Karen asked 8 years ago
Thank you for creating this web site and sharing all this wonderful information on fleas.
I’ve been battling a flea infestation since last Oct. I found a flea on my dog and then I started her on nextgurad. She has been on it since and a couple times I’ve given it every two weeks. I have vaccumed every single day since last Nov. and lately twice a day, on my knees going over every little crack between the floor boards. I have mostly hardwood floors with a few area rugs. I used diatomaceous earth on my floors and area rugs, I put the smaller area rugs in a commercial dryer on high for 30 minutes. I heated my house for 4 hours, at 100 degrees with humidity at 35 percent. It was too hard to maintain the temp. and it just seemed to cause fleas to hatch like crazy. Biting me and my dog.
Two weeks later I tried it again on a hotter day and heated my house for 16 hours, the first eight hours at a constant 90 degrees and then I lit my woodstove and got it up to 100 degrees for about eight hours and running my dehumidifier keeping humidity at 40 percent. This seemed to cause the same thing. A ton of fleas seemed to hatch. Dog scratching and biting herself like crazy and myself getting bit again.
I then steamed cleaned my 8 by 10 area rug with a steamer which heats to over 200degrees. I hung the rug over my 6 foot fence and steamed it and ended up with 10 flea bites on my arms, one on my face and one on my head. They must have jumped off the rug as I was steaming it. Wouldn’t this have killed all the immature stages?
I still have fleas and I have chemical sensitivity so I cannot do any chemical sprays. I flea comb my dog every day, and before we come inside the house. I’ve never found another flea on my dog since the one last Oct. and never any flea dirt. I am finding dried up blood on the hardwood floors after she scratches herself, which I pick up right away. Can you tell me why do I still have fleas? And what else can I do to get rid of them? I set a few flea traps and have only caught two fleas, but I’m still being bit along with my dog. I don’t believe nextguard works for the duration stated and it certainly does not stop an infestation. Is there anything else I can do?
Adam Retzer Staff answered 8 years ago
Hi Karen. I’m sorry to hear about your flea problem.
It sounds like you’ve taken many of the correct steps to end an infestation. I’m guessing you’ve killed a large portion of the developing stages. That said, it only takes a few fleas to continue the infestation.
Heating your home and turning on a dehumidifier won’t have much effect. Immature fleas develop within the carpeting/rugs. These microhabitats have their own insulated microenvironments where humidity and temperature are kept moderated. Further, these actions won’t affect adult fleas, which live nearly exclusively on your dog.
Using a flea comb can be effective, but very rarely will it remove all the fleas. And one female flea will lay an average of 20 to 30 eggs a day. So missing one flea can result in the infestation continuing.
Flea traps are good for identifying fleas and judging population size, but they aren’t a very effective control measure.
If NexGard isn’t working, perhaps you could try switching to flea drops, such as Frontline Plus or Advantage II. These treatments will kill adult fleas on your dog, and also prevent any newly acquired fleas from reproducing. Treatments are given monthly, for around 4 months.
Additionally, you can try using an insect growth regulator (IGR) on your carpets/rugs and floorboard cracks. IGRs are insect hormone mimics, and are considered safer than traditional insecticides. They work by preventing larvae from pupating. They specifically target insect endocrine systems, thus they don’t have much effect on mammals. IGRs are included in flea premise sprays, but can also be bought alone in concentrated form. Look for pyriproxyfen (Nylar). Martin’s IGR comes in a size suitable for indoor use.
As far as mechanical steps, continue vacuuming every other day and laundering your rugs and pet bedding weekly. Using diatomaceous earth is also a good idea. And steam cleaning occasionally can’t hurt (it should kill the fleas in your rugs).
It’s possible that the fleas you’re now seeing are a new infestation, as summer is upon us and fleas are thriving outdoors.
Hope this helps!
Adam
Karen
replied 8 years ago Hi Adam,
Can you tell me if diatomaceous earth will kill eggs and larvae? And how long do you leave it on the floor or carpet before vacuuming?
If I bought Martin’s IGR, could I spray my dogs collar with some and would that help. She is scratching around her neck.
I can’t do the drops or spray my house because I am too sensitive to pesticides.
If I put my area rugs in a black trash bag and leave in the sun, will it kill all stages of fleas?
I’ve heard the clove essential oil will kill fleas and eggs, but there is so much miss information on the web. Do you know if it does and have there been any studies with any natural substances that kill the immature stages?
Thank you,
Karen
Adam RetzerHey Karen,
I’ve responded below in a separate answer, as the comments can get a bit crowded and hard to read.
Adam Retzer Staff answered 8 years ago
Karen,
Unfortunately, there isn’t much information in the academic literature regarding diatomaceous earth and fleas. And even less so on essential oils.
There are accounts online of people using these control methods, but, from what I can tell, their claims are dubious. I think they’re pandering to the recent trend of people preferring “natural” solutions, and trying to get web traffic that way.
And even if effective, I have doubts that they’re 100% effective. It takes highly efficacious control methods to end an infestation, which is why I recommended flea drops.
Here’s one of the few journal articles on biorational (natural) flea control. It’s the best I’ve come across, but still doesn’t provide many answers:
Biorational Approaches to Flea Suppression: Past and Future
Diatomaceous Earth
It’s my understanding that diatomaceous earth (DE) works best on adult insects, but it may also kill larvae. It won’t kill eggs or pupae.
DE has powerful absorptive properties. It works primarily by absorbing the insect’s outer waxy/oily cuticle layer. Without this protective layer, the insects can’t retain water. Thus, they desiccate. There’s also a secondary effect. DE has microscopic razor-like abrasive surfaces. The sharp edges can cut into the insect’s cuticle/joints and further cause fluid loss.
Keep in the mind, for insect control, the diatomaceous earth has to be highly pure amorphous silica, also called “food grade” DE. Calcined DE, which is used in swimming pool filters, won’t work to control insects. This is because it’s heated to the point of becoming crystallized and thus loses it’s absorptive properties.
You can vacuum right away after using the diatomaceous earth on carpets. But it may be a good idea to work it into the carpets a little bit first. It will fall to the base of the carpets where the larvae live. A vacuum cleaner won’t be able to easily remove it, so it should stay there for quite a while, even with regular vacuuming.
Essential Oils
No literature I’ve come across has shown essential oils, of any variety, to be effective at killing or repelling fleas. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t. Perhaps researchers just haven’t been funded to study this topic yet.
I have read that some pet-owners will use essential oils for flea control, and unknowingly cause harm to their pets. There are some essential oils that are more toxic to animals than the insecticides used in FDA regulated products. This is because the products are thoroughly tested for toxicity and safety, while the oils are just assumed to be safe. For example, I believe citrus oils are toxic to cat and dogs. And many others can cause skin irritation.
IGR on Dog Collars
I can’t recommend any off-label use of insecticide products.
However, most flea control products on the market have IGRs in them, including collars. The two IGRs commonly used are (s)-methoprene (Precor) and pyriproxyfen (Nylar). Pyriproxyfen persists longer indoors, which is why I suggested it in my earlier response for using on carpets/rugs.
If you choose to go the route of using an IGR on the collar, be careful not to use too much, or too high of a concentration. Even though IGRs are considered safer than conventional pesticides, they should still be used cautiously. You can look at the product label of some flea collars in stores to see the concentration and amount they use.
Setting Items in the Sun
In that article I linked, there is a section that states:
Ewing (1929) recognized the significance of flea development in pet bedding, saying “if dogs or cats are allowed to sleep in the house, they should be given a mat or rug to lie upon. This mat or rug should be regularly taken out and shaken and left for a few hours in the sun.”
Immature fleas can’t handle the sun well, because of the heat and desiccating conditions. Larvae can’t even survive in lawns under the shade of a tree, because the area is too open and dry.
Obviously, putting the rugs in a sealed black bag will significantly increase the heat. This should be lethal to all flea stages within the bag. Though, I can’t be certain on how long it will take to kill them.
I hope this information is useful. My knowledge is a bit lacking on natural control methods, mainly because there hasn’t been much research done. I hope to further study this topic in the future.
Adam
