Fleas are the eternal companions of warm-blooded animals and birds. They can settle in a living space and cause trouble for humans with their bites. At the first signs of the appearance of parasites, you need to act immediately. They carry pathogens of dangerous infections and can cause infection with typhus, encephalitis, salmonellosis, and fungal diseases. To quickly get rid of insects, you need to know what fleas are afraid of and apply this knowledge in practice.
The appearance of a parasite.
What fleas fear and dislike
Water is a flea repellent. Therefore, wet cleaning with repellents added to the water and washing pets help get rid of fleas. They cannot tolerate extreme increases and decreases in air temperature. They are afraid of strong odors of artificial and natural products. These can be: pine needles, wormwood, rosemary, soap. To combat fleas, the following are also used: salt, soda, boric acid, baby soap, onions.
Chemical smells
When figuring out what smell fleas don’t like, the obvious fact is the strong deterrent effect of artificial substances. These include the following available tools:
Bleach and whiteness
Products containing chlorine are very effective in fighting fleas. But when processing, safety precautions are required. Chlorine is a poisonous substance.
Attention! When inhaling vapors, very serious consequences occur. Processing of premises must be carried out using a respirator. The skin must be protected by protective clothing. After treatment, the room must be left for several hours.
Kerosene
Kerosene has been used as a deterrent since ancient times, despite the fact that it has an unpleasant, persistent and strong odor. This product has such disadvantages as persistent odor and flammability. To treat animals, it must be diluted with water.
Insecticides
Chemical insecticides are an effective way to kill fleas. The most effective insecticides are Karbofos, Doctor Klaus, Dichlorvos. They are designed for treating indoor and garden areas. The products are toxic and are not used to remove insects from animal fur. Such preparations as Butox 50, Raptor, Clean House, Raid, Combat are effective in destroying blood-sucking insects. The products are available in the form of sprays, aerosols and liquids.
Spray Raptor
Long-acting product with mint aroma. Properties are retained for 20 days. The toxic effect is based on a combination of chemicals: piperonyl butoxide, tetramethrin, cypermethrin. After a single treatment, the larvae die. Before using the aerosol, you must thoroughly wash the floors, wash clothes and pet rugs.
Strong drugs against pests are: Geletrin, Cyfluthrin, Oradelt. Chlorpyrimac is an effective remedy against fleas and other domestic insects. The drug is applied to the surface. After a few hours, wet cleaning is carried out. According to user reviews, all insects die.
Products based on pyrethrins and pyrethroids are effective and have low toxicity for animals. These insecticides include the following drugs:
- Insecticide.
- FAS.
- Medilis-Ziper.
Special drops help get rid of fleas on pets:
- Dana Ultra Neo.
- Celandine.
- Barrier.
- Blokhnet.
Wormwood
Wormwood owes its insecticidal properties to its specific odor, which insects cannot tolerate. In ancient times, our ancestors hung bunches of wormwood in the barn where the cattle lived to repel insects. The same bunches were hung in houses.
Wormwood is an easily accessible remedy even for residents of large cities. It can be purchased at the pharmacy in the form of crushed dry raw materials or ready-made tincture. Wormwood is used in different ways. Fresh or dried plants are formed into small bunches that are hung in the apartment. You can also chop the plants and sprinkle them in areas where fleas live.
Another method involves preparing a water infusion based on wormwood, which can be sprayed indoors using a spray or added to a soap solution for wet cleaning.
Recipe for wormwood infusion: you need to take 20 g of dry wormwood leaves or 40 g of fresh plants and boil them in two glasses of water. When the broth has cooled, it can be used both for wiping the animal’s fur and for treating the room. This product is even suitable for treating small kittens, puppies and pregnant females.
Wormwood is an excellent remedy against fleas in the house
Natural flavors
Most natural odors only have a deterrent effect. The use of fragrant plants and products does not destroy pests, but many aromas can become an obstacle to the path of fleas into the apartment. Brooms made from fragrant herbs, fumigators with essential oils, concentrated infusions and decoctions of strongly odorous plants are a pleasant and harmless way to combat parasites.
Tar
Tar soap has gained considerable popularity. This is an effective flea remedy. It is dissolved in water and used to wash animals and floors. Tar destroys adult fleas and their larvae.
Read more about how to treat cats and dogs with tar soap against fleas in this article.
Essential oil
Essential oils from the following plants have a strong repellent effect:
- Carnation.
- Mint.
- Aloe.
- Thyme.
- Walnut.
- Eucalyptus.
- Geranium.
- Camphor.
- Lavender.
- Anise.
It is enough to dilute a few drops with water and wipe all surfaces in the room, including hard-to-reach places. For preventive purposes, treatment should be repeated. The concentrate has an enhanced and effective effect. Pleases with a pleasant aroma.
Aroma oils
Aroma oils have a pronounced pleasant aroma, and most people like to inhale it, which cannot be said about cockroaches. In fact, a variety of oils found in the house can be used against these insects, but the following varieties will give the most powerful effect.
- Tea tree. This oil must be used carefully as it is poisonous to pets. If you have a pet in the house, it is best to turn on the aroma lamp with this oil. In other cases, a few drops are diluted in a bucket of water, and then the floor and other surfaces are washed.
- Fir. The fresh pine scent is an excellent solution for scenting your home and getting rid of cockroaches. Half a liter of water is diluted with 50 grams of alcohol, and then the mixture is supplemented with 30 drops of fir oil. The resulting composition is used to treat housing. Not recommended for use in rooms where there are babies and pregnant women.
- Geranium. It is best to take pink geranium: its smell is the strongest. Geranium flowers are poured with a small amount of alcohol and infused for about 14 days. Then dilute with water and spray the room. You can buy ready-made oil at a pharmacy or specialty store.
Also, cockroaches will react quite quickly to the following types of oils:
- citrus;
- mint;
- cedar;
- lavender;
- eucalyptus;
- anise.
When using oils, it is important to remember that too long exposure can cause a feeling of weakness and headaches. Many oils are harmful to pets and often cause allergic reactions in humans.
What plants repel parasites
Natural herbal remedies have proven effective in repelling fleas. Herbs must be used for a long time (The most effective herbs for killing fleas in an apartment). Fresh raw materials should be constantly added. Plants are placed around the entire perimeter of the rooms. It should be borne in mind that freshly harvested plants have a stronger effect than dried herbs. Fleas cannot tolerate the smell of the following plants:
- Sagebrush.
- Tansy.
- Mint.
- Carnation.
- Korostavnik.
- Citrus.
- Needles.
- Bay leaf.
- Geranium.
To wash animals and carry out wet cleaning, decoctions and infusions are made from thyme, lavender, celandine, and eucalyptus. A concentrated infusion of wormwood, celandine and pine needles has a special effect.
Advice! We recommend constantly tying a sprig of a fragrant plant to your cat or dog’s collar. The esters contained in herbs prevent the establishment of pests. In the fight against blood-sucking insects, a powder made from dried bark grass gives a good effect.
Preventive measures against bedbugs
To prevent the appearance of insects, wet cleaning should be carried out regularly using hygiene products. You need to shake out carpets, rugs, and curtains. Wash bed linen at least once a week. Carefully sweep away debris and dust from corners. Clean hard-to-reach places with a vacuum cleaner.
Cosmetic repairs will help not only in prevention, but also in the fight against insects. All cracks should be sealed with sealant. Parquets and skirting boards are opened and carefully inspected during the process.
Furniture must be inspected before purchasing, even if it is new. If the chair or sofa has been used before, the inspection should be more thorough.
Previous BedbugsDo bedbugs fly or not Next BedbugsAre bedbugs dangerous for humans
Drugs that cause paralysis in insects
There are a number of drugs that penetrate the chitinous membrane of pests. After the active substances enter the insect’s body, its nervous system is damaged. One of the effective drugs with a paralyzing effect is Tsifoks.
The drug is available in the form of a clear liquid with a pungent odor. Cypermethrin is the main active ingredient. The insecticide is economical: a liter container is enough to treat a large apartment several times.
Attention! The product is very toxic! Used for treating premises and summer cottages. The insecticide is available in glass bottles of 50, 500 and 1000 milliliters.
Another option for killing fleas is Sinuzan spray. A powerful professional product used by exterminators. Users note the rapid destruction of fleas - within one hour. The drug copes with adults, their eggs and larvae. Using the product requires strict compliance with safety measures. After treatment, leave the room for several days.
Chemical
If neither wormwood, nor animal spray, nor kerosene helped, then your fleas are incredibly tenacious. It's time to try another old but true remedy on them - this, of course, is dichlorvos. In most cases, it copes well with many types of insects. After treating the apartment with dichlorvos (as usual, special attention to corners and places under carpets), it is better to leave the house for a while if you do not want to keep fleas company. It is at this moment that you will most likely remember with longing such a pleasant smell of wormwood.
Please note that dichlorvos is a rather dangerous product, so after it you should clean the apartment especially carefully. And don't forget to ventilate the rooms.
What fleas are not afraid of
Important! Contrary to various rumors and myths, you should not believe advertising that convinces buyers of the effectiveness of certain electrical appliances. For example, no benefit from ultrasound machines has been proven. The electromagnetic waves generated by the devices do not repel insects.
Preventing the appearance of fleas in the apartment
For preventative purposes, rooms should be thoroughly cleaned at all times. Inspection and treatment of pets with anti-flea drugs should be carried out regularly.
Fleas often enter living spaces from basements. Treating basements with chemicals is a mandatory preventative measure. Fleas can get into an apartment in different ways: on clothes, shoes, on an animal, from neighbors.
Attention! If single individuals appear, emergency measures should be taken to destroy them. Fleas reproduce quickly. Losing time threatens to increase the population exponentially. 15 of the best folk remedies for fighting fleas.
Dangerous temperature conditions
Fleas love to live on kittens or cats; they can be called rather heat-loving insects. And this means that they are afraid of low temperatures, and this feature can be used against them. In order for fleas to leave the room, you need to create unfavorable conditions in it, that is, lower the temperature as in winter. But this may not always be the case, since the reduction must be significant. Thus, for attacking cats or other animals fleas, values that are within 10 - 15 degrees below zero are considered uncomfortable. And, for example, it will not be possible to “freeze” a room in an apartment or at home. But you can do this with an outbuilding in which parasites were found (for example, with a chicken coop or barn).
Fleas that live in the fur of cats feel uncomfortable even at elevated temperatures, and it is much easier to create them, because you can use modern devices or devices.
- The first way is to use a hair dryer. But the air stream must be very hot (minimum 45-50 degrees).
- The second method is more effective, as it involves the use of a steamer or steam generator. With this treatment, fleas found in the room will definitely die. But parasites found in kittens or cats cannot be eliminated this way.
Apartment treatment by specialized services
If you cannot get rid of fleas using available methods, you should seek help from professionals. The cost of disinfecting an apartment is considerable, but the quality and effectiveness of this method is fully justified by the result. To do this, a call to the home of sanitary services is issued.
Processing takes only a few hours, and you can return home the same day.
Sanitation workers use high-quality products that are harmful to parasites and absolutely safe for households and pets. Most drugs are characterized by the absence of an unpleasant odor.
Their active compounds do not provoke allergies in people.
Among the tools used by the services:
- Extermin F;
- Biorin;
- Effective Ultra;
- Chlorpyrimark;
- Empire;
- Sinuzan.
The main advantage of professional disinfection of a living space is that there is no need for re-treatment.
Temperature
Fleas are perfectly adapted to life in indoor conditions. Insects, which often live in apartments, stop reproducing at temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius, and die with further cooling.
To remove fleas, the method of freezing rooms is used. Of course, it applies more to free-standing buildings, especially agricultural buildings, than to ordinary residential buildings.
Too hot temperatures also have a detrimental effect on parasites. Heat above 45 degrees Celsius leads to the death of fleas, their larvae and eggs. You can easily remove annoying insects from upholstered furniture, carpets, and home textiles using hot steam.
The essence of the problem
Do not think that parasites only appear in areas where pets live. They often affect people who do not keep cats, dogs, or any other animals at home. These insects are capable of entering a person’s home not only on the body of pets or wild rodents, but also on human clothing. In addition, they can easily penetrate apartments on the lower floors of multi-storey buildings or private houses on their own. Thanks to their elongated hind legs, fleas can jump from 30 to 50 cm in both length and height. They move so quickly that it is almost impossible to catch them.
The life cycle of a flea lasts from 3 months to 1 year, depending on its habitat. Under unfavorable conditions, this insect can remain in the cocoon stage for up to 2 years. In optimal conditions of high humidity and temperatures of +18ºС… +25ºС, the flea becomes sexually mature by the end of the 1st month of life. To reproduce, they need to get enough blood. An adult female lays up to 10 eggs at a time, and about 500 throughout her life. After about 2 weeks, the eggs hatch into larvae that look like microscopic worms about 1 mm long. They have no legs, but are mobile. They feed on organic remains and excrement of adults. Adults feed exclusively on blood, but they can survive without food for several months while maintaining viability.
At home, genital fleas settle in carpet pile, fluffy toys, bed linen, pillow and blanket fillings, in floor crevices, behind baseboards, and in any secluded corners. They are able to jump onto furniture and walls to a height of up to 1 m.
Killing sprays
We recommend using proven products like Hot Shot Bedbug and Flea Home Insect Killer. This product promises to kill flea eggs and adults.
Anti-flea shampoos for animals Adams Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo with Precor for Dogs and Cats
How to remove fleas from an apartment yourself using citrus peels
Citrus peels will help remove fleas from your apartment; lemon peels are especially effective. If you wish, you can not only spread pieces of zest around the apartment, but also prepare a special decoction.
- Finely chop the lemon.
- Boil 2 tbsp. water and add citrus there.
- Boil for about 5 minutes and let stand.
- Spray the resulting mixture into all places where fleas can accumulate (plinths, carpets, cracks in the floors, furniture, etc.).
Attention! If you have to lay out pieces of citrus fruit, you must promptly replace them with fresh ones or throw them away.
Vinegar
Vinegar essence is one of the most accessible remedies. To use flea vinegar, you need to make a solution to treat your home. Water and apple cider vinegar are poured into the container in a 1:1 ratio. The resulting solution can be sprayed onto furniture, walls, and floors.
Then you need to clean the surfaces with a vacuum cleaner and carry out wet cleaning. When working with the substance, it is important to take precautions to avoid damage to the skin, respiratory system, and eyes.
Cardinal
If the previous methods did not help, you should act in the harshest way. First, get rid of all carpets. Yes, yes, just get rid of everyone. Even from that memorable Persian that would have been given by my cousin for my mother’s twenty-year wedding anniversary. Carpets are a favorite habitat for fleas, so sometimes it is much easier and better to buy a new carpet for your house than to have such unpleasant neighbors in the old one.
After all the carpets in the house have been mercilessly thrown away, you should return to the first point and start cleaning the apartment. Pay special attention to the corners and floor where the carpet was - insect eggs may remain there, waiting for their new home.
After the apartment has been thoroughly washed and cleaned, you can start purchasing new carpets. And don’t forget to put wormwood under them to avoid unwanted proximity in the future.
Tar soap
Floors washed with this product repel insects. A small nuance: not only fleas, but not all people like the aroma of tar soap. However, it is a cheap, natural and effective remedy that should not be neglected. Moreover, this aroma disappears very quickly for the human sense of smell. If you bathe your pet with tar soap, then for some period of time these insects will not threaten him. At the same time, it is recommended to wash your pet’s bed in the same way. To consolidate the result, the entire procedure should be repeated again.
Salt
To kill fleas that live in carpets, this affordable and safe folk remedy is used.
How to treat the room:
- Sprinkle carpets in every room.
- Rub salt into the pile with a brush.
- Leave the surfaces for a couple of days.
- Vacuum the carpets.
It is advisable to carry out the treatment several times to avoid the appearance of new individuals from previously laid eggs.
