Talk to me about Fleas (Houston, Lawn: rental, house, organic)

[lanterngirl]

So we found fleas in our rental house in January and had them treated by Natures Pest Control. We also had the outside of the house sprayed for general pests. We don't have any pets inside our house and the occasional cat that strolls through our yard or under the house. I have 2 of those flea traps with the light and sticky pads.. I changed the sticky pad a couple days ago and already I see a couple fleas in there How are these guys getting in here? Is it fairly common to find fleas in a no pet home in houston? And since the pest control has come, we are seeing MORE of the tree roaches... what the heck?! Is it the weather? Do roaches and fleas come inside when it rains? Help me understand... these bugs are totally new to me.

[NYer75]

You will never rid them 100%. Impossible. But you can keep it under control.

[lanterngirl]

Okay, so I shouldn't panic if I find a couple here or there?

When we initially moved in the summer the fleas must have been really bad because we kept getting bitten but had NO idea what was biting us... then the bites kind of just died off... then in Jan the bites started again and after asking around we determined it was indeed fleas. I had never even seen one before that.

[elnina]

Adult fleas can live as long as two years without feeding.
Here you can read about:
Fleas In Lawn - Yards
Clean and Clutter-free: I have no pets but I found millions of fleas in my basement.

You can use vinegar to kill fleas inside your house:
All you have to do is to place a bowl of vinegar in the affected room each night and in the morning it will be full of dead fleas. They are attracted to the smell and climb in and drown.

Good luck!

[Twincam666]

They get on your shoes and pants/socks when you walk thru the yard....Then into your home

I have even had them in my truck...It sucks, but treat regularly and it should be ok

[testmo]

That is kind of weird to have fleas in your home but no animals. We have animals in our home and no fleas. Fleas don't generally try to live off of humans. I'd say your experience is not normal for Houston.

I would be looking for some type of animal living in your walls or attic. or if it's a rental what kind of people lived there before you. I'd have a professional come in and take care of it. I never have a problem with fleas catching a ride on me to get into the house. If you find feces in your yard remove it. it'll help stem off all types of bugs.

[Sugar Land Yak]

You can get rid of them, call a nursey or a feed store & get you some DE, do not get the kind for a swimming pool. Shake it on your carpet and vacuum it.

[karuna95]

Or give one of the cats a permanent job inside your home, and voila, no more fleas on you! (they prefer the cat)

[chris_ut]

Having fleas in your home is not common to Houston that I am aware of, sounds like you have an infestation from the previous renters. Keep getting regular pest treatments along with other suggestions such as DE and vinegar and over time you should be able to wipe them out. Just be sure you don't bring them along with you when you move to your next place.

[Ellen Pitts]

We're in a rental and I have a large dog and guinea pigs. No fleas in the house or on the dog and I don't use those nasty chemical flea treatments regularly...just once every few years.

I know that my rental had animals before us and again, we haven't seen any fleas. If you had an infestation before you lived there I can see that they would still be around. The life cycle of a flea is very short (24 hrs..36hrs?) so if you vacuum every day and empty the canister into a sealed bag outside trash can daily it will help dramatically reduce the population. Also you can sprinkle boric acid (Borax washing powder) that will kill them and is certified for organic use. Also, you can spray live beneficial nematodes in your backyard and they eat the flea larvae. You can order these online, attach to your hose (like you do fertilizer) and spray down the yard.