Alternative Methods for Flea Control
A combination of these methods, used regularly, can reduce a flea infestation to manageable levels, and after flea season ends (after freeze-up), these methods can eliminate the infestation completely, on your pets and in your house. Chemical pesticides are not needed.
First, it helps if you know the flea life cycle. Fleas live outside in lawns and gardens, and prey on many warm-blooded animals, including cats and dogs, but also bats, mice, rats, and squirrels (and people!). You will not eliminate them from the outdoors, but there are steps you can take to reduce the population, and to prevent them from coming indoors.
Fleas need a blood meal in order to lay eggs. After feeding on your pet (or on you!) the flea jumps and crawls to floor crevices, baseboards, etc. to lay eggs. The eggs hatch in 2-14 days, then the flea larva spins a cocoon and can stay in the cocoon for 1 week to 1 year. When it emerges from the cocoon it looks for a blood meal and the cycle begins again. It can remain on your pet for long periods, looking for a mate, before taking its blood feeding.
Flea control in the home and on your pet, works to interrupt this life cycle at one of several stages.
On your pets:
If you only have a cat, your best defense against fleas is keeping your cat indoors. It's a good idea for many other reasons, but it will also prevent flea infestations from riding in on Tabby. If you have a dog, as well, the fleas will come in on the dog and jump to the cat. In that case, or if you already have fleas on your cat...
Flea comb - to remove fleas before or after the blood meal, before they have laid eggs.
This method is very reliable.
When combing your pet, have a container of soapy water nearby for drowning your catch.
Be sure to get the comb's teeth all the way down to the skin.
To prevent fleas from jumping off the comb, zap them with a cotton swab dipped in petroleum jelly.
Bathing - again, to remove fleas before egg-laying
Regular bathing during summertime will control fleas.
Insecticidal soap isn't necessary. Just keep the lather on the animal for five minutes before rinsing.
If skin conditions don't allow frequent bathing, try a sponge bath with a strong brew of wormwood tea.
Repellents
Cedar - Fill your pet's bedding with cedar shavings. Refresh as needed. Cedar oil is extremely irritating to fleas - they will leave. Cedar bedding helps your pet have a restful sleep
Nutrition - Feed your pets nutritious foods. It can increase resistance to fleas, and to flea-bite dermatitis (a painful skin condition). Try adding a bit of garlic to your pets food. Feed a daily dose of brewer's yeast - 25 mg per 10 pounds of the pet's body weight. Start in springtime, mixing with moist food. If the pet is allergic to yeast, try a rice-based b-vitamin complex available in health food stores. Evening primrose oil is effective at clearing up flea bite dermatitis, along with an antibiotic cream (from the vet) if the irritation is infected.
Herbal Repellents - Try Pennyroyal, Mint, Eucalyptus, Citronella, or Rosemary, sewn into the pet's collar, or drops of these essential oils on the collar. Rub ground cloves or Eucalyptus oil into the animal's fur. These herbs and essential oils can be found at health food stores.
Lemon repellent - Cut four lemons into eighths. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer 45 minutes. Cool and strain the liquid. Store it in a glass container. Wet your pet thoroughly with the lemon liquid, brushing its coat so that the lemon juice and oil penetrate down to the skin. Dry the fur thoroughly with towels and brush again. Wash the towels and the brush, immediately, in hot soapy water in the washing machine to disinfect.
In The Home
Indoors - to clear up an infestation without chemical bombs and sprays:
- Thoroughly wash clothing and bedding.
- Seal stuffed toys in an airtight bag and leave for 30 days - or put them in the deep freeze for a week or two.
- Vacuum daily wherever pets roam, for as long as it takes to clear up the infestation. This is the single most effective measure you can take.
- Remove vacuum bags and put in a plastic bag in the trash, or into the deep freeze, in between vacuuming.
- Have your carpets and upholstery steam cleaned to get a good head start on the infestation.
- Spread Diatomaceous Earth around pet bedding areas, and along baseboard cracks.
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Light and Water Trap - Set a shallow dish of soapy water near the biggest infestation. Place a gooseneck lamp or hang a light bulb over the water. The fleas will jump towards the light, fall into the water, and drown.
Outdoors
- Check immediate areas for rodent nests and eliminate them.
- Remove animal manure and organic debris promptly.
- Seal any cracks or holes in the foundation, doors, windows, vents, and chimneys, to prevent rodents from getting in.
- Treat your attic and wall voids with a long-lasting silica gel. Make sure you wear protective gear when applying the silica gel.
Fun flea facts:
- Fleas are not arachnids, they are insects.
- Fleas are related to ticks and spiders.
- Although they are called "dog fleas," they will prey on many warm-blooded animals.
- Fleas were host to the bacteria that caused the Bubonic Plague.
- Fleas can jump 7 to 8 inches high and 14 inches across.
- One flea can lay 600 eggs a month.
Chemical killers
- Flea collars have been shown to cause aggressive behavior in people and in pets.
- Flea dip chemicals in sewage effluent can kill off aquatic organisms, damaging the food chain and threatening the survival of fish stocks.
- An increasing number of cats have been found with hyperthyroidism (enlargement of the thyroid glands) due to being treated with flea collars and sprays.
- Flea and tick dips are associated with bladder cancer in dogs.
- Carbaryl, a common flea control chemical, probably causes birth defects and sterility in men.
- The US Environmental Protection Agency banned Chlorpyrifos, another common flea control chemical, in June 2000, because of concerns about neurotoxic (nerve toxic) effects in small children. This chemical is still legal in Canada.
- Chemical solutions for flea control do not always work.
- Chemical solutions are costly.
- Chemical solutions are unnecessary. The alternatives work. Don't poison your kids and your pets.
This page contributed by Clean North researchers