Donna1 asked 7 years ago
I had to change the treatment on my cats and dog after I found they had fleas, the new treatment was only put on, on the 29th July, even though I have seen live fleas on them I think they are dying from coming into contact with the Frontline plus, I tried treating the house with a spray and bombs but it didn’t work, so now I am alternating between hoovering and steam cleaning the carpet every morning going right through the house moving everything in each room, I have also been putting out a dish of soapy water with a lamp which is also helping with killing them, but I have noticed since starting on Monday the 31st July that I no longer have seen any larger adults only tiny little ones, If I am only seeing tiny ones does that mean I am winning against getting rid of the fleas, If so how much longer do I have to hoover and steam clean thoroughly eg. moving furniture to hoover steam clean under and around skirting boards, am I able to just hoover normally now
The steam cleaner I use is just an ordinary household one, it is a Murphy Richards Total Clean it cleans floors, but you can also take out a hand held bit to clean around cookers or showers etc, not sure if this is making any difference
Adam Retzer Staff answered 7 years ago
Donna,
I sincerely apologize that I couldn’t get to your question sooner.
It sounds like your control efforts are working. Seeing only smaller fleas means that they aren’t surviving long enough to feed. Adult fleas only get bigger when they feed, because their abdomens expand to around double their size.
Sprays and bombs rarely seem to work, even when they are working. This is because 95-99% of fleas are eggs, larvae, and pupae living in the environment. They are often living deep within carpets where sprays can’t penetrate. In order for the fleas already developing in the environment to die, they must mature and emerge first. However, if the spray contains an insect growth regulator (pyriproxyfen or methoprene) then any new eggs that fall into the environment won’t be able to develop. IGRs last for 7 months, and can be really useful to stop any new generation from surviving.
That said, studies have shown that pet treatments alone (like Frontline Plus) can end an infestation. And you are speeding up the eradication process with the vacuuming and steam cleaning. It sounds like things are going well. It usually takes 8 weeks before the infestation completely ends, so continuing to see small fleas here and there is normal.
Steam cleaning is an effective method to kill fleas in the environment. The only downside is wet carpet cleaning or steam cleaning can reduce the efficacy of insecticides applied there. This is why vacuum is usually advisable. But, in your case, you aren’t relying on environmental insecticides anyway.
Again, I am sorry for the late reply.
Warm regards,
Adam
