Killing Fleas inside the home? – Vacuum Simplicity

Sounds like you’re doing all the right stuff. Perhaps some explanation of a flea life cycle will show what’s probably happening. They feed off the animal. They lay eggs on the animal. They drop off the animal, and so do the eggs. Those eggs can hatch a few days or so later, and it’s the "or so" part that might be responsible for their re-appearance in your house now. They form a pupa to wait around in. They can wait to hatch until conditions are right, and that can be up to a year. When it gets very warm, they hatch. If pressure is applied to them, they hatch. So, summer is here and it’s warm. Maybe some eggs from last time have hatched. It can happen when a person walks across a carpet. The vibration tells them a potential host might be around and that alerts them to hatch

I didn’t quite believe all this until I got a demonstration. I had a couch with a wooden frame. In a cleaning frenzy one day, I removed the cushions and was vacuuming dust from the frame. That didn’t seem to be quite doing the trick so I took a small brush to get into the corners. I scrubbed with the brush at the dirt in the corners and all of a sudden there were fleas hopping all over. I figure the pressure from the brush made the flea eggs hatch.

Insecticides don’t work well at all on the unhatched fleas because they have the pupa which protects them. You can usually only kill the fleas once they hatch and are adults. That’s why those topical products that are applied to the pet work so well. A flea feeds off the pet and it dies before it gets a chance to reproduce.

I’d say wait a bit and see how it goes. The only thing you didn’t mention doing was vacuuming or washing any place the cats might have slept. If your cats are like mine, that could have been anywhere. I’m always going around putting washable blankets or towels in any place the cats have chosen to sleep, so I can wash any eggs away that might have fallen off the cat. That has to be done in a timely way, before the flea eggs have had a chance to hatch. I try for once a week. But I rarely see a flea at all any more, since I started using Advantage and now Revolution. My cats go out, so they probably pick up a flea now and then from outdoors. You might want to switch to one of the other topicals instead of frontline. From what I’ve read, some people have different luck with different products. And pay attention to corners and crevices when you vacuum, because that’s where potential fleas will be hiding.

4 COMMENTS

Tom K June 26, 2011 At 6:16 am

The only problem with all of the products you’re using is that they kill the adult fleas but not the eggs and larvae that are already present in your home. So you’ll have a new crop of fleas within days. I would use an Insect Growth Regulator. It’s a safe chemical that will prevent the eggs/larvae from becoming adults so that the reproduction cycle is stopped in its tracks. It’s not terribly expensive and will last quite a while. One site below but many others online. Combine that product with a flea bomb treatment and you should be good all Summer. And keep using the Frontline, of course.
Bradley June 26, 2011 At 6:16 am

flea bombs work best
Drexel handley Handley June 26, 2011 At 6:16 am

Go to feed store get powder for fleas its safe for all furn,carpet,anything its a red can forgot name but feed store will direct you right leaveon for 2 or 3 dsys will work I had a bad infestation myself but worked great no fleas aftter 2 days, trick is you have to shampoo your carpet furniture everyrhing the powder is called red devil for fleas try it you will see
Karen L June 26, 2011 At 6:16 am

Sounds like you’re doing all the right stuff. Perhaps some explanation of a flea life cycle will show what’s probably happening. They feed off the animal. They lay eggs on the animal. They drop off the animal, and so do the eggs. Those eggs can hatch a few days or so later, and it’s the "or so" part that might be responsible for their re-appearance in your house now. They form a pupa to wait around in. They can wait to hatch until conditions are right, and that can be up to a year. When it gets very warm, they hatch. If pressure is applied to them, they hatch. So, summer is here and it’s warm. Maybe some eggs from last time have hatched. It can happen when a person walks across a carpet. The vibration tells them a potential host might be around and that alerts them to hatch

I didn’t quite believe all this until I got a demonstration. I had a couch with a wooden frame. In a cleaning frenzy one day, I removed the cushions and was vacuuming dust from the frame. That didn’t seem to be quite doing the trick so I took a small brush to get into the corners. I scrubbed with the brush at the dirt in the corners and all of a sudden there were fleas hopping all over. I figure the pressure from the brush made the flea eggs hatch.

Insecticides don’t work well at all on the unhatched fleas because they have the pupa which protects them. You can usually only kill the fleas once they hatch and are adults. That’s why those topical products that are applied to the pet work so well. A flea feeds off the pet and it dies before it gets a chance to reproduce.

I’d say wait a bit and see how it goes. The only thing you didn’t mention doing was vacuuming or washing any place the cats might have slept. If your cats are like mine, that could have been anywhere. I’m always going around putting washable blankets or towels in any place the cats have chosen to sleep, so I can wash any eggs away that might have fallen off the cat. That has to be done in a timely way, before the flea eggs have had a chance to hatch. I try for once a week. But I rarely see a flea at all any more, since I started using Advantage and now Revolution. My cats go out, so they probably pick up a flea now and then from outdoors. You might want to switch to one of the other topicals instead of frontline. From what I’ve read, some people have different luck with different products. And pay attention to corners and crevices when you vacuum, because that’s where potential fleas will be hiding.

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