Wisconsin Beth
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:01:49 GMT -5
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 26, 2012 8:01:49 GMT -5
Ok, DH and I went camping on our land about 3 plus weeks ago and saw a couple of fleas while there.
We went back about 2 plus weeks ago with the kids and the ILs. Didn't see any fleas but admittedly was pretty focused on keeping the ticks off the kids.
Got in the shower this morning and felt a sharp pain in the back of my thigh. Whirled around and after a couple of seconds found the f#$%ing flea on the shower mat. I drowned the bastard and told DH about it when I got out of the shower.
So, to get to my point - what do I do about fleas? Any advice or suggesions? I'm thinking that ignoring the situation is not a good plan...
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CarolinaKat
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:11:52 GMT -5
Post by CarolinaKat on Jul 26, 2012 8:11:52 GMT -5
Knockout spray is awesome!!!!! For indoor uphusoltery.... Sentinel isn't bad either...
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mmhmm
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:18:09 GMT -5
Post by mmhmm on Jul 26, 2012 8:18:09 GMT -5
You definitely don't ignore it! You'll have more fleas than you can deal with in very short order. Do you have pets? You'll have to treat them, if you do. Frankly, I'd call an exterminator and let them deal with it. A bad flea infestation isn't something you want, for sure!
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Wisconsin Beth
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:20:23 GMT -5
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 26, 2012 8:20:23 GMT -5
No pets. Not much carpet. Just 2 preschoolers and a bazillion toys...
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Wisconsin Beth
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:21:38 GMT -5
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 26, 2012 8:21:38 GMT -5
I know a couple of posters have dealt with fleas infestations with their pets and/or lousy neighbors
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midjd
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:27:06 GMT -5
Post by midjd on Jul 26, 2012 8:27:06 GMT -5
This is what worked for us (we have an indoor/outdoor cat, so a bit of a different situation). 1) Treat pet with Frontline; 2) Vacuum the hell out of your carpet - every day. (And wash rugs, bath mats, etc.) You can use that powder stuff, we did last year but not this year. Vacuuming gets up all but the eggs and young fleas, so if you do it every day for their life cycle, you'll get rid of almost all of them. If you think they're in the soft furniture, treat it with Sentinel. 2a) This is optional, but fleas like it warm - so if you can turn the house down to 65 for a few days, that will help. 3) Last resorts - flea fogger (we had to do this last year). It is a PITA and I would try the vacuuming for a few weeks first. We had a HORRIBLE infestation last summer and a mild one this summer (we knew what to do this time so it never got as bad). If you've only seen one flea so far, yours can't be too bad yet - vacuuming should kick it
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Wisconsin Beth
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:37:19 GMT -5
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 26, 2012 8:37:19 GMT -5
I think I've seen 2 at home Mid, in a 3 week span. So I'm hoping it's not bad.
and it's freaking hot and humid here. Today's supposed to have a high of 86 but storms are rolling in. We need the rain but the humidity is just yucky.
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midjd
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:41:16 GMT -5
Post by midjd on Jul 26, 2012 8:41:16 GMT -5
I feel ya! High of 104 yesterday, 96 today... so muggy you can't breathe. I'm running my first 5K on Saturday and really hope the humidity breaks before then or I'm gonna die! 2 fleas in 3 weeks is probably no big deal. Might want to up your vacuuming schedule and wash the bath mats, but you should be fine. And could be that they were both male, so no eggs to worry about!
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CarolinaKat
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:41:38 GMT -5
Post by CarolinaKat on Jul 26, 2012 8:41:38 GMT -5
I'd definately spray with Knockout or sentinel spray. vaccum first, wash anything that can be washed, then spray anything fabric that can't be washed with the spray.... I have a cat with a SEVERE flea allergy and this is not a light topic for me... www.amazon.com/Virbac-Knockout-Area-Treatment-oz/dp/B001ANYHY6
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CarolinaKat
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:43:31 GMT -5
Post by CarolinaKat on Jul 26, 2012 8:43:31 GMT -5
Also do not dispose of the vaccum dirt in the inside trash.... make sure you open the vaccum and dispose of the bag/canister dirt in the outside trash
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Deleted
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:50:00 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2012 8:50:00 GMT -5
I use to put a piece of a flea collar in my vacuum cleaner bag to kill any fleas I vacuumed up. I read that advice somewhere a long time ago. I never had a flea infestation, I just did it because I had dogs and I'm skeert of bugs. I don't know if you can do it with newer vacuums.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:50:34 GMT -5
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 26, 2012 8:50:34 GMT -5
Yeah, I really need to empty the vacuum. We've got a shop vac that we use, since there's so little carpet in the house.
<Beth whimpers at the thought of washing EVERYTHING in the house. She's been pounding out laundry for days.>
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mmhmm
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:54:58 GMT -5
Post by mmhmm on Jul 26, 2012 8:54:58 GMT -5
No pets. Not much carpet. Just 2 preschoolers and a bazillion toys... If you don't have pets in the home and not much carpet, the job should be easier. If I were you, I'd follow MidJD's suggestions. That should work for you. It's important, though, to be sure to wash everything that can be washed, bleach everything that can be bleached and use a color-safe bleach on colors, vacuum all carpets and furniture daily for a couple of weeks, at least, and then keep your eyes open. Good luck! Fleas are nasty!
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mmhmm
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It's a great pity the right of free speech isn't based on the obligation to say something sensible.
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 8:56:21 GMT -5
Post by mmhmm on Jul 26, 2012 8:56:21 GMT -5
Oooh! I don't know what kind of vacuum you have, but you can spray the contents before emptying them to throw them away. That way, if there are fleas in there, you can kill 'em before they get out and wreak more havoc.
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Sam_2.0
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 9:10:32 GMT -5
Post by Sam_2.0 on Jul 26, 2012 9:10:32 GMT -5
Our dog likes to bring in fleas occasionally. We only have a few throw rugs & hardwood/tile for the rest, so its a bit easier to get rid of them. Vacuum, mop, and repeat daily. The spray is great but I get worried about spraying the couch since our kid is at the age where she likes to lick the couch You don't have a pet to worry about, but ours always gets a good scrubbing down & another flea/tick treatment, and that solves most of the problem.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 10:46:43 GMT -5
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 26, 2012 10:46:43 GMT -5
And how do I talk to the kids about this? They're 4 and 2.75. Obviously I'd like to know if they've been bit but we're just getting over the "all bugs are nasty" stage we've been in most of the summer.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 10:47:00 GMT -5
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 26, 2012 10:47:00 GMT -5
Thank you everyone.
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formerroomate99
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 14:43:06 GMT -5
Post by formerroomate99 on Jul 26, 2012 14:43:06 GMT -5
Boric acid powder can be spirinkled in places where the kids can't get to it. You can get it at Dollar General.
Definitely put some mothballs or a piece of a flea collar in the vaccuum.
If you do use the fogger, send the kids away and let it sit for a while and then wash everything. I did one of those foggers and bugs were dying within seconds of touching the walls and ceillings days later.
There is some stuff you can hook up to a hose and spray the grass at your camping site.
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thyme4change
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 14:51:42 GMT -5
Post by thyme4change on Jul 26, 2012 14:51:42 GMT -5
Camping sucks
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Wisconsin Beth
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 15:01:24 GMT -5
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 26, 2012 15:01:24 GMT -5
Boric acid powder can be spirinkled in places where the kids can't get to it. You can get it at Dollar General. Definitely put some mothballs or a piece of a flea collar in the vaccuum. If you do use the fogger, send the kids away and let it sit for a while and then wash everything. I did one of those foggers and bugs were dying within seconds of touching the walls and ceillings days later. There is some stuff you can hook up to a hose and spray the grass at your camping site. No water at the camp site. No power either. Thyme wouldn't last 5 minutes, I expect.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 15:14:19 GMT -5
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 26, 2012 15:14:19 GMT -5
No chest freezer. I may take you up on the company at the laundry mat though.
I admit, I'm not going to haul my ass out to buy flea stuff tonight but I will empty the vacuum and re-vacuum the first floor. I'll get flea stuff tomorrow. I guess I'm not really worried about 1 day making much of a difference at this stage.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 15:21:57 GMT -5
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 26, 2012 15:21:57 GMT -5
salt.. we had a terrible flea infestation when we first moved to our house. Salted everything.....floors, couch, etc. Left it for a week or two - vacuumed up. problem gone. My son and daughter are preschoolers. DS tries to pick up every crumb from the floor and give it to me. It might be worth doing this just to watch him try to clean it up...
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hamsterwheel
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 20:28:24 GMT -5
Post by hamsterwheel on Jul 26, 2012 20:28:24 GMT -5
treat the kids with frontline? I dunno, I'd consider it if I had young kids. You're going to need to deep clean EVERYTHING, since any source can be a breeding ground for fleas. Not fun. I would wash and dry all clothes and bed sheets. Vacuum all beds, couches, carpets, etc. See what happens. Hopefully that will do the trick. If not, you may need more help.
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midjd
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Fleas?
Jul 26, 2012 21:08:15 GMT -5
Post by midjd on Jul 26, 2012 21:08:15 GMT -5
Really, I think with 2 fleas in 3 weeks, they probably fell off the kids when they got back from camp. IMO it's not anything to get too worked up over. Vacuum a few times and wash some clothes, but unless you start seeing more, you're probably fine.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Fleas?
Aug 22, 2012 15:38:12 GMT -5
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Aug 22, 2012 15:38:12 GMT -5
Crap. I should have done the minivan. I finally vacuumed it yesterday and a freaking flea jumped on me.
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Bluerobin
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Fleas?
Aug 22, 2012 15:52:40 GMT -5
Post by Bluerobin on Aug 22, 2012 15:52:40 GMT -5
I used to liberally dust my dog with flea powder, and let her have the run of the house. Where ever she went, she left flea powder. There is also a flea powder you can sprinkle over everything and vacuum up.
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Fleas?
Aug 24, 2012 9:48:50 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2012 9:48:50 GMT -5
Diatemeatous (sp?) earth which you can pick up at Home Depot.
Many years ago we had a service called "Flea Busters" which administered the treatment. Even though it wasn't supposed to work well on hardwood floors, it worked like a charm and we never had another problem.
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