FLEAS:
A flea season begins in April (in warmer climates) and extends through September. Fleas are hard to see with the naked eye and have 4 distinct stages, egg, larva, the pupa or cocoon and adult.
Eggs are laid on the host animal and either fall off or are scratched off into carpeting, or upholstery etc: The temperature has to be below 40 degrees F, but can exist indefinitely until the temperature rises, even a year later. Eggs can die at temperatures above 95 degrees F.
When eggs hatch, they enter the larval stage which last about 1 or 2 weeks depending on the environment. Larvae begin spinning whitish cocoons (pupae) where the worm develops into an adult flea. The flea can leave the cocoon anywhere from 1 week to as long as 6 months but can be accelerated in in warm temperatures from a sleeping host animal, hummidity or vibrations caused by vacuum cleaners or other sources.
When entering the adult stage, a flea will immediately seek a host to feed from and will be able to reproduce. A female flea will lay 20 to 50 eggs per day and can coninue doing this for over three months. A hugh infestation can come quickly especially since two out of three fleas are female.
- When you shampoo your pet at home
Small to medium pets
1 drop lemon grass or citronella oil added to shampoo
Larger pets
2 drops lemon grass or citronella oil added to
shampoo
- Take an old steel brush and a piece of material the same size as the face of the brush. Make sure the material is thick so a single piece of towel or sheet folded three times will do. Pull the material down over the teeth of the brush so that it lies about 1 inch above the base, depending on the length of your dog's hair. Prepare a bowl of warm water and mix 4 drops of cedar wood or pine oil and soak the brush in this before brushing your pet's coat. This treatment will disinfect and condition the pets coat and collect the parasites and eggs in the brush which must be rinsed out thoroughly several times during the brushing in the bowl of essential oil water
- If fleas and parasites become serious, put 4 drops of cedar wood or lavender oil directly onto a piece of material and rub together to disperse the oil before putting it on the brush. Use with plain warm water and rinse several times while brushing your pet
- Joy or Dawn dishwashing liquid is great for a pet's bath because it kills fleas just be sure to rinse well
- Fleas in your carpet try 20 Mule Team Borax- sprinkle and let stand for 24 hours
- Plug in a night light near the floor and put a pot of water in front of it and check it in the morning and see if fleas were attracted to it and empty it
- When you spray your yard for fleas try
1 cup Ivory liquid dish soap
1 cup ammonia
1 cup epson salts
1 cup generic listerine
1/2 cup corn oil
Mix ingredients with 1 gallon water and always shake solution before you use it. When
attaching the garden hose with srayer the solution will automatically dilute to the right
application, (32 oz to 15 gallons of water) Apply once a week for 2 weeks then ever 45 to 60
days when fleas are under control. You can spray on all plants or shrubs except air plants, or in
the house on floors or carpets.
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