fleas

Lucky_13 · 08-25-2007, 01:02 PM

for the last couple months before we moved at the end of june, we were fighting a flea infestation in our two indoor cats (i think they got the fleas from a mouse)

we tried everything, collars, powders, shampoo, sprays, drops, on the cats and the furniture.

when we moved at the end of july, the fleas were still with us, so we kept the cats quarentined in the garage, spraying and cleaning in there often. finally the cats came inside into the laundry room so they could be kept away from the dog. long story short, the cats ran away through a barely cracked window (they pushed it open farther) and there are still fleas in the garage.

Max gets combed and checked over daily for fleas, and we're using drops on him too. house gets vaccumed daily and all the bedding and the cover on the sofa gets washed at least 3x a week.

now to my question.

how long do fleas live without a host? the garage is sealed from the house and nobody goes in there, its also been bombed with 6 flea bombs in the past 3 weeks. they're still alive..... what can i do to kill them in the garage??

Lorina · 08-25-2007, 01:34 PM

Which drops did you use?

I mean, there's a pretty big difference between using something from a department store like Hartz (which is more likely to kill the cats than the fleas) or a product like Frontline, Revolution, Advantage/Advantix or Promeris from a vets.

You might need to bring in professional exterminators, too.

Mermaid · 08-25-2007, 04:47 PM

What kind of flea bomb are you using? Fleas can survive in their coccoons for months. They lay in wait for someone or something to walk by. They are stimulated to come out by pressure, vibration, etc. Plus, these coccoons protect the fleas from insecticide treatment. I would spray or bomb the garage with Nylar once or twice to ensure good coverage. (I think it goes by the the name Siphotrol or Knockout). Go in there and sweep, vacuum, etc, and stir things up if you can get in there as often as you can. That will get the existing coccoons to come out. They will survive a few weeks without blood and then will die off.
Nylar is an insect growth regulator that works extremely well to prevent eggs and larvae from becoming adult fleas, and it's safe, plus it lasts for months. You can get it at Petsmart, I believe, the active ingredient is called pyriproxyfen. It will not kill the adult fleas but will keep them from reproducing.

Are your cats just gone? Did you get them back? If so, are you treating them for fleas?

007Dogs · 08-25-2007, 05:13 PM

Diatamacious Earth. It is safe to use in your carpet, on your dog and kennel runs. It is cheap and it works. It kills both fleas and eggs. I buy mine from the swimming pool supply as they also use it in some swimming pool filters. I also use it to groom with. It makes hand stripping terriers much easier to pull hair. This product has a varity of quality grades and many many uses.

Lightwingcreations · 08-25-2007, 11:43 PM

If you use DE be careful which kind you use. 007, I hope you are using the untreated (heat) DE, as the kind usually used for pools is pretty dangerous to breath, whereas regular DE isn't too horrible. Try to find the food grade DE at a local feed or agriculture store. And use it sparingly in the house as it's a fine, fine powder that goes airborne as much as it falls to the ground. I do agree that it is a great non-toxic product to use in the fight against fleas or any other creepy crawler.

007Dogs · 08-26-2007, 10:33 PM

When we lived in California they came with a big machine that pounded DE into the carpet to prevent a future flea infestation. Breathing it in is no more toxic that than breathing in talcum powder. Both used in excess is harmful to the lungs. But I do plan on switching to the food grade.