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TREATING THE ENVIRONMENT FOR FLEAS

General points to consider in the use of Flea Bombs

  • Use small cans that treat 1-2 rooms rather than large cans- the mist does not travel down corridors or around corners and into nooks and crannies as well as expected.
  • Bang around the floor with your feet or an agitator vacuum cleaner a few days before letting off the bombs. This stimulates the eggs to hatch and will give you a better kill.
  • Daily vacuuming speeds up results
  • Pull out all the furniture, shoes in cupboards, and open up drawers etc. so there is no place for the fleas to hide from the mist.
  • Remove any pet fish from the rooms being treated.
  • A second "bombing" is often necessary 2-4 weeks later to catch the pupal stages of the flea life cycle which would have been protected at the time of the first bomb.

Make sure you turn off all electrical appliances e.g. fridges, timers on heaters. This is because many of the mists are explosive and a small electrical spark may be enough to ignite them in your absence

Treating the environment

One option is to employ a pest control company to do the yard and under the house. Make sure they use an adulticide combined with an IGR in the chemicals.

Indoors

If you have an indoor flea problem, flea bombs will be necessary. Hairs that fall off animals who have been treated with Frontline Plus still have active insecticide and IGR attached to them. These hairs act as an indirect method of killing and sterilising adults, while stopping immature fleas from growing into egg laying adults.

Repeated vacuuming of carpets, furniture, floors and skirting boards will help remove immature flea stages. Steam clean carpets in heavy infestations.

Mop hard floors with hot water and floor detergent, paying particular attention to cracks and crevices where organic debris and flea eggs accumulate.

Wash bedding frequented by pets at 60 degrees centigrade for 10 minutes, and tumble dry at maximum heat setting to kill all flea stages.

Outdoors

For outside areas, large flea problems need to be tackled with strong chemicals.
This is best left to professional pest control companies. 

Mow and rake to remove organic material, particularly from moist areas protected from direct sunlight where your pets like to rest e.g. under patios, verandahs, shrubs, in kennels.

Under the house

Block off any access under the house as this is a favourite flea breeding spot especially under hot water systems or warm rooms. Flea bombs do not work very well on dirt surfaces.