Fleas/Frontline question...

mrsf16_2

Anyone able to offer me some advice? I've frontlined (combo) (2 weeks ago) and staykilled the house last weekend very thoroughly (taking 8 hours to do it!) but we are still seeing fleas on us and getting eaten.... What am I doing wrong? xxx

andygb

When we moved into our house over twenty years ago, we immediately started to get bitten on the legs by fleas - the previous owner had a cat. Despite deep cleaning the carpets, the biting continued.
We now have no fleas, and have not been troubled by them for years, because we do not have a carpet in the house. We have lovely tiles and wood floors - practical, hygienic and good looking.

floopnoodle

mrsf16 wrote: »

Anyone able to offer me some advice? I've frontlined (combo) (2 weeks ago) and staykilled the house last weekend very thoroughly (taking 8 hours to do it!) but we are still seeing fleas on us and getting eaten.... What am I doing wrong? xxx

Getting rid of fleas seems to be about repitition, mainly vacuuming.

We recently had an infestation. I frontlined the cat, which is as much as you can do with the cat for 30 days. I then vacced the whole house and sprayed Acclaim.

A day or so later I then lit some bug bombs and vacced again, and then put down a flea catcher which is a light over a sticky pad.

Every day I gave everywhere a good vaccuuming and after around one and a half weeks we were completely clear.

mrsf16_2

floopnoodle wrote: »

Getting rid of fleas seems to be about repitition, mainly vacuuming.

We recently had an infestation. I frontlined the cat, which is as much as you can do with the cat for 30 days. I then vacced the whole house and sprayed Acclaim.

A day or so later I then lit some bug bombs and vacced again, and then put down a flea catcher which is a light over a sticky pad.

Every day I gave everywhere a good vaccuuming and after around one and a half weeks we were completely clear.

1

Thanks hun. I am hoovering every other day so perhaps I need to increase that. (Pain in the bum as I work... ) Horrible things! I wish they would just all die! lol
x

Fire_Fox

When the professionals spray fumigate advise you NOT to vacuum for at least two weeks to allow the product to work its magic.

mrsf16_2

Fire_Fox wrote: »

When the professionals spray fumigate advise you NOT to vacuum for at least two weeks to allow the product to work its magic.

That's what I thought! After we treated before I didn't hoover for 10 days ( I couldn't leave it any longer). There aren't any instructions on the staykill about hoovering afterwards so it's confusing as to what to do!

pinkie84

Hi all, I've been battling fleas for about 3 weeks in my house now and it's such a comfort to know I'm not the only one. The pup (a yorkie cross) has always had sensitive skin so didn't realise at first that his scratching was flea related. He sleeps on my bed and I only realised when I found a flea on my white sheet :eek: YUCK YUCK YUCK.

I've frontlined him religiously every month since I got him 2 years ago, however it doesnt seem to have been enough. I have a concrete yard, full of horrible weeds and spider webs (it's my first house and i'm slowly slowly getting things done but the yard is last on the list) where i was hanging my washing out, for want of anywhere better. Anyway 2 weekends ago I went out in my flip flops and immediately noticed tens of fleas jumping all over my feet!

I hauled the washing back in & re-washed, jumped in the shower and scrubbed as I felt really dirty. Then headed to Homebase for some outdoor spray and powder. It is for Ants & crawling insects but apparently works on fleas as well.

I live in the south east and we seem to be having a rare dry week, and i'm not meant to go back into the yard until all the powder has been "watered in" so I dont know whether it's worked out there, the pup hasnt been out the back since I treated the yard either.

Meanwhile the entire house has been sprayed with Acclaim (including my mattress despite instructions saying it isnt suitable for that). I waited a week and now hoover every other day as I work long hours so every day is impossible. I also hoovered the mattress then bought a new matress protector which is anti-allergy and anti-dust mite.I know its not anti-flea but I figured that it may help. The pup has had numerous baths followed by combing, where i've found one or two. His bedding is washed every other day, as are my blankets (i love snuggly blankets on my sofa )

The rugs have been sprayed twice, the wooden floorboards hoovered, mopped and sprayed, and every piece of soft furnishing washed and then sprayed.. I emptied my hoover outside and then sprayed the hoover and the bin for good measure too.

I also have citronella candles and air diffuser thingys in the lounge and my bedroom.

Yet, I'm still finding fleas on the poor lil guy. He itches a lot. I phoned the vets and was told I cant use the Advantage they perscribed until the 1st Oct as the Frontline applied on the 1st Sept needs to wear off It makes me so sad to see him itchy.

What makes it worse is that i have a housemate and I know she will freak if she finds fleas, I've been upfront and told her im spraying the hosue and yard for preventative measures as this year is a bad flea year, but I just cant risk the problem getting worse and her being so disgusted she moves out.

We have a load of washing currently sitting on top of the dining room table, this wasnt dried outside in the "flea-yard" but I wonder if I need to wash it all again just in case? As I've not been in the house a hugely long time, I dont have much storage space and there are still boxes of things to unpack and sort out in my bedroom. Could the little b*****rs be hiding in the boxes? I did spray in adn around them with the Acclaim.

Is there anything I am not doing? I've read the thread and cant see anything I have missed but I'm at my wits end with this and stressing that my housemate is going to run away.

Any advice fellow flea-fighters?

mrsf16_2

Sounds like you are doing everything you can. It is a case of persistence though. We used Staykill and my vet said although it says it last 12 months we might want to do the whole house again in a months time. You need to do EVERYWHERE, pull out beds, furniture, the lot. It's a nightmare but it's the only way.

Sounds like you are on the right road though, it will get better x

pinkie84

Thanks, it's just so depressing. On a plus note i dont think my house has ever been so clean and sparkling. It also smells plesantly like a launderette, due to the copious amounts of washing I'm doing.

I am dreading my electric and water bills though..... eeeeek

I sprayed inside all of mine and my housemates shoes last night, lol think i may be going insane from too many chemicals

Just bought a can of Indorex from VetUK. £10odd inclusing shipping. Hoping that will catch anything that the Acclaim has missed.

VoucherMan

I started reading this thread with a smug grin on my face as my 2 cats had never suffered from fleas. Serves me right. A week later the house & cats were covered in them.

I rarely bothered with Frontline as it seemed pointless but definitely plan to keep it up now. Due again next week.

Besides that I vacuumed the house from top to bottom then every day afterwards. Sprayed the house with Acclaim & did a second dose a week or so later.

Now gone at least 2 weeks without a flea in sight. The hoovering has returned to it's normal weekly routine, except for their main sleeping area which I'm keeping a close eye on.

So keep up the regime, follow the advice on here and hopefully you'll soon be flea free again.


P.S.

pinkie84 wrote: »

I live in the south east and we seem to be having a rare dry week,

That's just being greedy. Up here in the North west we'd be happy for a dry day.