It's a job! You must treat your yard as well as your home and pets. Best to take all pets to the vet for a day or two so you can get a jump start on the house and yard.
Fleas have a 2 week life cycle. That means, it takes 2 weeks for the fleas to hatch out. If you use a fogger (like Renegade), you must fog, and then do it again two weeks later. A third fogging should pick up any late hatching eggs.
It's interesting to note that if you move into a house where the previous occupants had pets with fleas, you can have a problem with fleas even if the house has been unoccupied for a year. Flea eggs can lay dormant for a year. Vibration from movement on carpeting (for example) will alert dormant flea eggs that a food source is available, and they will begin to hatch. It's very important to do 3 two week cycles to eliminate the adult fleas and all the eggs as they hatch.
You'll need to treat your yard and pets simultaneously.
Hi Mary, when we got infested a year ago I used food grade diatomaceous earth and 20 Mule Team Borax in the carpet. I just sprinkled the mixture and swept it in with a broom. Let it set a couple of days and vacuum. Follow up with the same treatment a week later. Daily vacuuming is a must for a while until there are no more signs of fleas. Haven't had the problem since. We also use aSeresto flea collar. It is kind of expensive but it lasts 8 months and it is very effective. A lot easier on my cat as well. When we put the drops on the back of her head, she would act dizzy and drool for several hours. Seresto has never caused a reaction.
We had a terrible flea problem that neither Frontline or Advantage affected. We switched to trifexis for our dog and the flea problem disappeared without doing anything to the house like bombing etc. We saw fleas falling off the dog within about 30 minutes. It's expensive but it works and also takes care of heartworm.
1st, Don't waste your money on any HARTZ products.
If you walk your dog, there will be fleas. Bathes + bathes.
To treat your own yard, you should spray it with NEMATODES. Nematodes are microscopic bugs that eat fleas! They can be sprayed out in water with a garden sprayer. Simple. Sounds weird but I live where we have squirrels, opossums, raccoons, deer, and other varmints in and out of our yard. The nematodes are wonderful, harmless to the pets and children. Plus, I've only needed to spray it once a season. You can find them at some garden centers. Just a small jar of powder to mix with water.
Inside the house, use powdered boric acid, alone or mixed with a bit of corn meal to draw the fleas. Just sprinkle all over carpet, furniture, etc. Harmless to everything. Does not stain or smell. I leave it down for a couple days, vacuum and repeat 2 weeks later.
It's a job! You must treat your yard as well as your home and pets. Best to take all pets to the vet for a day or two so you can get a jump start on the house and yard.
https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/get-rid-of-fleas-in-home-7.htm
https://pets.webmd.com/kill-fleas-at-home
https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/how-to-get-rid-of-fleas-naturally/
I spray the perimeter of my property and base of my house once a month with white vinegar. It does help. Needs to be reapplied after any rain or snow.
I have only had to do this once, luckily, but we had to bomb the house, wash the dogs with flea soap, then vacuum everything and put on clean bedding.
Thanks I will try and knock out those nasty fleas
Fleas have a 2 week life cycle. That means, it takes 2 weeks for the fleas to hatch out. If you use a fogger (like Renegade), you must fog, and then do it again two weeks later. A third fogging should pick up any late hatching eggs.
It's interesting to note that if you move into a house where the previous occupants had pets with fleas, you can have a problem with fleas even if the house has been unoccupied for a year. Flea eggs can lay dormant for a year. Vibration from movement on carpeting (for example) will alert dormant flea eggs that a food source is available, and they will begin to hatch. It's very important to do 3 two week cycles to eliminate the adult fleas and all the eggs as they hatch.
You'll need to treat your yard and pets simultaneously.
Hi Mary, when we got infested a year ago I used food grade diatomaceous earth and 20 Mule Team Borax in the carpet. I just sprinkled the mixture and swept it in with a broom. Let it set a couple of days and vacuum. Follow up with the same treatment a week later. Daily vacuuming is a must for a while until there are no more signs of fleas. Haven't had the problem since. We also use aSeresto flea collar. It is kind of expensive but it lasts 8 months and it is very effective. A lot easier on my cat as well. When we put the drops on the back of her head, she would act dizzy and drool for several hours. Seresto has never caused a reaction.
We had a terrible flea problem that neither Frontline or Advantage affected. We switched to trifexis for our dog and the flea problem disappeared without doing anything to the house like bombing etc. We saw fleas falling off the dog within about 30 minutes. It's expensive but it works and also takes care of heartworm.
https://www.trifexis.com/
1st, Don't waste your money on any HARTZ products.
If you walk your dog, there will be fleas. Bathes + bathes.
To treat your own yard, you should spray it with NEMATODES. Nematodes are microscopic bugs that eat fleas! They can be sprayed out in water with a garden sprayer. Simple. Sounds weird but I live where we have squirrels, opossums, raccoons, deer, and other varmints in and out of our yard. The nematodes are wonderful, harmless to the pets and children. Plus, I've only needed to spray it once a season. You can find them at some garden centers. Just a small jar of powder to mix with water.
Inside the house, use powdered boric acid, alone or mixed with a bit of corn meal to draw the fleas. Just sprinkle all over carpet, furniture, etc. Harmless to everything. Does not stain or smell. I leave it down for a couple days, vacuum and repeat 2 weeks later.