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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
Insecticides
Industrial chemicals are a surefire way to get rid of any insects. This is the only thing that fleas fear most in the house: you can hide from bad weather in the warm fur of the carrier, but there is no escape from the paralyzing effect of insecticides.
Popular industrial products for the home:
- Dichlorvos;
- Raptor;
- Karbofos;
- Butox 50;
- Raid.
Aerosols
Dog and cat fleas are afraid of drugs:
- Fiprist;
- Frontline;
- Dana;
- Advantix;
- Leopard;
- Barrier.
Most insecticides are used once. In advanced cases, re-treatment is carried out, but not more than once a month.
Important! After using aggressive chemicals, fleas die literally before our eyes. But this approach can harm your pet, becoming a catalyst for allergies. Therefore, you should consult your veterinarian before using medications.
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.
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.
Salt
This simple remedy will help you get rid of fleas in carpets at home. Salt is famous for its dehydration properties. In contact with salt, the outer coverings of fleas are destroyed, the insects lose vital moisture and, as a result, die. To use this folk remedy you will need:
- Table salt or sea salt (the amount of salt depends on the area to be treated)
- Salt shaker or spice jar with holes
The procedure is as follows:
- If the salt is coarse, grind it before use.
- Pour the salt from the bag into a jar, leaving enough space up to the lid with holes so that the salt spills freely
- Sprinkle salt on the carpets in each room, rubbing lightly so that the crystals penetrate into the base of the pile where the larvae and pupae hide.
- Leave for 1-3 days
- Then vacuum the carpets thoroughly
Soda
It is used in a similar way, but the difference with soda is that it acts on larvae and eggs. In combination with salt, these folk remedies destroy the visible and invisible stages of flea development. The method is inexpensive and safe even for children and pets. Moreover, every housewife has salt and soda, and their use does not require complex preparations.
A mixture of salt and soda is used to treat carpets, rugs, animal bedding and upholstered furniture on which a dog or cat periodically lies.
- Check the expiration date of baking soda: if there is no packaging left with the date, just add 2-3 drops of vinegar to a spoon with soda - if bubbles appear, then the soda is still good
- Mix baking soda and salt in equal proportions
- Apply the mixture evenly to the carpets using a brush or broom
- Leave the mixture overnight and vacuum up the next morning.
- Repeat the procedure every 4 days for two to three weeks.
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.
