chelseajo asked 7 years ago
We’ve been battling fleas for a while now; since before July 4. We were a bit late giving the dog his flea drops, and also found mice in the house. Not sure which one was the flea transport culprit but it took us about a weak to realize we had a problem. The dog got two flea baths, his drops and a flea tablet from the vet. I vacuumed all floors, baseboards, under furniture, etc., washed all bedding, and used the Hot Shot spray with IGR all over the whole house. Then kept vacuuming. I set out dish soap traps that were clear a few days later
Unfortunately from a timing perspective, we left for a week-long vacation. We came back to fleas 🙁 I repeated the laundry and vacuuming for a week until the exterminator could get out to the house. They treated the house and told us to vacuum twice a day for one week following the treatment, then once a day for another two weeks. We’ve followed their instructions exactly – vacuuming all floors (hardwoods, tile and carpet/rugs) and vacuuming or sanitizing any bedding the dog lays on. That brings us up to tomorrow.
My primary questions:
– They said 3 weeks of vacuuming (on top of the week prior to the treatment). Your site says it takes 8 weeks for an infestation to clear up. Do we still need to keep vacuuming for another FIVE weeks?
– How do we know if the treatment and vacuuming is working?
– I laid down some diamataceous earth prior to the flea treatment (vacuumed it up before the treatment) and have laid some down since in the areas that I think were hardest hit. Should I continue with the DE?
Your input is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Adam Retzer Staff answered 7 years ago
Chelseajo,
The dog likely picked up fleas from outside. Mice and other rodents don’t carry the same flea species that infest dogs and cats.
It’s normal to continue seeing fleas here or there even after proper treatment. This is because 95-99% of infestations are eggs, larvae, and pupae living in the environment, such as at the base of carpets. Insecticidal sprays can’t penetrate carpets well, so many of the fleas already developing there will go unaffected. For these fleas to die, they’ll need to mature and emerge. Still, the IGR is useful for preventing re-infestation for up to 7 months. Any new eggs that fall onto the treated surfaces won’t be able to develop.
I’ve written a page on How often to vacuum for fleas. Hopefully this will fully explain your question related to that. If not, please post a follow-up comment on that page or here.
It can take a while to know if treatment is working. The number of fleas should gradually decrease over the first few weeks. It should be significant enough to notice by week 2 or 3.
In severe infestations, it can seem like the problem worsens after the first treatment. This is because the bulk of the infestation consists of unseen immature stages. If the infestation went unnoticed for a while, there will be a lot of fleas maturing and emerging from the environment.
The DE probably isn’t necessary since you’re already using more powerful control agents. Usually DE is employed by people trying to stay away from chemicals. Unfortunately, the literature on how effective it is on fleas is slim, but it does have some insecticidal properties.
I apologize that I wasn’t able to answer your questions sooner.
Adam
