Where do fleas come from if there are no animals at home?

Sometimes it happens that a blood-sucking parasite appears in a home, and it turns out that it is a flea infestation. Where do fleas come from, even if the owners do not have animals? We will try to consider all possible cases of this trouble appearing in an apartment or house.

The presence of fleas in an apartment can turn living in it into a nightmare, especially at night. In the absence of domestic animals, a person is exposed to flea attack as the only source of flea food, and his home becomes a place where they are forced to live.

In addition to annoying bites, associated allergic reactions, itching and dermatitis, these “horses” are also scary because they are carriers of dangerous infections. The threat of their rapid reproduction should also be taken into account.

Once settled and having chosen a home, the parasites find food, which is human blood. Finding no resistance, the flea horde begins to multiply intensively, laying eggs in cracks, behind baseboards, thresholds, in upholstery, mattresses and pillows, carpets and runners.

That is why it is important to understand where the fleas in the apartment came from and to destroy this scourge. If you eradicate only the population in an apartment or house, but not the outbreak itself and the reason for their appearance, then they will come again.

Damage from fleas in your apartment

The most common fleas are house fleas, ground fleas (basement fleas), and bed fleas. A particular danger is that they can cause enormous harm to humans. A fed flea often leaves and begins to look for a new victim, thereby creating the risk of transmitting various diseases and infections, including severe ones and even fatal ones (for example, hepatitis, plague, typhoid, anthrax, encephalitis). They carry parasites that cause the development of helminthiasis.

If we talk about humans, they choose hair as their habitat.

If you find yourself with strange bites (usually in the form of a chain), try placing clean white sheets around the apartment. If after a while you see black dots on them, it means that you have fleas in your apartment.

As for the apartment, these are fleecy surfaces, mattresses, pillows. Fleas can breed even in a very clean room. Pets contribute to this. There is also a possibility of bringing them in with already contaminated items. They can get to you from basements, entrances, and possibly from neighbors (and they are also carried by various rodents).

If fleas are detected, measures to destroy them must be taken immediately, this is due to the fact that they multiply very quickly! Too fast!

How to get rid of fleas on pets

• Tar soap.
  Apply soap to the animal and wait about 30 minutes. Then you can wash it off. Make sure that the treated pet does not lick itself.
• Wormwood decoction.
  Preparation: one handful of herbs per glass of boiling water. Periodically bathe with this decoction. A pet that has been cleared of fleas should not go outside for a while.
• Powders
  . Treatment must be carried out several times, not very effective.
• Spray
  . When processing, wear a special collar so that the pet does not get poisoned by licking the poison.
• Shampoos
  . After the 3rd bath they will completely disappear.

You need to know that in addition to treating animals, it is necessary to get rid of other fleas, if any.

How to remove fleas from an apartment

So, you have fleas in your apartment - what to do now? The process of removing fleas in an apartment is quite a costly task, both in terms of time and effort. Because of their structure, fleas cannot, like many other parasites, eat poisoned food. Therefore, other methods are used to destroy them.

First (preparatory) stage

Currently, many highly effective drugs and techniques have been developed to do this. If you carry out this procedure correctly and carefully, then one time will be enough to achieve the desired effect.

Having decided to start this procedure, you must first figure out where the fleas came from. If this issue is not clarified, there is a danger that they will appear again.

As mentioned above, most often the carriers are pets. This means, firstly, you need to examine them, if necessary, take them to a veterinarian and get rid of fleas.

This is also interesting: Flea bites on humans: how to identify and how to get rid

The absence of fleas will also serve as protection against the helminths that they carry.

If you do not carry out this procedure, then after you destroy the fleas in the room, they will breed again. If possible, this should be done at the same time as disinfecting the home. This will give great guarantees that the parasites will be completely destroyed.

If it turns out that insects entered the apartment with contaminated things or objects (clothes, shoes, furniture), they must first be disinfected.

After identifying and disinfecting the main insect habitat, you can begin treating the entire apartment.

Products for removing fleas from pets

Today there is a wide range of drugs developed for these purposes. The choice depends on your preferences.

If your dog has been found to have fleas, we recommend reading the article on how to remove fleas from adults and dogs. If your dog is itching, but you couldn’t find any parasites, try the options here. And this article concerns cats and cats, in which the veterinarian gives a comprehensive answer to the question: where can fleas appear on domestic cats.

Insecticidal agents

Modern drugs of this type are low-toxic and do not harm the pet itself, but are fatal to insects.
You just need to treat the animal's fur with them. There are several types of these funds

• Drops
• Shampoos
• Sprays

Anti-flea drops for pets

They are affordable, but it is worth familiarizing yourself with some of the contraindications they have. If all rules of use are followed, they do not pose a danger and are highly effective; they are applied mainly behind the animal’s ears.

Flea shampoos

If your pet often walks outside, then shampoo will be more suitable for him. Parasites completely disappear after the first use, and its effect can last up to a month.

Special aerosols (insecticidal)

They also remove fleas the first time and are ideally combined with simultaneous treatment of the animal and disinfection of the premises.

Anti-flea collar

Very reliable and effective in fighting fleas. The fact is that its effect lasts throughout the entire wear, that is, the pet is constantly protected.

Sometimes injections, tablets, and traditional medicine are used for these purposes.

When choosing medications, you should still consult your veterinarian.

Main stage

If pets are cleaned and contaminated items are disinfected, you can begin removing fleas from your apartment. Since they live at a height of up to one and a half meters, this area must be treated especially carefully. First of all, you need to decide how you will do this.

For this you can use help

• aerosol;
• powder;
• temperature treatment;
• calling specialists.

If you decide to disinfect yourself, you should follow certain rules.

Aerosol

Before use

• There should be no animals or people in the room who are not involved in the process
• Collect and throw away all unnecessary garbage
• Move the furniture aside so that there is access to the walls; if there are carpets, remove them
• Spray all pieces of furniture (both outside and inside), clothing, and bedding. It is good to fill the baseboards on the floor and all kinds of cracks
• Close the windows and doors tightly in a few hours and leave the apartment
• Upon returning, you need to ventilate well and wash the treated area, clean fluffy surfaces with a vacuum cleaner or shake out. Wash clothes and underwear thoroughly.

This is also interesting: Earth fleas: how to get rid of them? Preventing their occurrence in your home

Types of sprays

There are several types of sprays

• Professional (for example, Sinuzan). They are very effective, but have a pungent odor. When working with them, it is necessary to use a respirator, gloves, and safety glasses. Used mainly by disinfection specialists
• Household anti-flea aerosols (for example, Master 250)
• Sprays for killing flying and crawling insects (for example, Raptor, Raid). The absence of any odor and the ability to remain in the apartment during treatment (non-toxic) make it very convenient to use

Sprays are a very effective product, as they allow you to remove both adults and their larvae in one use.

Powders

Cleaning an apartment of parasites using powder will require a lot of time. So how to remove fleas from an apartment using powder products? They (powders) are simply poured into places where insect larvae accumulate (plinths, cracks, corners). In addition, they cause the death of adult individuals when they come into contact with their bodies.

The most popular today are

• Phenaxin;
• Pyrethrum.

In general, the effectiveness of powders is much lower than aerosols, but at the same time they do not require isolation of residents and their pets from the premises.

Temperature treatment of the room against fleas

This method consists of either lowering the room temperature to minus 20 degrees, or burning out fleas at 50 degrees. This method is only available to specialists when using heat guns.

Calling a team of specialists

This is perhaps the most effective method of killing fleas. Experts will determine how infested your home is with insects and select the best means to combat them. All you have to do is prepare the apartment in accordance with the requirements of the exterminators.

After any treatment, fleas may appear again after a few days. This is a common occurrence - they hatched from a larva or got out of a deep place. Don't worry too much. They will die if they come into contact with the treated surface. This may continue for a month.

Flea sprays - speed and reliability

Sprays are used in critical situations, when the animal is too heavily infected, or there are no other means at hand. Almost always, the spray turns out to be the most effective flea remedy from the entire range. But it also requires particularly careful adherence to the instructions: if used incorrectly, the animal may be poisoned.

It is also useful to read: How to rid a kitten of fleas: tips for treatment and prevention

It is advisable to treat a cat or dog with gloves and a cotton-gauze bandage. The pet’s entire body except the face is sprayed, after which it must not be washed for some time (up to several hours, depending on the product) to allow the active ingredients to take effect. During this time, you should not let your pet lick its fur. Afterwards, the animal must be thoroughly bathed.

The most well-known flea sprays are the following:

• Hartz, represented by a large number of lines for adult cats and dogs, as well as for kittens and puppies.
• Frontline is a very powerful flea remedy, which, however, causes the most side effects and is toxic to humans. Depending on the type of product, Frontline costs from 600 to 800 rubles.
• Bolfo-aerosol, which can be used to treat both the animal itself and the bedding on which it sleeps.

When used correctly, flea sprays retain their protective effect for several weeks even after bathing.

Review

“The specificity of burrowing dogs is this: they sit in a kennel for two weeks, and then go into the burrows for one day, and if they come out, they are covered up to their ears in fleas. There's nothing you can do about it. The men and I even tried to buy them collars, but it was useless. There are so many fleas in the fox hole that they don’t notice the collar. But my dogs are used to the fact that the next day after a hunt I spray them with Frontline. And their booth too. Then all that remains is to sweep away the fleas with a broom.”

Alexander, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

Traditional methods of fighting fleas

There are also traditional methods for killing fleas, both in pets and in the apartment.
If you are concerned that chemicals may harm your pet's health, you can try the following recipes.

• Grate a quarter of a bar of baby soap, dilute it in water and cook until a jelly forms. Add grated onion and egg yolk to it. This makes an excellent shampoo against parasites. Apply this mixture to the animal, wrap it in a towel, hold it for 15-20 minutes and wash it.
• You can also wash the animal in a soap solution with the addition of decoctions of calendula or nettle.
• You can also use saline solution for washing. Dissolve salt in water in the proportion of one pack per ten liters. Leave your pet in it for five minutes and rinse. You can also use a decoction of wormwood or tar soap, which also relieves inflammation from bites
• Take wormwood, tansy or eucalyptus leaves (your choice). Steam and let it brew well. Then simply rub in the resulting decoction. Fleas cannot tolerate the pungent odor of these plants .
• Carefully wash your animal's pillow or mattress, dry it well and stuff it with pine sawdust or fresh pine needles. You can prepare a decoction of them and bathe your pet. Fleas cannot stand their smell and leave

This is also interesting: Instructions: How to remove fleas from your home

The following methods are used to remove parasites from a room.

• Take equal amounts of salt and soda, mix and sprinkle all the places where fleas may accumulate. After a day, thoroughly clean the apartment using a vacuum cleaner. Repeat cleaning after a few days to remove remaining insects.
• To repel fleas, you can place calamus, garlic, and peppermint in furniture, cracks and baseboards. The peels of various citrus fruits can be used for the same purposes.
• Having made a decoction of the above plants, you can spray it on the places where fleas most often live.
• Caucasian (Persian) chamomile contains substances that kill fleas. But it should only be used fresh; when it dries, it loses these properties. To achieve the desired effect, you need to periodically lay it out in the room.
• Rinse the floors with water with the addition of essential oils (for example, eucalyptus, orange) or acetic acid.

All these remedies are most likely preventative; they may not kill fleas, but they will make their existence much more difficult and they will leave your territory.

Drops on the withers

The main advantages of drops on the withers are ease of use and long-lasting effect. The drops are either applied to one spot at the base of the animal's head or dripped along the spine. After this, they need to be rubbed into the skin, and they themselves will gradually spread over the entire surface of the body.

At the same time, flea drops only in exceptional cases cause allergies or skin damage.

After applying the drops, the animal will be reliably protected from parasites for a period of one to two months, depending on the brand of the drug. In most cases, drops on the withers are the preferred (best) flea remedy for pets. One pipette of the product costs from 50 to 300 rubles. It is enough for one time and about 1-2 months of protection.

Stronghold drops are very popular. This line of products also includes drops for dogs and puppies from one and a half months of age, which almost never cause poisoning.

The Hartz and Frontline drop lines offer drops for withers for both dogs and cats.

All flea drops should not be used on pregnant or lactating animals.

Review

“No matter how many flea remedies we tried, we liked Hartz drops the most. They do not extinguish parasites as much as other aerosols, but they work for a long time. I dropped one dropper, rubbed it, and completely forgot about fleas for a month. They even have drops for puppies, which is good news for serious breeders. At any pharmacy you can buy a choice of Hartz for animals of different weights and different ages. So don’t bother and take what’s proven.”

Ilya, St. Petersburg

It is also useful to read: How and with what you can remove fleas from a dog

How to cure flea bites with folk remedies

A flea bite is invisible at first. The fact is that she produces special pain-relieving enzymes that allow her to drink blood without any special obstacles. The bites appear mainly on the arms, legs and stomach as red spots (fortunately, house fleas are not as ferocious as sand fleas).

Inflammation, severe itching, suppuration, rashes and tumors that form at the bite sites cause a lot of inconvenience and discomfort. In some people, flea saliva causes severe allergies.

If bites are detected, the following measures should be taken immediately:

• Wash the bitten areas with laundry or antiseptic soap.
• Treat bites with vodka or alcohol using a cotton swab.
• Apply ice to relieve swelling.
• Lubricate with any available antiseptic.

Popular methods

As we see, highly effective insecticidal preparations are not always advisable. If the number of parasites is small, natural remedies are even preferable.

Here are popular insect control activities:

1. Herbal infusions. Particularly popular are plants with a sharp, specific odor that repels insects. You can prepare an effective folk remedy for fleas in your apartment from wormwood, tansy, and eucalyptus.
2. Baking soda.
3. Fresh plants: calamus, garlic, wormwood.
4. Coniferous tree shavings.
5. Fresh pine needles.
6. Table vinegar.
7. Citrus.

Proven recipes for an apartment

If you encounter fleas in your apartment, you are probably thinking about getting rid of them using traditional methods. Predominantly the premises are affected by earthen and bedding household fleas. Many people think that only insecticidal treatment will help here, but this is not so. Below are effective recipes that, according to many reviews, helped get rid of insects:

Herbal infusion.

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon each of tansy and eucalyptus;
• 2 tablespoons of wormwood;
• a glass of boiling water.

Instructions:

1. Pour a glass of boiling water over the plant mixture.
2. Leave for 10-12 hours.
3. Strain the infusion through cheesecloth and pour into a spray bottle.
4. Treat the room with the product, paying special attention to floor items made of wool, pile, corners, baseboards, and upholstered furniture.

For preventive purposes, it is recommended to treat the premises with this composition approximately every six months.

Baking soda. Yes, even such an ordinary food product as soda will help you fight parasites. It is possible to get rid of fleas in the house with the help of such a folk remedy. You will need:

• 200 g soda;
• 200 g regular table salt.

Instructions:

1. Mix the ingredients.
2. Use the resulting mixture to cover floor coverings, soft toys, and rub inside upholstered furniture.
3. The next day, thoroughly vacuum all items with a vacuum cleaner.
4. Over the next few days, continue vacuuming the baking soda-sprinkled items to collect as much of the dying parasites as possible.

Fresh plants.

Use fresh wormwood, garlic and calamus to fight parasites.

1. Place fresh plants in areas where you think fleas may be present.
2. Before placing the plants, lightly rub them with your hands to release their sap.

Getting rid of animal parasites

Many people are wondering if there is any effective folk remedy for fleas in cats or dogs that have become hostage to bloodsuckers? There is, and more than one.

The most common measures are:

Salty bathing.

A very effective, safe recipe for getting rid of fleas for cats, and also easy to implement at home. You will need:

• a pack of table salt;
• a bucket of hot water.

Instructions:

1. Dissolve salt in hot water.
2. Wait until the water cools to a comfortable temperature.
3. Submerge your pet in the water for 5-10 minutes.
4. Rinse your dog or kitten in plain water.
5. A couple of drops of essential oils with a pungent odor that repel fleas will help increase the effectiveness of the saline solution.

Tar soap.

A proven and effective remedy that can remove fleas from a dog or cat, and all this at home. Tar soap has a pungent odor that repels parasites, and also has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect, helping to heal bite sites.

1. Place the dog and cat in a bowl of warm water.
2. Lather your pet's fur well.
3. Wait 5-10 minutes.
4. Wash your baby and pet with running water.

The following recommendations will help remove fleas from a cat or dog at home:

• After treating the animal, do not forget to thoroughly vacuum the room and thoroughly wash the floors with water and a vinegar solution. This will help get rid of parasites hiding in cracks and hard-to-reach corners of the room;
• after the animal has been treated, the floors have been washed and dried, close all the cracks with sealant, and in places where parasites are most likely to accumulate, place bunches of wormwood and tansy;
• To consolidate the effect, place the bunches under the bedding of your pets.

If you want to get rid of fleas on cats using folk remedies, you can also use:

• peppermint. Just scatter the plant throughout the apartment;
• DIY anti-flea shampoos.

Tar shampoo recipe. This recipe will tell you how to quickly remove fleas from your apartment, as well as from dogs and cats, at home. It is especially suitable for very small pets, pregnant and lactating animals, for whom it is extremely important to choose a safe product first.

You will need:

• ¼ piece of baby soap;
• some warm water;
• bulb;
• decoction of nettle and calendula.

Instructions:

1. Crumble the soap finely and add warm water.
2. Place on the fire and keep on low heat until a homogeneous consistency is formed.
3. Add grated onion and a decoction of nettle and calendula to the mixture.
4. Let the product cool and bathe the animal using homemade shampoo.

With the help of such an unpretentious product, you will quickly solve the problem and help rid your cat of fleas. Moreover, you will do it at no cost.

By the way, the use of folk remedies is not at all an obstacle to the use of specialized products containing insecticides. You can get rid of fleas on a cat or dog more radically. You can see where to buy drugs in the table:

Helping a person

Fleas can infect not only apartments, private houses and pets, but also humans. They can be recognized by their characteristic, rather painful and itchy vinegar. If you notice bites on yourself, regardless of where they came from, you need to decide how to get rid of them. This can be done using folk remedies:

• if it's frosty outside, consider the problem solved. Just open a window in your house and wait until the temperature drops to almost zero. Fleas really don't like the cold;
• use herbs such as wormwood or tansy. Place bunches of herbs in the room and especially in the place where you sleep.

Features of application

Many people are interested in whether it is possible to remove fleas from a cat and a dog using the same folk remedies? Yes, why not? All of them are quite versatile, and therefore suitable not only for different animals, but also for animals of different ages. For example, a decoction based on wormwood can be safely used both for a very small puppy and for its mother. The product is also suitable for treating a pregnant animal.

The same cannot be said about store-bought drugs. Among them there are special products that are intended separately for cats, separately for dogs, separately for puppies or kittens of different ages.

Versatility is perhaps the main advantage of folk remedies for removing fleas from cats and dogs at home. Another advantage of traditional methods is that they are safe. They can be easily used even on pets who experience scratching after insect bites. There is no need to worry that the animal will lick the product from its fur and may develop negative side reactions. The only thing you need to be careful with is garlic. In large quantities, it can cause unwanted intestinal reactions in your pet.

Store-bought medicines are more effective, but here you need to think about safety and try to make sure that your beloved cat or dog cannot lick the insecticide. In this case, the development of allergic reactions in the animal and even intoxication of the body is possible.

To avoid this, you must strictly follow the instructions for using insecticidal preparations:

• drops, for example, are intended for application in the withers area. In this case, the pet will not be able to lick the drug. In addition, it is from this area that the insecticide acts most effectively. Some drops are designed to be applied to multiple locations along the spine. After application, the drug must be gently rubbed into the skin. You can contact the animal no earlier than 1.5-2 hours after application;
• When using flea shampoos, you must ensure that the product is thoroughly rinsed from the fur before you remove your pet from the bath. It is better to rinse your dog or cat once again so as not to worry about the body’s reaction to the drug;
• Many people use a special collar when swimming with insecticides. It is placed around the animal’s neck and protects it from getting chemicals into the eyes, mouth, and ears. For young animals, it is advisable to use shampoos that do not cause irritation upon contact with mucous membranes.

Prevention methods

Getting fleas out of your apartment using folk remedies is half the battle. It is necessary to take care of prevention. To protect yourself from re-infection, it is recommended to follow the following rules:

• It is advisable to find out where they come from even before exterminating fleas and, after treating the apartment, to secure all possible routes of parasite penetration;
• If fleas come to you from your pets, you should wear a flea collar on them during walks. Also, for the purpose of prevention in the autumn-winter period, animals should be treated with insecticidal drops once a month;
• if bloodsuckers enter from the basement, or through windows, doors from the street, it is necessary to hang sections from insects in the openings, sprinkle with special powders, apply Mashenka chalk, or arrange bunches of herbs: wormwood, tansy, eucalyptus, insecticide;
• It is recommended to seal all cracks in the room;
• If the parquet is old, then fleas may be hiding between the cracks. Therefore, it is better to replace such flooring, for example, cover the floor with ordinary laminate;
• After each walk, the animal must be examined, and its clothes must not be shaken off, since a person can also bring uninvited guests.

Prevention Tips

To prevent the subsequent appearance of fleas, you should adhere to the following rules.

• Clean twice a week (wet), especially hard-to-reach places.
• Buy flea collars for your animals.
• Use special crayons to clean the entrance to the apartment and ventilation holes.
• Ventilate the room regularly.
• If possible, dry blankets, pillows, and mattresses in the sun.
• Wash soft toys and clean furniture as often as possible .
• Carry out at least minor cosmetic repairs, removing all cracks in floors, walls, door openings, and windows.
• Do not allow other people's animals to enter your home.

By disinfecting your apartment and following preventive measures, you will get rid of fleas and prevent them from appearing again.

Collars as a means of preventing fleas

A special collar is perhaps the most common flea remedy for animals today. It usually performs a protective function, but can also be used to rid an animal of fleas with a slight infestation.

For example, Kiltix collars are very effective (but also expensive). One product costs about 600 rubles, but protects the animal for 7 months - the entire warm season.

Bolfo and Hartz collars are a little cheaper. Their price is up to 300 rubles, and they differ from the previous ones in their service life, exhausting themselves in two to four months.

You can buy this flea remedy at almost any veterinary pharmacy.