The simplest and most effective ways to remove indoor fleas

The appearance of indoor fleas is always a surprise. Their presence in the house makes the life of the residents unbearable. The bite of this blood-sucking insect is difficult to confuse with anything else. The incessant itching gives no rest. Small pests can jump long distances, and they reproduce quickly, which makes them quite difficult to remove at home. To fight these parasites, you need to know their distinctive features. In this article we will look in detail at how to get rid of blood-sucking insects.

Causes of parasites

The first reason that comes to mind for insects is dogs and cats. Indeed, most often it is pets who become the source of infection. But there are many other ways to bring bloodsuckers into your home.

Basement of the house. Fleas in the basement of an apartment building both quickly appear and quickly begin to multiply. Residents of the first floors suffer from them especially.
Shoe sole. Sometimes people themselves bring eggs of earthen species to their homes on the soles of their shoes. And they cannot always be detected immediately. Parasites are usually noticed when they have already actively begun to reproduce.
Rent or sale of an infected apartment. Apartment owners may not completely get rid of pests before selling or renting. If you are unlucky enough to encounter such hosts, prepare for a long and persistent struggle with insects.
Neighbours. It happens that not the most clean neighbors contribute to the spread of parasites not only in their apartment, but throughout the house.

Having discovered an infestation of blood-sucking insects, it is advisable to find out where they came from, otherwise all efforts to destroy them will be in vain.

Of course, the main reason why parasites linger in your home is the presence of favorable conditions. Lack of fresh air, uncleanliness, dirt in the house, dampness, clutter - all this contributes to their active reproduction.

Flea

Indoor fleas feed on blood, so the inhabitants of the house become an excellent source of food for them. This is the main danger, because they can carry various dangerous, sometimes even fatal diseases, as well as helminth eggs.

Pests leave painful bites. The skin at the bite sites is irritated and itchy, and the points themselves are located on the same line. Sometimes bites can cause severe allergies, especially in children.

Preparing the apartment for flea treatment

Before treating the apartment, you need to find out where the fleas came from. If the source is not eliminated, then some time after disinfestation the parasites will reappear in the apartment. In an apartment building, fleas often migrate from the basement. In this case, you should contact the management company for help. She should hire a professional service to exterminate the ectoparasites. If the cause of fleas is a pet, special veterinary preparations will help clear its fur of fleas.

How to detect indoor fleas

To understand that fleas have appeared in the house, it is enough to carefully inspect it. The first step is to check the pet hair. It needs to be pulled apart with your fingers, paying special attention to the neck, head and belly of the animal. The rapidly moving black dots are parasites. You can place your cat or dog on a light surface, such as paper, and brush them. Fallen insects will be immediately visible against a light background.

Upholstered furniture often becomes a habitat for parasites, so you can place paper near sofas and armchairs. You will see them on sheets of white paper as they move around the house. If there are too many insects, you can see their accumulations in baseboards or cracks.

indoor flea

Bites on the body of humans or animals can also be a sign of the appearance of bloodsuckers. Animals are the first to react - they constantly itch, get nervous, and sometimes the pet stops eating.

Bloodsucking bites are similar to mosquito bites or bedbug bites. However, fleas, unlike bedbugs, are active not only at night, but also during the day. Usually they begin to “feast” on a person where the skin is thin - the armpits, the top of the foot, the area under the knees.

It is more difficult to detect eggs or larvae of pests. Usually they are found in the same place as adult individuals - in the fur of pets, in their bedding, in carpets, in the folds of upholstered furniture, etc.

Appearance and life cycle

The length of the insects does not exceed 2 mm, the color varies from amber to dark brown and black. The body of the individuals is flattened, covered with villi, allowing it to cling to surfaces; the abdomen is large relative to the rest of the body. The insect has three pairs of legs. A distinctive feature is the back pair of legs, which allows you to make long jumps, many times greater than the length of the body. Thanks to this, the pest is almost impossible to catch.

House flea larva

The female does not lay eggs in a specific place, but pushes them out of her body in a jump, thus distributing eggs and larvae throughout the house.

Black fleas are insects with an incomplete metamorphosis cycle, that is, eggs produce larvae, which then turn into adults by molting.

Habitats in the apartment

Ideal conditions for parasites to live are humidity, darkness and musty air. They usually settle in secluded places where they are difficult to detect - in baseboards, in cracks on the floor, in crevices, near sinks and showers. Blood-sucking insects can often be found in animal bedding, carpet pile, joints and folds of upholstered furniture, and soft toys.

What are fleas?

Fleas are tiny wingless insects that are adapted to bite the skin and suck the blood of warm-blooded animals. Adult fleas are about 3 mm long and range from light brown to almost black. These parasites are well adapted for jumping and can jump upwards of more than 30 cm.

The life cycle of fleas (see Fig. Life cycle of a flea) is typical for an insect: the female lays eggs on the host animal. After a few days, the eggs hatch and begin to develop as larvae. At a later stage, they develop into pupae until they grow into adults. The main purpose of an adult flea is to suck blood and reproduce.

Adult fleas typically live for 2-3 months, and under ideal nutrition and temperature conditions can live much longer, but without a host to feed on, the lifespan may be only a few days.

Necessary measures for exterminating insects

In order for the fight against fleas in your apartment to end successfully, you need to follow simple recommendations that will significantly increase your chances of success.

Carry out a thorough cleaning of the apartment! This is the first and main thing to do. Vacuum carpets, upholstered furniture, wash all floors. Adding ammonia or essential oil to the water for washing floors will greatly help reduce the number of colonies. After cleaning, the vacuum cleaner bag should be quickly packed in a thick plastic bag so that the bugs do not have time to jump out and thrown away.
If you suspect that it is the bedding species that are bothering you, you need to wash all bedding at a temperature of 60 degrees or higher (the parasites are very tenacious, they can survive at lower temperatures), then iron them.
If the infection appears in the wardrobe, the clothes must be treated independently with an iron or steam, or taken to dry cleaning.
Carefully treat blankets, pillows, mattresses, soft toys. If this is the case in winter, then you can take things out into the cold, or, if the fight is in the summer, leave them to bask in the sun. Parasites cannot tolerate temperature changes.
Wash all your shoes that you wear outside. As we remember, eggs and larvae can get into the house on the soles of shoes, so in order to avoid the appearance of new individuals, you need to pay attention to this point.

How to remove fleas from your home using chemicals

Before using chemicals, you need to thoroughly clean the apartment, so the fight will be more effective. We strongly recommend that you send your household members out for a walk for a while so as not to breathe in harmful chemical vapors, and when using insecticides, use personal protective equipment - a mask, gloves, and protective clothing.

Treatment with drugs should be carried out with windows and doors closed so that the substances do not evaporate. You need to treat every centimeter of cracks, baseboards, cracks, folds of furniture, and corners. Usually the substances begin to act within 3-4 hours. A few hours after treatment, the room must be thoroughly ventilated.

Means for killing fleas in the apartment are divided into groups. Let's see what fleas are afraid of in the house and how to get rid of them quickly and effectively.

Aerosols

Without a doubt, this is the most effective remedy available to the average person. They are sprayed in places where blood-sucking creatures accumulate. The active substances penetrate the flea's body, after which it dies. By using aerosols you can get rid of pests in a short period of time.

Aerosols often used are Raptor, Dichlorvos, Raid, Kombat, Doctor Claus,

Solutions

Concentrated solutions are diluted in water and the resulting preparation is sprayed on walls, baseboards, cracks and other habitats of bloodsucking creatures.

Common people advise using Get, Tsifoks, Tetrisk, Zone solutions. Cucaracha is also popular, but the downside of the drug is its strong smell.

Dusts and powders

The substance affects the nervous system of the pest, causing paralysis. The product lasts for quite a long time. But it is better to use this product to combat larvae, as they absorb organic debris and can eat poison.

The drug Delicia is popular, although it mainly destroys feline and canine species.

How dangerous are flea bites for humans?

Often, domestic flea bites cause a severe allergic reaction , including shock and swelling. And if 1-2 bites are not yet so dangerous, systematic flea attacks lead to the following consequences for the body:

Extensive rashes appear around the bites;
the temperature rises, swelling appears;
lymph nodes enlarge;
in places where scratching occurs, painful suppuration occurs (in advanced cases, the appearance of ulcers and pyoderma);
insomnia, constant stress, phobias of various nature;
neuralgia;
infection with dangerous infectious diseases and the possibility of acquiring internal parasites.

Due to the anesthetic substance that the flea injects under the skin, the bite is initially painless, but after a short period of time severe pain appears. If we compare domestic fleas with other parasites of a similar nature, they have the most painful bite and a huge number of diseases they carry. The domestic flea, due to its random distribution, is extremely difficult to remove, while with other parasitic insects, only nests or places of accumulation can be treated.

Safe folk remedies

Folk remedies usually help when the individuals have not yet spread throughout the entire home, or as an auxiliary to the main chemical preparation. If you see that there are a lot of bloodsuckers, it’s better to immediately start using more effective chemistry to prevent uninvited guests from invading your home.

How to remove fleas using improvised means?

Citrus. Pests cannot stand this smell. You can place the zest along the baseboards
Wormwood, bay leaf, tansy. Also unpleasant for parasites. You can place bunches of these plants in the corners of the room. The smell will repel insects.
Baking soda. Dilute soda and salt in water (1:1) and spray the areas where the individuals live with this solution.
Garlic. It is used as a decoction (1 head of garlic per 1 liter of water). Pour the broth into a spray bottle and spray the suspected habitats of the parasites.
Essential oils. They repel with their smell. Any strong-smelling essential oil is diluted in water (10 drops per 1 liter of water) and the floor is washed with this water. You can also use vinegar or ammonia.
Cold. If you are trying to get rid of pests in the winter season, low temperatures outside the window will be a good help. You need to leave the windows in the house open for several hours. Bloodsuckers cannot survive at sub-zero temperatures.

Exterminators

When an infection reaches terrifying proportions, you cannot hesitate, you need to call in professionals. Nowadays, there are many services that professionally carry out pest control of premises, eliminating pests for a long time. In addition, such services provide a guarantee that the insects will not return again. Of course, this will require certain financial costs, but the result will please you for a long time. Therefore, if you find large clusters of parasites, we advise you not to put off calling specialists.

How to get rid of cat and dog fleas

Of course, the first people we attack when we see pests are our pets. In addition to the fact that bloodsuckers fill the entire apartment, our furry pets also suffer.

If your pet has become irritable and nervous, refuses to eat food, constantly itches, especially scratching its neck, ears and head, then there is a high probability that the pet has parasites.

You can confirm the presence of bloodsuckers by carefully examining the fur of a cat or dog. You will immediately notice black bugs running fast. And if you start washing the animal, the individuals usually “save themselves” by running over their heads.

Remedies for fleas on pets are very varied. They differ in type, method of application, duration of action. Let's look at the most common means.

Aerosols. Very effective, but very toxic. Considering that dogs and cats lick fur, poison can get inside, and the animal can become poisoned. Therefore, you need to use them with caution and carefully monitor your pet.

Shampoo. Pet stores and veterinary pharmacies will help you choose the right shampoo for your pet.

Drops. Most often, the drops need to be applied to the withers, so the animal will not be able to reach the active substance and lick it off, and the effect will be more pronounced.

Collars. The effect of the substance is weak, so collars are used as an additional measure, as well as as a preventive measure.

The most popular drugs for animals

To completely get rid of fleas, you need to protect your animals. The following tools are used for this:

Sprays. They work quickly and reliably. Used in critical cases, with severe infections. Aggressive components can harm the animal - be careful. Known drugs: Hartz, Frontline, Bolfo-aerosol. Even after bathing, these products will retain their effect.
Drops (on the withers). Simple and effective. Apply to the withers or along the spine. Protects from one to two months. Popular manufacturers include Stronghold, Hartz and Frontline.
Collar. A common method of fighting that performs a protective function. Gets rid of fleas only with a small infestation. Among the most popular collars is Kiltix. It is expensive, but lasts for more than 7 months. Cheaper alternatives are Bolfo and Hartz. But they stop working after 2 or 3 months.
Shampoos. There are delicate and effective ones. The delicate ones include Phytoelite, and the powerful Rolf-Club (elite product). The second shampoo softens the animal's skin and heals wounds. Removes fleas, lice, lice.

It is better not to bathe small puppies and kittens, as well as pregnant or lactating animals.

Preventing the appearance of black fleas

Fighting fleas in an apartment on your own is quite difficult, although the task is feasible for everyone. To avoid unnecessary suffering, you just need to follow simple preventive measures.

Maintain cleanliness and ventilation in the room. As we already know, bloodsuckers appear in places where the air is dirty, damp and musty. By removing these factors, we will, if not completely protect, then significantly reduce the chances that unwanted neighbors will enter your home.
Air and dry blankets and pillows to avoid bed bugs.
Wash shoes after going outside. This way we reduce the likelihood of eggs or larvae getting into the house.
Treat your pet regularly. By using flea treatments for animals for preventative purposes, we will protect not only ourselves, but also our pet.
Inspect the basement of the house. As soon as you suspect that pests have appeared in the basement, immediately call a special service.

Source

What fleas bite people?

Fleas parasitize animals, but can also bite humans. Almost all types of fleas are capable of feeding on human blood if there is no other source nearby (cats, dogs, rats). If there are a huge number of parasites in the room, and the animals have left the room or there are too few of them for so many fleas, they will attack any warm-blooded creature that visits their habitat.

For example, when cities began to close basements to prevent street cats from having access there, due to a lack of food, fleas began to crawl out into the street and move into the apartments of residents of the first floors.

Fleas cannot live on human skin or hair; they live in animal hair, carpets and furniture, and sometimes even in beds.