Flea's in the House

My mom used Borax, which she said was more safe. I can't remember how much, but I bet you could find directions online!

Your post gave me horrible flashbacks! I also had a BIG problem with fleas this year. We have a Boxer and Lab and like you I saw 1 flea and treated them but it was already to late for the house. We tried everything-sprays, do-it-yourself fogger's washing and vacuming everything, but nothing worked.
Save yourself the time and monwy and just call an exterminator now! We used Hoffman Pest COntrol. They were less expensive then everywhere else I called (only $75) and didn't require you to sign up for yearly or quarerly services like almost everyone else does. THey also provide a 30 day guarentee so if they don't go away they will come back until they do!
Trust me get this taken care of as soon as possible because it gets bad FAST! and $75 was a small price to pay for my sanity!

First of all, props for the boxer, we used to have one named Bruno, he was awesome. We now have a girl boxer!
Ok, the only thing you can probably do is get the house sprayed by an exterminator. Alot of them say you can go back into the house as soon as it dries, which only takes a few hours. Good luck!

We had a horrible problem with fleas last year, and it all started from a stray kitten that was injured and we brought it in the house. That totally started something horrible. What we did was we had an exterminator come to the house. I think it was about a hundred dollars but totally worth it. We took the dogs and cats to my mom's, they sat in the shade in their kennel and cat carriers. We used front line on them and there's a pill you can give them that makes all of the fleas on their body drop dead within thirty minutes of them taking it. So with the pill, front line, and the exterminator, we've been flea free for a year. Oh, and we stopped giving them front line after a couple of months and we haven't had any more problems. Good luck!

I don't have carpet so I don't have a problem even with 4 cats and a dog. But I keep my cats inside and the dog only goes out to go potty. We use frontline too. When I did have carpet we shampooed the carpet a LOT.

I think the biggest helper is keeping the animals inside as much as humanly possible. Outside is just full of fleas, ticks, diseases, other pets they could fight with, cars to run them over etc. My animals are very happy inside.

Suzi

We had a flea infestation in our house several years ago. Our vet recommended we stay away from anything that you can buy at Walmart type stores, as those have been on the market forever, and are not likely to take care of your problem (bugs become immune to bug sprays the same way bacteria become immune to anitbiotics). He recommended a brand called ADAMS, and we bought it at one of the local vet supply places. All-Pet on Chestnut, I think. We bombed our rooms with the cans. It worked WONDERFULLY! If all else fails, though, get an exterminator and also have him spray under any covered porches or decks you might have, too. Fleas really like dark places.

FYI: change your fleat treatment from year to year, too, for the same "immunity" reasons. That is what our Vet recommended.

S.

I would suggest having your carpet steamed cleaned. Not only it kills the majority of any larva, but also keeps the adults at bay, long enough to make your home unsuitable for them. It's usually best if you treat everything at one time, or close together. Vacuming a lot can also help if steam cleaning is not in the budget, but who has the time with children and work:)lol This is how I usually get rid of an infestation. Wish you much luck and success!!! :)

I have used Seven Dust and that has seemed to help

Once you get your home treated I would also recommend you treat your backyard. You can get the insect repellant granules that you just put in a spreader to distribute across the lawn. We have to do this because our home is also surrounded by outdoor dogs and ours is an indoor.

I had this same problem several years ago. I did this once and never had a problem with fleas again. For the inside I used flea bombs a couple of times, but noticed that my husband was still getting bitten. So I went to Petsmart and purchased this product that you put on your carpet and your furniture. I forget the name of the product, but it was sold in a gallon size jug and it was a white powder. I believe the main ingredient was boric acid. I sprinkled it on my carpet and brushed it in in order to reach the carpet pad. I also removed the cushions from my couch and other furniture and sprinkled some in the crevices and worked it in as well. For the outside I did quite a bit of research and discovered the world of organic pest control and my introduction to "beneficial nematodes". They are microscopic organisms that you apply to your lawn and flower beds. They seek out the flea's larvae which live in the soil and feed on it. They control other pests in the soil as well. You can purchase them from a retailer on line or some local nurseries. Just type in "beneficial nematodes" on your search engine and read all about them. I only had to apply them twice a couple of years apart when I lived in CA and they worked great. I hope this helps you in your quest to be flea free - Good luck!

S.

We had the same problem last year at this time. I took a small shallow plate put some dish washig liqid in it them shined a desk lamp on the plate at night, in the worst place where the fleas were heaviest. Do this in a dark room at night works best. The fleas are atracted to the light and will jusp on the plater the soap will hold them down and they will just drowned in the water. It was really amazing how many fleas would be on the plate in the moring. Do this for about a week and you will get rid of them. Do it in every room of your house where you have seen fleas. Table salt on the carpet works as well. You have too use allot of it and leave it for about a week but it kills off the fleas

I have two cats, one of which is an indoor/outdoor cat. I was told to sprinkle 20 Mule Team Borax on the floor and let it set for a couple of minutes and then vacuum it up. Since I've been doing this, I haven't seen any signs of fleas. It's also a deodorizer and helps take any stink out of the carpet.

B.

Have the carpets and furniture cleaned monthly for the next year, take all bed linens to be cleaned or wash them in hot water, and lots of soap, monthly.

For the back yard: spread powdered detergent around yard then each month afterward just do the edges of your yard. You can also get a sprayer for your hose and pour a full bottle of Dawn dishwashing liquid in it and spray your lawn.

the soaps eat through their hard oil shell and they dehydrate.

If all else fails, you boy is old enough to tolerate calling Guarantee Exterminating.