George asked 8 years ago
I’ve had a small flea issue in my room for a while. The pets in the house have had flea treatments but the fleas are still biting me and are in my room. My room is hard wood floored.
I vacuumed once and then applied Precor 2000 spray in my room. Unfortunately after two days I got headaches and trouble breathing from the fumes in my room. I had to mop up all the Precor from the floor so that I could sleep in my room. I currently only have diatomaceous earth down on my hardwood floor.
I put out a shallow plate of soap water with a light over it and still caught one flea.
- What would I do from here?
- What IGR product can I use that won’t give me severe breathing issues like Precor?
- Will that one application of Precor combined with diatomaceous earth be enough? My vacuum cleaner has been broken.
Adam Retzer Staff answered 8 years ago
Hello George,
You’ve taken the proper steps. Unfortunately, no flea control method is 100% effective. You’ll likely continue seeing fleas here or there for a few weeks. The youngest eggs have to develop into adults and emerge before you’re in the clear. The life cycle usually completes in 17-26 days indoors. However, cocooned adults can stay quiescent for up to 5 months until they detect a host. Vacuuming will trigger their emergence.
I’d recommend purchasing a new vacuum. Vacuuming is one of the most important parts of flea control. Plus, it’s chemical free. Continuing vacuuming regularly to remove any emerging adults. On hardwood floors, fleas tend to develop in cracks, crevices near baseboards, or anywhere debris collects. Focus on these areas.
To prevent bites, you can wear long pants and socks. Tuck the pant legs into the socks. Also, ensure that your bedding doesn’t hang low to the ground (fleas can only jump to the height of a human ankle), so you aren’t bitten at night.
If you want to spray an IGR again, I’d recommend using a concentrate, like Martin’s IGR. Unlike the Precor premise spray you used, a concentrate won’t contain any other ingredients aside from the IGR, and it isn’t in aerosol form. That said, using an IGR again is probably over-kill in your situation.
The fleas will go away on their own in time, as long as the pets aren’t allowed in your room. The measures you’ve already taken have likely helped speed things up.
Hope this helps!
Adam
