Now here's an idea!!!----------- Homemade Flea Trap Using Soap and Light:Some of the most effective “traps” for killing insects are made with ingredients already in your home. Since fleas are attracted to light, this trap is simple and inexpensive enough so you can make as many as you need.To make a homemade flea trap, you will need. Several pie plates or similar (large bowl with low sides) Dish soap A candle, tealight, nightlight or other light sourceFill the pie plates with water and about 2 tablespoons of dish soap. Depending on what light source you are using, place the candle in the center of the plate or shine the light directly above the plate (but be careful when using water and electricity in close proximity.) The idea is to force the fleas to enter the bowl of soapy water (which renders them unable to jump, then they drown) as they quest towards the bright light oasis.When used in conjunction with other methods, this flea trap is very effective at killing adult fleas before they can reproduce.If you want to purchase a trap, a couple of different types to check out are:My Flea Trap: Ecological Pet Protector:Same idea as the homemade trap but uses LED light and sticky pads.Victor M230 Ultimate Flea Trap:Uses color, heat, light, scent and sticky pads to trap and kill fleas. Attracts fleas up to 30 feet away.

I can just see my dog drinking from the flea trip! And then passing bubbles from the soap! ;)

This won't work anyway. Fleas easily jump out of water, soap or no. The only water that kills fleas is boiling water. I used to use a flea comb on my cats and had to have a dish of REALLY hot water next to me while doing it. If the water cooled, it had to be heated up again.Don't know about the commercial flea trap, but I wouldn't count on it working very well, either. If your home/RV is infested, diatomaceous earth worked into the carpets is effective (wear a mask and move pets out while applying). It works for any pests with an exoskeleton: fleas, ants, cockroaches, etc.

This may not work for FRH above, but it will absolutely work for me. I have a dedicated metal pizza pan, a small clear glass juice cup, and a plug in light that was used to illuminate a plastic pumpkin. Place glass in centr of tray, fill tray with water and dawn dish detergent. Put in dark room or area and place light inside glass and it will attract and kill any flea in area. My garage got taken over by fleas 2 years ago thanks to a stray cat that took up residence a few days without me noticing it. After the cat was removed the fleas stayed and multiplied. I tried a few products, but nothing would/could rid them all. So I set the above system up, left garage closed and dark except for a few water change outs, I was able to rid all fleas from garage in a week. Don't believe me, try it for yourself....

Whats with the fleas? Ive never seen or heard of anyone encountering them unless they had a dirty house and lots of animals. Maybe a regional thing?

6.7 tow rig wrote:Whats with the fleas? Ive never seen or heard of anyone encountering them unless they had a dirty house and lots of animals. Maybe a regional thing?It can have nothing to do with hygiene or animals. We built a new home in '81 and had to have it fumigated for fleas before we could move in. The exterminator said it was because the grass was removed and the dirt was disturbed during construction causing them to move indoors. You would get flea bites just walking through. We battled them until we had a good stand of grass.

Fleas | Good Sam Community

DutchmenSport
Explorer
Jun 01, 2014
I can just see my dog drinking from the flea trip! And then passing bubbles from the soap! ;)
Free_Range_Huma
Explorer
Jun 01, 2014
This won't work anyway. Fleas easily jump out of water, soap or no. The only water that kills fleas is boiling water. I used to use a flea comb on my cats and had to have a dish of REALLY hot water next to me while doing it. If the water cooled, it had to be heated up again.

Don't know about the commercial flea trap, but I wouldn't count on it working very well, either. If your home/RV is infested, diatomaceous earth worked into the carpets is effective (wear a mask and move pets out while applying). It works for any pests with an exoskeleton: fleas, ants, cockroaches, etc.
trafficmaker
Explorer
Jun 02, 2014
This may not work for FRH above, but it will absolutely work for me. I have a dedicated metal pizza pan, a small clear glass juice cup, and a plug in light that was used to illuminate a plastic pumpkin. Place glass in centr of tray, fill tray with water and dawn dish detergent. Put in dark room or area and place light inside glass and it will attract and kill any flea in area. My garage got taken over by fleas 2 years ago thanks to a stray cat that took up residence a few days without me noticing it. After the cat was removed the fleas stayed and multiplied. I tried a few products, but nothing would/could rid them all. So I set the above system up, left garage closed and dark except for a few water change outs, I was able to rid all fleas from garage in a week. Don't believe me, try it for yourself....
6_7_tow_rig
Explorer
Jun 02, 2014
Whats with the fleas? Ive never seen or heard of anyone encountering them unless they had a dirty house and lots of animals. Maybe a regional thing?
camperforlife
Explorer
Jun 03, 2014
6.7 tow rig wrote:
Whats with the fleas? Ive never seen or heard of anyone encountering them unless they had a dirty house and lots of animals. Maybe a regional thing?

It can have nothing to do with hygiene or animals. We built a new home in '81 and had to have it fumigated for fleas before we could move in. The exterminator said it was because the grass was removed and the dirt was disturbed during construction causing them to move indoors. You would get flea bites just walking through. We battled them until we had a good stand of grass.
6_7_tow_rig
Explorer
Jun 03, 2014
Interesting. I didn't know that.
camperforlife
Explorer
Jun 03, 2014
6.7 tow rig wrote:
Interesting. I didn't know that.

We didn't know it either. It sure was a awful way to find out. It was fun telling people who wanted to see our new home "you may want to wait until we get rid of the fleas". We didn't get many invites to other peoples house for a while either.:B
down_home
Explorer II
Jun 04, 2014
When it got really dry or long periods without rain we've seen fleas come out of the fields and woods. All the animals have some, of them.
I'm behind schedule. I've got to spray the yard around the house.
We've had to use one of those traps with a light and stick pad a couple times. They work well. If you get an infestation, it'll have to be sprayed.
I've seen some places that no one should be living in.
We sprayed good with a product called Home Defense and haven't had any problems in garage, basement or home, this year. Can't use it on the grass, even if you could use a wide enough spray pattern. It kills the grass.
Not sure which product, I'll get tomorrow but hose end sprayer application does good right around house.
Don't really want to use anything. We have many of those very small gray brownish/grayish, some pink and cream, on bottom snakes, in the grass.
They have tiny bullet shaped heads and beady little black eyes. They eat crickets and worms and such. I hope they eat those little black scorpions, we've had.
Caveman_Charlie
Explorer II
Jun 04, 2014
OK, I think we need to get a definition of flees here. Where I am all the flees we get are animal flees. This type of insect can not survive without a host for more then a few hours. So, the type of flee I'm used to only lives on dogs and cats. In fact the can't even live on humans for more then a few hours. If you get one on you it will try to get away and find another dog. I've had dogs with flees and this is how it works. (At least around here). Now, there may be another type of flee, or another small insect that some people call a flee. We just don't have them around here.

If your dog has flees you can treat it with a chemical where you just put a little spot of this on the dogs back. If gets into the dogs blood steam and all the flees die. I'm not really happy with the fact that I feal like I'm poisoning my dog with this stuff. The only dog I had with flees lived for 14 years so this stuff must not be so bad.
toedtoes
Explorer III
Jun 04, 2014
Fleas can live a few days to several weeks without a host. Eggs, while normally laid on the host animal, usually roll off the host and incubate in bedding, upholstery, grass, etc. Once the larvae has coccooned itself, it can survive several months before emerging as an adult.

For outdoor treatment, you can use Zodiac Yard and Kennel spray. You connect it to your hose and can use it on lawn, decking, cement, etc. Repeat in 2 weeks (eggs will hatch within 2 weeks). Zodiac also has an upholstery spray that you can use on pet bedding, furniture, carpet, etc.

The days of suffering with fleas is really over. The products available these days really work.