Dear All,

The weather is getting hot. Recently we have noticed there maybe fleas
in our carpet. We don't want to replace the carpet, because that is
several thousand dollars. I am wondering if there are some other ways to
deal with it.

We don't have pets in our home. But the previous owner has one. We
bought the house and moved in two years ago.

Many thanks.

Tom wrote:
Dear All,

The weather is getting hot. Recently we have noticed there maybe fleas
in our carpet. We don't want to replace the carpet, because that is
several thousand dollars. I am wondering if there are some other ways to
deal with it.

We don't have pets in our home. But the previous owner has one. We
bought the house and moved in two years ago.

Many thanks.

There is a spray onthe market that you can apply and it will get rid of
them

Tom wrote in message ...
Dear All,

The weather is getting hot. Recently we have noticed there maybe fleas
in our carpet. We don't want to replace the carpet, because that is
several thousand dollars. I am wondering if there are some other ways
to
deal with it.

We don't have pets in our home. But the previous owner has one. We
bought the house and moved in two years ago.

Many thanks.



There are foggers on the market for that purpose. They're easy to use.

Cheri

In article , says...
Dear All,

The weather is getting hot. Recently we have noticed there maybe fleas
in our carpet. We don't want to replace the carpet, because that is
several thousand dollars. I am wondering if there are some other ways to
deal with it.

We don't have pets in our home. But the previous owner has one. We
bought the house and moved in two years ago.

Many thanks.


If you have fleas you have to have a host animal. Two years after the
pets are gone is too long for the fleas to continue. If you have fleas
inside there will be no mistake, you will see them on you. If you are
seeing a small hopping insect, it may be springtails, very common this
time of year. They will be greyish rather than jet black and will
easily squash with a finger where fleas are hard to smash.

The easiest carpet treatment is to get an aerosol from a pet store, vet
or dog groomer that you apply directly to the carpet and it should
contain what is called an IGR. The spray directly kills the adult flea
and the IGR keeps the eggs from hatching and the larva from developing
into the biting adult. There will be a little residual that will kill
the new adults that show up from the protected pupa (cocoon) stage.
Vacuum as much as you can until you are sick of your vacuum, the
vibration helps stimulate the adults to emerge from the cocoon stage and
the sooner they emerge the sooner they are gone.

If you are having fleas you need to address the host. It will be a
stray or wild animal living in the attic or under the crawl. In these
situations you can treat the carpet as much as you want and you will be
having fleas for they need to be addressed at the source (attic or
crawl) and you will probably need a pro to properly treat those areas.


--
Lar

On 19-Jun-2006, Lar wrote:

Two years after the
pets are gone is too long for the fleas to continue.

I had a neighbour with a flea-ridden cat (duplex house) and my unit was infested
with them for several years after the cat left. The fleas don't live very long, but
the flea eggs can lie dormant for a long time.

Mike

On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 09:35:04 -0400, Tom wrote:


Dear All,

The weather is getting hot. Recently we have noticed there maybe fleas
in our carpet. We don't want to replace the carpet, because that is
several thousand dollars. I am wondering if there are some other ways to
deal with it.

use a vacuum cleaner a couple of times.
Make absolutely sure the flea aren't on any clothing, bedding, or pets.

In article ,
says...
I had a neighbour with a flea-ridden cat (duplex house) and my unit was infested
with them for several years after the cat left. The fleas don't live very long, but
the flea eggs can lie dormant for a long time.



Well the eggs will hatch within a couple of weeks, it is the the pupa
stage that can stay dormant for an extended period of time, over 9
months have been reported. If there was a continual flea problem it was
brought in from strays, rodents or other wild animals.
--
Lar

On Mon, 19 Jun 2006 10:59:34 -0500, Lar wrote:


In article ,
says...
I had a neighbour with a flea-ridden cat (duplex house) and my unit was infested
with them for several years after the cat left. The fleas don't live very long, but
the flea eggs can lie dormant for a long time.



Well the eggs will hatch within a couple of weeks, it is the the pupa
stage that can stay dormant for an extended period of time, over 9
months have been reported. If there was a continual flea problem it was
brought in from strays, rodents or other wild animals.

Yeah, and the fleas will die two days later without a host.

Michael Daly wrote:
On 19-Jun-2006, Lar wrote:

Two years after the
pets are gone is too long for the fleas to continue.

I had a neighbour with a flea-ridden cat (duplex house) and my unit was
infested with them for several years after the cat left. The fleas don't
live very long, but the flea eggs can lie dormant for a long time.


You have to kill the *******s, then wait a couple of weeks and do it again. The
first time will nuke the mature fleas. Waiting two weeks to do it again will
allow the eggs to hatch but not give them enough time to sexually mature. That
way you break the reproduction cycle.

I'm rather fond of insect bombs you set and leave for a few hours. I set off
several of them and go to work. When I come home the little beggars are all
dead.... at least that's what I used to do when I had a cat. I haven't had a
summertime flea problem in many years. My dog doesn't seem to have the problem.




--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

Tom wrote:
Dear All,

The weather is getting hot. Recently we have noticed there maybe fleas
in our carpet. We don't want to replace the carpet, because that is
several thousand dollars. I am wondering if there are some other ways to
deal with it.

We don't have pets in our home. But the previous owner has one. We
bought the house and moved in two years ago.

Many thanks.

Oh yeah, toss a mothball or two into the vacuum bag. Otherwise they can
continue to happily breed in there and find their way out.

Tom wrote:
Dear All,

The weather is getting hot. Recently we have noticed there maybe fleas
in our carpet. We don't want to replace the carpet, because that is
several thousand dollars. I am wondering if there are some other ways to
deal with it.

We don't have pets in our home. But the previous owner has one. We
bought the house and moved in two years ago.

Many thanks.


Sprinkle Sevin garden dust into your carpet and leave it a few hours
(we left ours overnight), then vacuum up. Killed an infestation on the
first application. Kate.

Sprinkle Sevin garden dust into your carpet and leave it a few hours
(we left ours overnight), then vacuum up. Killed an infestation on the
first application. Kate.


So would DDT you idiot. Don't use outdoor pesticides in your home.

Tom wrote:
Dear All,

The weather is getting hot. Recently we have noticed there maybe fleas
in our carpet. We don't want to replace the carpet, because that is
several thousand dollars. I am wondering if there are some other ways to
deal with it.

We don't have pets in our home. But the previous owner has one. We
bought the house and moved in two years ago.

Many thanks.

My vote is for the bomb/fogger....and do yourself a favor and do the
whole house.


bonnie in PA

In article ,
says...
My vote is for the bomb/fogger....and do yourself a favor and do the
whole house.


The down fall of the foggers is that you have to leave after treatment
for a few hours and may only be killing the exposed adults, doing
nothing to the eggs or larvae or any adults that may of crawled away
from the air flow. Where with the aerosol carpet sprays the IGR is in
the product and you can be assured that you are placing where it is
needed and depending on the products time away can be just a few
minutes, almost a dry application along with there is a residual so one
treatment is longer lasting. And I have never heard of anyone blowing up
a house with the aerosols as they do with foggers...which can be a
bonus.
--
Lar

Dear All,

The weather is getting hot. Recently we have noticed there maybe fleas in
our carpet. We don't want to replace the carpet, because that is several
thousand dollars. I am wondering if there are some other ways to deal
with it.

We don't have pets in our home. But the previous owner has one. We bought
the house and moved in two years ago.

Many thanks.


Sevin dust, leave for a few days, vacuum.

Tom wrote:
Dear All,

The weather is getting hot. Recently we have noticed there maybe fleas
in our carpet. We don't want to replace the carpet, because that is
several thousand dollars. I am wondering if there are some other ways to
deal with it.

We don't have pets in our home. But the previous owner has one. We
bought the house and moved in two years ago.

Many thanks.

Hello,
Hint from Heloise has a great option. Totally natural, use moth
balls... crush a bag of moth balls in a zip lock bag, once crushed
sprinkle on the carpet. Leave on for a bit, vaccum up. Throw the old
bag away add a few moth balls to the new bag. Open the windows because
the smell may be a bit overpowering.
My old roommate had an outside cat that would come into his room, when
he moved he left me all the fleas... It worked great.
Chili chick

On 19 Jun 2006 12:18:01 -0700, "stallmucker"
wrote:


Tom wrote:
Dear All,

The weather is getting hot. Recently we have noticed there maybe fleas
in our carpet. We don't want to replace the carpet, because that is
several thousand dollars. I am wondering if there are some other ways to
deal with it.

We don't have pets in our home. But the previous owner has one. We
bought the house and moved in two years ago.

Many thanks.


Sprinkle Sevin garden dust into your carpet and leave it a few hours
(we left ours overnight), then vacuum up. Killed an infestation on the
first application. Kate.

I really doubt you will have fleas after 2 years of not having a dog
in the house. They must have a live animal to live on. You either
have another pest or a vivid imagination. If anyone really does have
fleas, the flea spray sold to spray on pets will kill them. I have
done this. Just spray the carpet and furniture liberally.

"Don Hard" wrote

I really doubt you will have fleas after 2 years of not having a dog
in the house. They must have a live animal to live on. You either
have another pest or a vivid imagination. If anyone really does have
fleas, the flea spray sold to spray on pets will kill them. I have
done this. Just spray the carpet and furniture liberally.

I moved to Lafayette, Louisiana. When we walked through the yard, the fleas
would attack us. They would then ride back into the house, and jump off,
landing .............. you guessed it, in the carpet, which must have looked
like grass to them.

We figured after they moved in, and had flea cable installed, they started
flea Internet dating, and there was a flea boom.

Anyway, we didn't have a dog. And I wouldn't think of spraying flea poison
on my good furniture. I never saw fleas on the wood furniture.

Steve

Lar wrote:
In article ,
says...
My vote is for the bomb/fogger....and do yourself a favor and do the
whole house.


The down fall of the foggers is that you have to leave after treatment
for a few hours and may only be killing the exposed adults, doing
nothing to the eggs or larvae or any adults that may of crawled away
from the air flow. Where with the aerosol carpet sprays the IGR is in
the product and you can be assured that you are placing where it is
needed and depending on the products time away can be just a few
minutes, almost a dry application along with there is a residual so one
treatment is longer lasting. And I have never heard of anyone blowing up
a house with the aerosols as they do with foggers...which can be a
bonus.

Before we used the topical stuff for our cat, our house was full of
fleas. At the same time the vet ordered topical stuff, he sold us a
cannister of boric acid to use on carpets. It was to be sprinkled on
the carpet, left for a week, and then vacuumed up. As it turned out, we
didn't need to use the boric because the topical flea medicine for the
cat did the trick. We tried everything under the sun prior to that, and
nothing worked. Killing the live fleas can leave a lot of eggs, which
hatch in about 3 days. The boric left down for a week would have gotten
the newly hatched ones. I think it is probably available at a pet
store, and I would dispose of the vacuum bag as soon as the stuff is
cleaned up.

Buck Turgidson wrote:

Sprinkle Sevin garden dust into your carpet and leave it a few hours
(we left ours overnight), then vacuum up. Killed an infestation on the
first application. Kate.


So would DDT you idiot. Don't use outdoor pesticides in your home.

Yeah, might contaminate your precious bodily fluids.

Geez, DDT was banned because it was making bird eggs too thin to survive
until hatching, not because it was particularly hazardous to humans.

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

In article ,
lid says...
Geez, DDT was banned because it was making bird eggs too thin to survive
until hatching, not because it was particularly hazardous to humans.


Even that has been pretty much shown to be a non truth... several birds
of prey actually show to have thinner shells before DDT was even being
used than in the years before it was removed from the market. Bald eagle
counts during the DDT years was 25% higher than the pre DDT census in
'41.
--
Lar

Don Hard wrote:
On 19 Jun 2006 12:18:01 -0700, "stallmucker"
wrote:


Tom wrote:
Dear All,

The weather is getting hot. Recently we have noticed there maybe fleas
in our carpet. We don't want to replace the carpet, because that is
several thousand dollars. I am wondering if there are some other ways to
deal with it.

We don't have pets in our home. But the previous owner has one. We
bought the house and moved in two years ago.

Many thanks.


Sprinkle Sevin garden dust into your carpet and leave it a few hours
(we left ours overnight), then vacuum up. Killed an infestation on the
first application. Kate.

I really doubt you will have fleas after 2 years of not having a dog
in the house. They must have a live animal to live on. You either
have another pest or a vivid imagination. If anyone really does have
fleas, the flea spray sold to spray on pets will kill them. I have
done this. Just spray the carpet and furniture liberally.

We've managed to occasionally bring home a flea infestation after
walking through a sand flea infested beach.

In article om,
says...
We've managed to occasionally bring home a flea infestation after
walking through a sand flea infested beach.




What had happened was by walking through an infested area you had hitch
hikers brought into the home. Unless there were pets for them feed on an
infestation, or them breeding won't happen. People are to "clean" for
that to occur under normal circumstances.
--
Lar

[bnlfan]

Eggs of fleas can stay unhatched for a very long time. The vibration
from vacuuming can cause them to hatch. You can get chemicals that
are safe to spray on your furniture. carpet, and other infected
areas.

I had a dog and 3 cats that I found dropped off in our area. I took
them in and got fleas really bad.

I went to my local do it yourself pest control company and used what
they recommended.; I haven't had fleas in 3 years. Here is a link
to some informaiton for it.

http://www.bugsaway.com/fleas/

You can buy from them to have it shipped.

[ibmtech]

bnlfan wrote:
Eggs of fleas can stay unhatched for a very long time. The vibration
from vacuuming can cause them to hatch. You can get chemicals that
are safe to spray on your furniture. carpet, and other infected
areas.

I had a dog and 3 cats that I found dropped off in our area. I took
them in and got fleas really bad.

I went to my local do it yourself pest control company and used what
they recommended.; I haven't had fleas in 3 years. Here is a link
to some informaiton for it.

http://www.bugsaway.com/fleas/

You can buy from them to have it shipped.

I found this works very well in my home to get rid of our flea problem
in early summer. I sprinkle borax power on the carpet we leave it
overnight and vac the next day it kills the eggs by drying them out. I
have been using this for 5 years now and it has worked great.
The local pest control told me this is what he uses in homes for
families that can't take the harsh chemical smell.

[Jim Yanik]

"ibmtech" wrote in
oups.com:


bnlfan wrote:
Eggs of fleas can stay unhatched for a very long time. The vibration
from vacuuming can cause them to hatch. You can get chemicals that
are safe to spray on your furniture. carpet, and other infected
areas.

I had a dog and 3 cats that I found dropped off in our area. I took
them in and got fleas really bad.

I went to my local do it yourself pest control company and used what
they recommended.; I haven't had fleas in 3 years. Here is a link
to some informaiton for it.

http://www.bugsaway.com/fleas/

You can buy from them to have it shipped.

I found this works very well in my home to get rid of our flea problem
in early summer. I sprinkle borax power on the carpet we leave it
overnight and vac the next day it kills the eggs by drying them out. I
have been using this for 5 years now and it has worked great.
The local pest control told me this is what he uses in homes for
families that can't take the harsh chemical smell.



I bought a gallon spray jug from Home Depot for $10,containing the insect
growth regulator,and it works great,and doesn't smell.Enforcer Flea Spray.

And it also kills palmetto bugs.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

[Ether Jones]

ibmtech wrote:

I sprinkle borax power on the carpet we leave it overnight and vac the next day

Borax is NOT a safe benign chemical.

Borax can be absorbed through the skin and lungs and cause severe
abdominable cramping and gastric disturbances in susceptible
individuals. No kidding.

When you vacuum the carpet, a lot of the powder goes right through the
filter bag and becomes airborn in a fine dust which penetrates deeply
into your lungs.

Open the windows on a breezy day and wear an appropriate respirator.

[Jim Yanik]

"Ether Jones" wrote in
oups.com:


ibmtech wrote:

I sprinkle borax power on the carpet we leave it overnight and vac
the next day

Borax is NOT a safe benign chemical.

Borax can be absorbed through the skin and lungs and cause severe
abdominable cramping and gastric disturbances in susceptible
individuals. No kidding.

When you vacuum the carpet, a lot of the powder goes right through the
filter bag and becomes airborn in a fine dust which penetrates deeply
into your lungs.

Open the windows on a breezy day and wear an appropriate respirator.



Well,first,to kill bugs,you want BORIC ACID,not "Borax",the laundry
booster;they are two different chemicals.

I would not dust my carpet with either of them.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

[Not@home]

Ether Jones wrote:
ibmtech wrote:


I sprinkle borax power on the carpet we leave it overnight and vac the next day


Borax is NOT a safe benign chemical.

Borax can be absorbed through the skin and lungs and cause severe
abdominable cramping and gastric disturbances in susceptible
individuals. No kidding.

When you vacuum the carpet, a lot of the powder goes right through the
filter bag and becomes airborn in a fine dust which penetrates deeply
into your lungs.

Open the windows on a breezy day and wear an appropriate respirator.

Borax is so widely used it is virtually impossible to avoid exposure.
In some countries, it is even used in food. It can be used to control
fleas and carpenter ants. While some people feel it is very toxic, in
fact it has about the same toxicity as table salt (LD50 toxicity around
3,000 mg/kg body mass, if Wikipedia is to be believed).

[Jim Yanik]

"Not@home" wrote in
news:Emeqg.302778$5Z.167471@dukeread02:



Ether Jones wrote:
ibmtech wrote:


I sprinkle borax power on the carpet we leave it overnight and vac
the next day


Borax is NOT a safe benign chemical.

Borax can be absorbed through the skin and lungs and cause severe
abdominable cramping and gastric disturbances in susceptible
individuals. No kidding.

When you vacuum the carpet, a lot of the powder goes right through
the filter bag and becomes airborn in a fine dust which penetrates
deeply into your lungs.

Open the windows on a breezy day and wear an appropriate respirator.

Borax is so widely used it is virtually impossible to avoid exposure.
In some countries, it is even used in food. It can be used to control
fleas and carpenter ants. While some people feel it is very toxic, in
fact it has about the same toxicity as table salt (LD50 toxicity
around
3,000 mg/kg body mass, if Wikipedia is to be believed).


BORAX is a laundry booster,BORIC ACID is the bug-killer.
They are different chemicals.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

[Norminn]

clipped

BORAX is a laundry booster,BORIC ACID is the bug-killer.
They are different chemicals.


Boric acid has medicinal uses, as well (eye wash, douche, etc.). It is
relatively non-toxic to humans, but, then, water can be toxic if taken
in too great amounts. For some insects, at least, I believe it is the
crystals' physical properties, not chemical, that kill the bugs. Or
larvae ... ? Our vet recommended using it to treat carpets for fleas,
but the cat's topical stuff did the trick. Sprinkled into the carpet
and worked in should not cause it to be airborne unless someone beats on
the carpet. Wouldn't let the baby crawl on it, but fleas don't help
babies much either.

[Lar]

In article Emeqg.302778$5Z.167471@dukeread02, says...
Borax is so widely used it is virtually impossible to avoid exposure.
In some countries, it is even used in food. It can be used to control
fleas and carpenter ants. While some people feel it is very toxic, in
fact it has about the same toxicity as table salt (LD50 toxicity around
3,000 mg/kg body mass, if Wikipedia is to be believed).


Yet the biggest reason for recommendation of boric acid/borax usage
seems to be for the low toxicity exposure and it usually is many more
times toxic than any of the over the counter sprays used for insect
control.
--
Lar

It is said that the early bird gets the worm,
but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.

[J. Clarke]

Lar wrote:

In article Emeqg.302778$5Z.167471@dukeread02, says...
Borax is so widely used it is virtually impossible to avoid exposure.
In some countries, it is even used in food. It can be used to control
fleas and carpenter ants. While some people feel it is very toxic, in
fact it has about the same toxicity as table salt (LD50 toxicity
:around
3,000 mg/kg body mass, if Wikipedia is to be believed).


Yet the biggest reason for recommendation of boric acid/borax usage
seems to be for the low toxicity exposure and it usually is many more
times toxic than any of the over the counter sprays used for insect
control.

So you're saying that RAID is less toxic than table salt?

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)