On Mon, 11 Jul 2005 18:54:16 -0500, Lar
wrote:

In article ,
says...
Do electric flea traps work? I've vacuumed the carpets twice, but
still have fleas. The vacuum is old and doesn't have a very powerful
suction. SHould I get a steam vacuum? I want to avoid using pesticides
and carpet powders. I would like to know if those plug in flea traps
with glue traps attached, work.

The adult fleas are only a percentage of the on going problem..there
will be eggs, larvae and pupae to deal with. An easy flea trap can be
made that will attract adults, but will not stop a infestation from
happening. Plug a night light in an outlet near the floor or place a
small lamp on the floor and place a pie pan with water (few drops of
dish soap optional) under the light.

Treating the pets is a must..the fleas will develop where the host
animal is spending time...the adults are on the animal feeding...laying
eggs dropping fecal matter (dried blood). Where ever the animal is
walking, laying around, eating, etc. the eggs and fecal matter will fall
off. The eggs hatch and the larvae will find the fecal matter and other
organic matter and feed, so these areas also need to be treated with an
insect growth regulator or IGR to stop the cycle by killing the eggs and
keeping the larvae from developing into adults. Most products will
contain the insecticides permethrin or linalool which only hang around a
short period of time and will help kill the emerging adults from the
"cocoons" but the growth regulator in the products will be active a
number of months, but only effect the eggs and larvae.

You can get rid of a problem by only treating the pets with Frontline or
Advantage, but it takes time...if the company you hire truly has a steam
cleaner you should be able to stop the infestation if all areas are hit,
including under the beds and furniture cushions. But the fleas will be
back in a couple of weeks.


No pets. A few months ago, a raccoon came down the chimney and gave
birth while we were on vacation. THe mother abandoned the babies,
which were perhaps a week old, since their eyes were closed.I got
the raccoons to a wildlife preserve. Anyway. My mom noticed a few
fleas. I didn't notice any. Fast forward a few months and the flea
infestation. My money is on the the mother raccoon being the flea
carrier. Man do these fleas multiply.

There is a product sold by Home Depot called Zep flea killer. Active
ingredient is Nylar, which is an IGR according to the net info.
SUpposed to be safe for mammals. Its a spray for carpets, furniture
and drapes, and supposed to last for 7 months.

There are IGR powders sold on the net which meld to the carpet fibers
and are supposed to be vacuum proof. Home Depot's website only showed
the Zep flea killer spray.