The Flea that bit me...

[Yuwipi Woman]

I'm pretty sure my house is infected with fleas. I brought in a bunch of donated baby blankets to be washed. Rolled open one to find bed bugs. I bundled it out of the house as quickly as possible and to the garbage. However, a week later I started itching. I thought at first it was bed bugs, but I often found a bug attached when I was bit and it didn't look like a bed bug. It looked more like a flea. Brown, elongated body, bites during the day, and around the ankles and legs. (Bed bugs are rounder and bite at night) Anyway, I've washed every bit of fabric in the house and put it all into plastic bags. The last time I had a flea infestation my dad brought around a can of something I'm pretty sure is banned now. Even so, I had to spray every bit of carpet multiple times to finally get rid of them. So, any ideas for removing the infestation?

 

[wiskey]

We get fleas when we forget to do the cat. I get bitten first usually which reminds me to do the cat and within a few days the fleas have all died.

We have used flea bombs when we've moved out of houses.

 

[2hats]

Flea bombs (foggers) with a growth inhibitor (IGR) have always worked for me. One per room. Typical formulations (currently available in the UK anyway) use insecticides Permethrin/Tetramethrin, and the growth regulator S-methoprene.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Flea bombs (foggers) with a growth inhibitor (IGR) have always worked for me. One per room. Typical formulations (currently available in the UK anyway) use insecticides Permethrin/Tetramethrin, and the growth regulator S-methoprene.

Thank you. I will try that. It can't be any worse than the mystery pesticide from the barn circa 1970.

 

[2hats]

Thank you. I will try that. It can't be any worse than the mystery pesticide from the barn circa 1970.

SC Johnson have a fogger product but I'm sure there are others.

 

[Saunders]

 

[FridgeMagnet]

A flat I lived in got fleas, possibly brought in by the hordes of mice that literally ran up and down the curtains at night while I swore at them not a terribly proud time of my life.

They have a short lifecycle. Without chemicals, if you basically blitz everything daily - wash all bedding, hoover, etc - they will die out in several days. But it is utterly miserable while they are there.

They are also surprisingly hard to kill if you find one. Apart from moving quickly, they do not die unless they are crushed with some force between two hard surfaces.

 

[editor]

A flat I lived in got fleas, possibly brought in by the hordes of mice that literally ran up and down the curtains at night while I swore at them not a terribly proud time of my life.

They have a short lifecycle. Without chemicals, if you basically blitz everything daily - wash all bedding, hoover, etc - they will die out in several days. But it is utterly miserable while they are there.

They are also surprisingly hard to kill if you find one. Apart from moving quickly, they do not die unless they are crushed with some force between two hard surfaces.

I used to drop them in a deep glass of water. I felt a bit bad as they kicked for air, but then looked at my bitten-to-fuck legs and thought fuck them.

 

[Pickman's model]

No 'burn down the house' proposal?

How urban has mellowed

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Fogger/bomb thing in each room, set them all off then retreat to the pub for 8 hours.... Oh.

 

[oryx]

I'm cringing as I write this, but they will probably have previously lived on a host animal, and unless you have pets you are their main source of food, i.e. blood.

Reminds me of the time I went to check my sister's house while they were on holiday and the cats were in the cattery. I'll never forget looking down at my trouser legs and seeing the little fuckers crawling up them...like I say, cringing as I write this!

It needs a good safe but strong chemical spray or powder used on all soft furnishings.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

No 'burn down the house' proposal?

How urban has mellowed

There are days that I'd like to. Being a homeowner isn't what is cracked up to be sometimes.

 

[Saunders]

I had a few flea infestations when we had cats as well as dog, and used a spray from the pet food shop or the vet, which was very effective. The instructions were on the canister; spray over floors and sofa, don’t inhale spray.

Also spray a bit into the hoover bag, and hoover/ vacuum frequently.

I was always a bit uneasy about the chemicals though.

Diatomaceous Earth is something I’ve seen recommended (mostly on dog owner websites) and is natural rather than chemical. I’ve not yet used it myself.

 

[JuanTwoThree]

Scabies isn't pleasant.

 

[purenarcotic]

Hoover. Obsessively. Everywhere. If you have a steam cleaner, steam, hoover, then steam again. I don’t know if you can get it in the US but Acclaim spray is fabulous. Can be sprayed on everything. Wash everything you can in the hottest wash you can.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

Scabies isn't pleasant.

I know someone who had that. Evidently they spread quite easily. She had to get a prescription from the doctor and literally paint it onto her skin and leave it for a period of time.

 

[purenarcotic]

Also agree with putting some flea product in your hoover bag. We put a chopped up flea collar in ours. Johnson’s flea bombs are also good but you have to leave the house for at least three hours.

 

[fucthest8]

Really, no-one's posted this yet?

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Johnson’s flea bombs are also good but you have to leave the house for at least three hours.

The one time I had to do a house with them we went totally OTT, had a couple in each room, some on the stairs, in corridors, everywhere. Setting them off had to be planned so none of us got cut off

We did it at 11am to co-incide with the pubs opening and then went home at chucking out time. The house smelled a bit odd but it did the trick, no fleas survived

 

[moose]

I have had success with Indorex - spray it everywhere and go to the pub for a couple of hours. It's fierce stuff, but effective. Kills dust mites, too.