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So I got the robot vac and it scared the cat off for a couple of days. She she came back, she brought fleas in with her. So I get her a prescription of Bravecto and put it on her neck. That stuff seems to work real well. The only fleas I see on her now are dead ones that have fell off when she's laying down.
None the less, they're in the carpet, and in my shoes.
At the moment, for the last month, I've been keeping the house from getting over populated. Vacuum a couple of times a day, and spread boric acid into the carpets.
But I'm only winning these little battles. Not the war.
I've looked at all sorts of home remedies. But after reading the reviews, find that they don't work for most people.

I'm this close to calling in the exterminator.

In my case it has been ticks. Been pulling off 2-3 per day for the last month

ILENGINE said:

In my case it has been ticks. Been pulling off 2-3 per day for the last month

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You gotta be careful of those things. I hear they can give you lime disease.

A couple of things I've learned about fleas.
1. They don't start laying eggs until they get their first bite of blood.
2. When they do start laying, they can lay 50 eggs per day.
3. Those eggs can hatch within a week, or take months to hatch.

Here's a pic of the light over the soapy water trick. This was after having it on for the first two days.
Lately, I might only get 1 or 2 per night.

PTmowerMech said:

You gotta be careful of those things. I hear they can give you lime disease.

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Lyme would be a starting point.

Here is a good starting point

Tick-borne illnesses in the U.S. include:

• Lyme disease.
• Babesiosis.
• Ehrlichiosis.
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
• Anaplasmosis.
• Southern tick-associated rash illness.
• Tick-borne relapsing fever.
• Tularemia.
• Colorado tick fever.
• Powassan encephalitis.
• Q fever.

Neighbor was diagnosed with Tularemia last year

ILENGINE said:

Lyme would be a starting point.

Here is a good starting point

Tick-borne illnesses in the U.S. include:

• Lyme disease.
• Babesiosis.
• Ehrlichiosis.
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
• Anaplasmosis.
• Southern tick-associated rash illness.
• Tick-borne relapsing fever.
• Tularemia.
• Colorado tick fever.
• Powassan encephalitis.
• Q fever.

Neighbor was diagnosed with Tularemia last year

Click to expand...

I knew there was something about the way I spelled that, that didn't look right. Lime? Lyme.

Well here one solution that you probably don't want to do. Burn down the house.



....Just kidding. It is a war that you will likely not win easily. You can try fogging them.

PTmowerMech said:

I knew there was something about the way I spelled that, that didn't look right. Lime? Lyme.

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One is a fruit, the other is a name of a town in Connecticut

StarTech said:

Well here one solution that you probably don't want to do. Burn down the house.

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Nor do I want to go to jail for arson. My landlord would definitely prosecute. There's all kinds of pests in jails (I hear)

ILENGINE said:

One is a fruit, the other is a name of a town in Connecticut

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FYI, a thin slice of lemon (and probably lime), on top of an ant bed, will get rid of them. They may simply move. But they won't move anywhere close to that mound.

ILENGINE said:

Lyme would be a starting point.

Here is a good starting point

Tick-borne illnesses in the U.S. include:

• Lyme disease.
• Babesiosis.
• Ehrlichiosis.
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
• Anaplasmosis.
• Southern tick-associated rash illness.
• Tick-borne relapsing fever.
• Tularemia.
• Colorado tick fever.
• Powassan encephalitis.
• Q fever.

Neighbor was diagnosed with Tularemia last year

Click to expand...

Yeoww, That's an eye opener.

7394 said:

Yeoww, That's an eye opener.

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I guess I've been lucky. I've been bit by thousands of ticks and never had any adverse affects. When I was a kid, I stomped around the woods barefooted and in shorts most of time. Mom would have to check me over every night after getting out of the tub.
When I got older, I'd check my girlfriend for ticks.

And ticks can be pain too as they can bury themselves in you skin. I had one that got in my arm pit and was halfway buried in the skin. It took some doing to get it out and left a rather nasy sore. But that was the first tick I had on me in 30 yrs.

I'm wondering why they can't put flea and tick meds in pet food.

I told the landlord about the flea's, hoping for some old age remedy she knew about. She's an 80yr old country girl, and has a remedy for everything.
Her remedy. And exterminator. Which she called and set an appointment for Thursday. I asked her how much they were going to charge, she replied "Hopefully they won't charge you too much." I didn't really expect her to pay for it. After all, it was my cat that brought them in. But geeeese, at least ask how much first.
She's rich, and price rarely matters to her.
Anyways, they're coming to spray the house and the yard. If they come up with some ridiculous price, (like $300 or so) I may cancel and just keep trying stuff.

PTmowerMech said:

She's rich, and price rarely matters to her.

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Funny how that factors in..

Update on the flea progress.

The soapy water trap I made (with the light over it) was catching maybe 1 flea every two days.
The exterminator came yesterday and sprayed the inside and outside. After he was done he asked "Why did you call me. This stuff I spray, usually has them jumping all over me. But haven't seen one."

I told him all I'd been doing (cleaning everything three times a week) and using boric acid powder in the carpet and where the cat lays.

So what ever I missed, his concoction should finish them off.

Before clicking the Post Reply button, I got down over my flea trap to count how many was in there, and one jumped on my arm.
He said the residue will probably kill anything that hatches after the first day. But I can't vacuum for 3 days.

Plus he gave enough of his chemical to mix up a gallon into a spray bottle, if I need it.

Hope that gets you & your place free & clean of fleas..

7394 said:

Hope that gets you & your place free & clean of fleas..

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Me too. I can't wait to get back to wearing my house shoes. I was having to share them with way too many others. House shoes are kind of personal, ya know. Like underwear.

NEVER use topicals they can cause serious problems to the skin. For fleas, Seresto collar to stop reinfestations and Symparica for the eggs, ensure no seizure history. Carpet fleas will die without a blood source. Sulfur baths also work if you can stand the smell.

Tom59 said:

NEVER use topicals they can cause serious problems to the skin. For fleas, Seresto collar to stop reinfestations and Symparica for the eggs, ensure no seizure history. Carpet fleas will die without a blood source. Sulfur baths also work if you can stand the smell.

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My cat seems to be fine with the Bravecto. I've heard of such skin problems with some topicals. But most topicals are made differently, as well as cats. What doesn't work for 1 might work well with others.

I wish they made a 3 month pill or shot.

Or better yet, some sort of pet food that was laced with the drug that would kill fleas.

That would be very easy to treat then.