also helps thin it to spread more easily.
3. Fleas do not like marigolds (relative or oregano) and planting them around the outside of your home will also help keep them at bay.
4. If they are living on your kitten you are going to have to treat her regularly with flea shampoo and a KITTEN flea collar for the time being.
Hope that helps. I wouldn't bomb my house unless absolutely necessary as you will have chemicals everywhere. I would recommend you have an exterminator come once if the above doesn't take care of your problem. A little more money than bombing, but way less clean up afterward. (08/05/2009)
By Karla
There is a website that has excellent answers to these type of questions using natural products. It's called www.Dirtdoc.com. Also, I keep one of those flea collars (cut up) in my vacuum cleaner bag. They say if you vacuum them up they will continue to live in the bag if you don't kill them, and they'll go right back into the carpet. I live in West Texas and so far this summer my dog has not gotten any fleas. I use Intersepter pill that I get from the vet. May not have spelled that right. (08/05/2009)
By Betty
Mix regular table salt and baking soda in equal amounts, then sprinkle this on your carpets and any fabric furniture. Let this set for 48 to 72 hours so you get any babies that hatch. Then vacuum up. This mixture actually causes the fleas to dehydrate and dry up. It won't hurt your pets or family. Just make sure the dogs or cats don't lick the carpet. Most animals won't lick it but I have known a few that really liked it so they had to be watched or kenneled during the process. (08/05/2009)
Keep Diatomaceous Earth sprinkled on your floors and carpets. It will kill the fleas and keep the new ones from being able to breed because they will die. It will take a few weeks. Also, you have to keep the animals from getting fleas or keep them from breeding. Make sure that you don't use the DE powder for pools. Get it from Worm's Way or a similar place. (08/08/2009)
By Michelle
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