Viki asked 5 years ago
I really hope you can help me. I found three fleas. Two fleas were in my four-year-old’s room on his bed his bed is pretty low.I called one of them in the water bottle and I identified as a flea. My son has been bitten a lot my husband sleeps in the same bed with him since our two month old keeps him up at night and he works in the morning and he has not gotten bitten yet not that I know of. I found one in the basement which ran away for me. I also have gotten bitten so my son and I are The only ones my mom also has not gotten bitten. I started to vacuum each room. Poured salt, I made a mixture of water and vinegar lemon & lavender oil With salt. I sprayed this all around the house. I also put put a dehumidifier in the basement to help suction out the moisture. I have some ideas on how it might have gotten into her house. My husband was mowing the lawn and since it was raining for a few days in a row the grass got big, And my son was in the grass with my husband while mowing the lawn. We have wildlife around us rabbits squirrels mice raccoons. I don’t know if maybe by accident it got on my son or husband and they got into The house. Another one is One of our family members brought a dog in our house. And it was all around the house except the bedrooms. I don’t know if they treated a dog for fleas or not to prevenT. But when they did go home I did vacuum the house and Wipe the floors. 2 months ago we also have had a families With dogs come to our house but their dogs were at home one of the dogs were with them and came in the house and out really fast I don’t know. Do you think I have an infestation. I only saw three I don’t see anymore I am trying my best to clean with the kids. we do not have any cats or dogs. We Do have two small parrots. I called Their vet and asked if the fleas would go on them and he said no. I dont have to treat them. I also have a 10 gallon fish tank but the Fishtank is over 5 feet tall. We only have carpet in the living room dining room and basement rugs not the carpets my sons room has hardwood floor and his bed that’s all Thank you
Adam Retzer Staff answered 5 years ago
Viki,
First, I apologize for the delayed response.
It may be a good idea to place some flea traps in the rooms where you are getting bites. The traps aren’t too good for control, but they are very useful identifying the fleas, assessing populations, and determining when fleas are completely gone.
It’s possible the fleas hitchhiked in from outside in the long grass and other shady areas. Raccoons are a common host of cat fleas (C. felis), which is the most common domestic flea species. Visiting pets may have also dropped flea eggs in the home.
C. felis can’t survive and reproduce on human blood. So without a pet, the problem should go away on its own. However, human fleas (P. irritans) can survive and reproduce on human blood, though it’s is a much less common species. See our page on how to identify species.
The salt, vinegar, and essential oil remedies don’t have any proven record of success, though some online sources claim they work against fleas. And the dehumidifier won’t do much for control, because developing fleas live in protected micro-habitats with their own micro-climate, which is largely unaffected by the surrounding conditions.
I am not sure if you have an infestation or not. I think it would be a good idea to get a couple flea traps and see if you catch any more fleas. Then identify the species and go from there.
Regardless of species, spraying the home with an insect growth regulator (IGR) should solve the problem. These are insect hormone mimics and that prevent eggs and larvae from becoming adults, and they last for 7 months indoors.
Let me know if you have further questions.
Warm regards,
Adam
