Hello and great question.
I haven’t done a lot of research on vacuums yet. Generally, from the studies I’ve read, the most important factor is to ensure the vacuum has a beater-bar. The beater-bar picks up eggs, larvae, and pupae, and also vigorously agitates the carpeting. This agitation causes heat and pressure, which the fleas perceive as a host. These host cues trigger pre-emerged adults to emerge. The agitation may also cause larvae to pupate without cocoons (naked). Naked pupae are easier to remove from carpeting, plus they can’t enter into a dormant-like state.
The process of being vacuumed up will kill all flea stages, regardless of the specific vacuum. However, some vacuums are obviously more effective at removing debris than others. The vacuums I put on the vacuum page are highly-rated beater-bar styles specifically designed for pet-hair.
To answer your question, no, I haven’t read anything about, or had experience with, robotic vacuums. However, I assume they’d work as long as they have a beater-bar. As an added benefit, the movement of the vacuum may attract more fleas, ultimately leading to more getting sucked up. Read more about the attraction stimuli of fleas.
If you own a robotic vacuum, I’d say give it go. Run the vacuum at least every other day. After a week or two, if you still notice numerous adult fleas emerging from the carpets, it’s probably a good idea to switch to an upright with more suction power. (The key word is ‘numerous’ here. Even the best vacuum won’t remove all the fleas from carpets.)
Hope this helps!
Outstanding answer, as is fitting from such an outstanding web site. I try to avoid hackneyed words like “awesome” but this is one of those instances where it’s simply the best fit. I do not own a robo-vac, but have two aging cats whose delicate health prohibits the use of even the mildest meds — Capstar and Vectra must be used very, very sparingly if at all. Saw my first flea of 2015 this week on one cat’s belly, and am clamoring for tools that I *can* use. From your helpful response I think I’ll try a robo-vac, ideally from a vendor who accepts returns. If I run that every day, and the manual one twice a week, plus daily flea combing and a little luck we just might be OK. I’ll let you know. Many thanks.
I appreciate the compliments on the site. Thank you! It means a lot to know I’m helping people with the information.Some other chemical-free control methods worth looking into would be diatomaceous earth and insect growth regulators (IGR). Both can be applied to carpets. I apologize I don’t have any pages dedicated to these topics just yet, but here’s a quick run down:
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is simply crushed diatoms. It’s nearly pure silica and kills fleas by absorbing oils from their cuticle. As a result, they can’t retain water and will die. DE is one of the few “natural” solutions that has any track record of success. However, it isn’t the miracle method that some websites claim it to be. Look for “food grade” diatomaceous earth. You can check out the FleaScience diatomaceous earth page, but it’s a work in progress.
IGRs are synthetic mimics of natural insect hormones, specifically the hormones which regulate metamorphosis and molting. When larvae are exposed to these chemicals, they are unable to reach adulthood or sexual maturity. They’ll die as larvae. While this kind of product is a chemical, it isn’t toxic to mammals because it is specifically an insect hormone. Look for pyriproxyfen (Nylar) or methroprene (Precor). Many carpet sprays contain these IGRs along with other adulticides. However, you can get the IGRs by themselves too, for example Martin’s IGR.