bpw asked 7 years ago
hello – thanks for writing such an informative website. I NEED HELP. we moved into our house in december last year. (6 months ago essentially). we don’t have pets but noticed fleas biting my ankle about 3 weeks ago. (i didn’t even know you could get fleas without pets.) anyhow, i tried doing the natural thing with DE. long story short, it did nothing. (despite me vacuuming like a fool. if anything, it got worse.) anyway, we mainly have hardwoods with area rugs. we decided to have the exterminator come out and spray inside and outside. we found that there were a TON outside on our deck so we even lifted some of the wooden boards of the deck so the exterminator could spray and leave granules under the deck. when we returned after the spraying the next day, there were still TONS on the deck. so, we made the decision to spend the money and have the deck demoed and a concrete patio put in instead of the deck. (because Lord knows what can lurk under there. it seemed to be a happy environment for the fleas.) (oh, of note, the previous owner had 4 dogs.) our contractor sprayed demon out there because there were still tons of fleas and then the exterminator came back out after the deck was demoed and sprayed again. YET THE FLEAS ARE STILL IN ABUNDANCE. (are they wearing respirators??) the inside seems to be under control since the exterminator and i’ve continued to vacuum every day for the last 2 weeks. (about to switch to every other day, as i’m exhausted from vacuuming.) the concrete hasn’t been laid yet (supposed to be this week) but i’m terrified that we’re going to spend lots of money on a concrete patio and these guys are gonna continue to disrupt my life. i was feeling confidant that the inside was under control until yesterday when the traps caught a ton of little baby fleas. (they aren’t as big and black as the adults.) i’m assuming this is normal since it’s been 2 weeks since they sprayed?? maybe they’re coming out of their cocoons?? HELP. also, we seem to be catching the most in our master bath and the office…which is bizarre because it’s all hardwood. that being said, the office has french doors to the outside and they’re open and shut a lot. but, the master bath/closet?? there are no carpets/rugs there. where are they coming from?? they said they sprayed the baseboards with insecticide. i’m at my wits end and feeling defeated. should i have an exterminator spray our crawlspace?? (we live in a pier and beam). should i wait for the concrete patio be completed to see if they leave from the patio area?? (it’s shady on the porch which is why i’m assuming they like it.) we have squirrels running around but no other wildlife to my knowledge. should i just give it 2 months of every other day vacuuming before i have the exterminator come back out? AHHHH – so many questions. 🙁 sorry. just not sure how long this infestation is going to last.
Adam Retzer Staff answered 7 years ago
It sounds like the the areas under the deck was the source of the fleas. This is common, because it’s an area where hosts tend to rest (especially in the summer). The previous owner’s dogs probably slept there. And they probably acquired fleas from when an infested raccoon or opossum took refuge there and dropped eggs.
Insecticide sprays primary affect the adult fleas, which only compose 1-5% of the total infestation. Immature fleas make up the bulk of the infestation, and they aren’t as easy to kill. So, the insecticide treatments likely killed the adults, but then the immature stages continued maturing and then emerged as adults again.
Ensure the exterminator sprayed an insect growth regulator (IGR). This will prevent the immature fleas from developing, and will sterilize the female adults. IGR is especially useful because it lasts for 7 months indoors, and up to 3 weeks outdoors. Traditional insecticides fade much quicker.
I’m not sure where the fleas are emerging from in your home. Most likely it’s from cracks or crevices in the flooring, or near baseboards where debris collects.
It may be a good idea to spray the crawl space. It’s possible that a wild host took shelter there and dropped eggs. However, squirrels shouldn’t be carrying the species of flea you are dealing with.
If you have the exterminator out again, ask them to identify the flea species. The most common species are cat fleas (C. felis) and dog fleas (C. canis). These species can’t survive or reproduce on human blood. So, if these are the species, then there is likely a wild host that is keeping the infestation goes outside. The deck demo should help with this. But you may also want to clear away debris from your yard, and trim dense vegetation. Fleas need shady, humid, wind-protected environments to develop in.
Human fleas (P. irritans) are a less common species, and I am not as familiar with them. They may be able to survive and reproduce on human blood, and then a wild host may be not be source. However, the steps you’ve taken should eliminate them as well.
It sounds like the steps you’ve taken should work (deck demo and patio installation, IGR sprayed, and vacuuming regularly). It will likely just require more patience on your part. As you mentioned, it often takes around 2 months for infestations to end. You can dial back the vacuuming a bit, to a few times a week, especially if you aren’t noticing a lot of fleas indoors.
Hope this helps!
Adam
bpw
replied 7 years ago Thank you for your reply! (And again, for your awesome website!) okay- update- deck was demoed and concrete was laid Tuesday. Yesterday (Friday), I had TWELVE on my socks when I went to take the trash out. And I was just standing on the new concrete patio. I’m at my wits end. Where could they possibly be living?? It’s all concrete right now! I figured concreting them in would fix it. (Side note, the vast majority of them were under the back door. Sure enough when the concrete dried, it contracted, pulling the door trim with it which left a gaping hole with access to where they used to live so maybe that’s where they’re still hanging out?) It’s a covered porch now with shade and no wind which tells me that these guys do not want to leave. My husband sprayed more demon on them yesterday afternoon and my contractor said he’d get some igr to throw at them as well next week.
I’m at a loss. We just dropped THOUSANDS to get the patio to fix the underlying issue and yet they’re still there. (Also, our 4 traps inside are continually catching them- little small ones.) I’m still vacuuming every other day. (The exterminator came out and sprayed inside 3 weeks ago, I vacuumed every day for 2 weeks, and now doing every other day.)
I wanted to call the exterminator again but now I’m wondering if I should wait for the 8 week mark to see if their life cycle completes. ?? Thoughts? Sorry for all of the questions but this makes me want to move out of our new house that we remodeled. 🙁
Adam RetzerDemoing the deck and adding the concrete patio will definitely reduce the habitable area the fleas can survive in. I’m sorry it didn’t solve the problem immediately, but it may just take a bit of time.
Waiting a bit longer before calling the exterminator may be a good idea. See if the current methods you’ve employed will solve or reduce the problem. I’d give it around another 2-3 weeks.
