How to kill fleas
Fleas are small flattened insects with stiff bristle hairs that make
them easy to move quickly but at the same time make it difficult to
remove them from the hair coats of your pets.
Some hard facts about fleas
To get rid of them might be much harder than you thought. These
fellows follow a 4-stage life cycle. Also they need not spend all their
time on your pets. So the truth is treating your pets is not enough, you
need to go out on an all-invasive attack on the fleas ¡V in your yard, on
the pets and in your house ¡V to throw them out of your life. Let¡¦s see
how we can go about this in an orderly manner.
How to kill fleas - getting started
1. The first step involves monitoring your area to estimate how large
a population of fleas exists there.
Monitoring infestations is done by a number of methods:
a) the ¡§white sock test¡¨ (involving a person walking through the
suspected area with knee high socks to see how many fleas jump onto
it).
b) Alternatively you can monitor the flea infestation by using a
hand-held vacuum device with a handkerchief inserted into the dust
bag.
c) You can also check to see how much ¡§flea dirt¡¨ you have. Flea
dirt is black and coarse and turns red when put on a moistened
towel.
d) Different types of light trap devices have also been developed to
help monitor and control the fleas.
2. Secondly protect yourself by wearing long pants tucked into your
socks or boots. It is a good idea to use an insect repellent on pant
legs and footwear.
3. Thirdly, if there is a persistent problem of fleas with no pets
around, it may mean that there is a presence of some other wildlife like
feral cats, rodents, etc. In such a case, these must be found and
removed.
4. Fourthly, treat the pets that might have such flea infestation.
Bathe your pets with a good flea shampoo and when they are dry, and use
a flea-comb to double check that all fleas have been killed.
5. Fifthly, thorough vaccuming on a regular basis will keep flea
populations quite low by picking up adult and egg-stage fleas. Remember
that fleas often live indoors in carpets, baseboards, behind doors,
under furniture and such other areas that are protected from foot
traffic. It is equally important to clean up your pet¡¦s house.
6. Finally, apply an insect growth regulator (methoprene or
fenoxycarb) to prevent pre-adult fleas from maturing into adults. Apply
an insecticide if needed.
You simply need to get rid of all fleas in your surrounding areas if
you want to be rid of allergies, irritation and such similar diseases.
Other flea killing suggestions!
You can use other simple techniques like filling a bowl with soapy
water and putting a bright light over the bowl. The fleas will fall in
due to their attraction to light.
You can also put moth flakes on to the carpet. So when you vaccum
them up, all the fleas will be killed.
It is very important to remember some points to avoid the fleas
coming back into your house.
Last important tips on killing fleas and keeping them out
Never keep the vaccum bag in the house after vacumming. Use a ¡§flea
collar¡¨ inside the vaccum cleaner. In short, no stone should be left
unturned. And always plan for preventing further insurrections.
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