To rid the apartment of fleas, it will take 4-6 weeks of systematic destruction of adults, larvae and eggs. But it is possible to minimize the appearance of new bites in people with the help of a homemade flea trap already in the first day.
We are not talking about decorative flea traps that were woven into lush hairstyles in the 18th century, or worn in underwear by ladies and gentlemen in the Middle Ages. With today's level of personal hygiene, such accessories are no longer in demand. But a simple and practical flea trap in an apartment is an actual modern life hack.
What do parasitic insects look like?
Before you start fighting fleas, you need to clearly understand how they look. Insects with the following physical parameters should be alerted:
- dense brownish body, no more than 3.5 mm long;
- lack of wings;
- six long, curved legs.
You also need to pay attention to pale white larvae about 3 mm long.
Television
A do-it-yourself flea trap using a TV is suitable for those who do not turn it off at night. Insects react extremely actively to the light of this device, even better than to candles or a lamp.
The sound is turned off, a baking sheet filled with soapy water is placed under the TV. The liquid with the addition of dishwashing detergent will overflow under the light. The attention of pests will be attracted by movement from a constantly changing image.
Then everything works according to a familiar scenario. Fleas jump into the light, fall into the water, drown. In terms of efficiency, this is the best DIY trap. In a few nights, you can catch a whole horde of pests.
The reasons for the appearance of blood-sucking parasites in the apartment
The easiest and most obvious method for insects to enter the house: along with pet hair. It is much more difficult to answer the question: "where do fleas come from in an apartment if there have never been animals there?" In a private house or apartment on the ground floor, parasites can get from the yard. When the weather is hot, insects can live directly in the open field for a long time. But along with the cold snap, fleas begin to move closer to the warmth.
Also, any person who has come into contact with an infected animal can bring insects into the house right on him.
A distinctive feature of blood-sucking parasites is that they can live without food for about two months. And this means that new settlers can also find unpleasant "neighbors". Even if people move into previously empty housing, this does not guarantee that there are no parasites. That is why it is better to treat the apartment from all known insects before transporting furniture.
Other options
You need: paper, scissors, elastic tape, glue, colored pencils.
- To get such a Fold-eared Great Dane, you just need to cut out the neatly printed template along the contour, as well as the space for the eyes. It can be painted and fastened on the sides in the form of an elastic band to fix it on the head.
- Such a cute puppy can also serve as an example of a simple mask.
- Children often want to look like their favorite cartoon characters. In this case, you can make puppy masks for them from the cartoon "Paw Patrol".
Depending on the purpose for which the mask is made (for a certain stage performance or just playing with friends in the backyard), a costume is selected that you can buy or make yourself.
How do you know if an apartment is infected with fleas?
The parasites feed only on warm blood, therefore, they are most often found on domestic animals (cats and dogs), where insects can live comfortably for a long period of time. The easiest way to determine that fleas have appeared in the apartment is after the animal has begun to itch strongly. But it is much more difficult to find parasites in an apartment for those who have never had pets. Knowing where fleas live in an apartment, it will be easier for a person to get rid of them quickly.
In fact, it is almost impossible to find millimeter insects in the carpet, folds of curtains, woolen clothes. Therefore, the most obvious sign of room contamination is the appearance of bite marks on the skin of people. Flea bites look like swollen bumps with a characteristic red halo. Traces, as a rule, are not single, but grouped from three to four points. The location of the bites can vary, but most often they are found on the skin of the hands and feet.
Floating candles
Floating Candle Flea Trap
You will need some special floating candles. Fill a plate or shallow bowl with soapy water. They put down the candles, set them on fire. Place the trap on the floor overnight.
Unlike the previous version, these candles burn longer, additionally attract the attention of fleas with a movement. Emit more light, heat. Insects stick to wax or drown in water. The wider the diameter of the container, the more parasites will be caught.
On a note!
If the room is severely infested, a flea trap with floating candles is placed in several corners of the room. In the morning, all that remains is to throw out the contents, and in the evening to prepare a new combination of candles.
Flea traps: an easy method to identify and destroy parasites
You can try to "pull" a few flea beetles onto an impromptu trap. To do this, place a few small pieces of light, fleecy cloth soaked in a sweet, sticky solution near a carpet, sofa, or pet bedding. If the apartment is really infected with parasites, then in a couple of days several flea beetles will appear on the fabric. Another effective remedy is regular honey. It is necessary to leave a small plate of honey on the window behind the curtains for at least a day. To speed up the process, you can use a fan: a powerful stream of air blows the parasites out of the folds of the fabric.
You can also catch fleas with soapy water. This type of trap is quite effective, but at the same time, it will require a lot of energy. Pour some soapy water into a bowl and place a lamp next to it. Unfortunately, eggs cannot be destroyed in this way. And the complete destruction of fleas by this method is not feasible. But it will be possible to confirm the presence of parasites relatively safely and quickly.
Interesting facts about traps
Flea traps have been used for a long time. They looked like pendants or pendants. Inside, they were hollow and contained a piece of cloth soaked in blood or honey. Insects crawled there, but could not get out. Such items were located in the folds of clothing or under wigs.
Sometimes fleas actively jump around, but fall into traps badly.
The reason for this may be the wrong location of the bait. It is necessary to re-analyze where the pests are most likely concentrated and change tactics. If there are pets, then bloodsuckers often live next to bedding or bowls of food, so the bait must first of all be placed there.
If there is a person or a pet in the room, then they will interrupt the action of the baits.If possible, then for 1-2 days a person should not spend the night in an infected room with baits placed. Or at least take the animals out of there. Especially if the bait is a houseplant.
Basic rules for the fight against blood-sucking insects
Fleas reproduce very quickly, so it is very important to take appropriate action as soon as possible. The first thing to do is to vacuum the mattresses, carpets, curtains, sofas, clothes, floor coverings, and even walls. After completing the cleaning, it is necessary to throw out the anthers from the vacuum cleaner and repeat the cleaning after 9-10 days.
Such a simple sanitary and hygienic procedure will remove almost 100% of the larvae and about 70% of adult insects. To improve the result, you can fill the floors with regular salt. This is a fairly cheap, affordable and effective remedy that allows you to poison fleas that have gotten into the crevices of floor coverings. But the ground in the front garden can be treated with baking soda or special diatomite powder.
Next step: surface treatment with professional or folk remedies. It is best to poison fleas with special antiparasitic sprays that contain inhibitors of larval growth. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to close all doors and windows, ventilation holes, and after spraying the spray, leave the room for at least 3-4 hours. If your home has wood or vinyl floors, you can make a wash mix with regular vinegar and water (just mix them in equal parts).
Natural remedies for pest control of an apartment
Since it is possible to get rid of cat fleas in an apartment with chemicals only if it is possible to remove the animal from the room for at least a few days, then you should pay attention to organic products. Parasites are afraid of natural drugs no less than synthetic ones. Therefore, before resorting to dangerous chemicals, it is worth trying at least a few of the following remedies.
Citrus peels
This natural remedy will absolutely harm neither animals nor small children. You can simply spread fresh rinds throughout your home, or make your own citrus spray. To do this, pour boiling water over the skins of lemons, grapefruits or oranges. Insist the liquid overnight, then spray on the infected areas.
You can enhance the effectiveness of the spray with ordinary citric acid, which is a strong insecticide.
If the fight against fleas with the help of citrus spray did not bring results, then as a basis, you should use not the peel, but natural citrus juice. Of course, this will significantly increase the cost of the drug, but at the same time it will definitely allow you to get rid of parasites.
Essential oils
You can use a variety of essential oils if fleas appear in your apartment. How to get rid of parasites on your own using such relatively inexpensive means is described below. First you need to decide on the base component. The following types of oils are suitable for pest control:
- lemon;
- pine;
- tea tree;
- peppermint;
- cedar.
It is enough to add a small amount of essential oil to water (about 30 drops per 1 liter). Spray the liquid around the apartment. You can continue processing every day until all parasites are destroyed. A few drops of any of the above oils can also be added to soap, body lotion, and shampoo. This will be a good method of preventing insect bites.
Vinegar (both regular and apple cider)
Vinegar is another effective natural remedy that can help you forget about pests in your home. As mentioned above, you can simply dilute the vinegar in water and wash the floor. You can also apply a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar directly to your pet's fur and comb out the stunned parasites.
Rosemary
This fragrant plant can be an excellent assistant in the fight against fleas, not only indoors, but also in the front garden. To prevent the appearance of parasites in the ground, it is enough to plant a few rosemary seedlings in the garden. Also (for prevention purposes), experts recommend planting rosemary in pots and put on windowsills. A pest control agent can be made from the leaves of the plant. It is enough to crush the dried leaves into powder and sprinkle them on carpets, curtains, animal bedding.
You can also prepare a decoction for bathing animals from the roots and stems of rosemary. This remedy is very effective and completely safe. It is enough to bathe the animals in the broth several times a month to prevent a new infection.
Diatomite
This remedy is not very common in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Basically, mountain flour (the second name of this natural remedy) is imported from the United States. Diatomaceous earth is composed of the tough fibers of algae, silicon and iron. It is enough to treat the affected surfaces with mountain flour several times, and even large colonies of parasites will disappear from the apartment.
The product is absolutely non-toxic and has no negative effect on pets and small children.
It is very simple to use diatomaceous earth: you need to cover the affected areas with powder and sweep away the dead fleas in a day. And in order to remove the parasites from the fur of pets, it is enough to pour a small amount of mountain flour into the spine and after a few minutes thoroughly comb out the fur. Diatomite can also be used to cultivate the land in the adjoining front garden. Do not be afraid of plant damage! Mountain flour is dangerous only for fleas, and for the plants themselves, it can only act as a useful fertilizer.
Precautions
When making a do-it-yourself flea trap at home, it is important to remember to follow safety rules.
- place lighted candles at the maximum possible distance from objects, furniture;
- incandescent lamps must be in normal, working condition and fixed so as to exclude the possibility of falling into a container with water;
- cover the soap solution with a coarse mesh, which will not prevent fleas from getting into the water, but also will not allow small children and pets to get in there;
- you should not use chemicals when making a trap yourself, you can make a mistake with the dosage, not keep track of the animal;
- detergents with strong odors provoke headaches, it is better not to use them to create traps.
With an attentive attitude to the entire fishing process, there will be no problems, and the result will only be positive.
Chemicals to kill insect pests in the home
If there are no children and animals in the house, then flea control can be carried out with unnatural means. After all, if the parasites appeared in the house not because of pets, then their identification takes a very long time (during which fleas will actively reproduce). This means that getting rid of fleas in an apartment on your own will be very difficult. If folk remedies did not help, then you will have to treat the apartment from fleas with strong chemicals. You can buy drugs at any hardware store. There are many proven brands out there that make really effective pest control products. Among them are:
- Raptor;
- Frontline;
- Sinusan;
- Fogger.
Some of these brands produce drugs both for the destruction of parasites on animal hair and indoors. Therefore, you need to carefully examine the packaging before buying.
If you are looking for a middle ground between natural and chemical products, then boric acid is the best choice.It is a natural pesticide that practically does not affect the health of people and animals, but at the same time it aggressively fights against parasitic insects. The main advantages of boric acid:
- lack of any smell;
- low probability of damage to furniture and processed fabrics (if used correctly);
- fast action.
You can also treat an apartment from fleas with boric acid. It is enough to sprinkle all the risk areas listed above with the powder. It is necessary to leave the powder overnight, and then vacuum the apartment.
Boric acid has a dehydrating effect and simply dries out fleas and their larvae.
Principle of operation and advantages
Catching fleas is a process that does not require special knowledge and effort. Manufacturers of parasite remedies have developed a line of drugs that eliminate insects from housing. For people who care about the world around them, traps are released that save fleas. The active substance of conventional models is an insecticide, a chemical agent. But, if there are children, pets at home, it is better to create a trap from household items yourself.
The principle of operation for all types of traps is the same: attraction of fleas with baits (light, heat, moisture, sweets, detergents), destruction of caught individuals. With the help of a trap, only a decrease in the number of adult fleas is possible, the elimination of eggs occurs with other antiparasitic drugs. The trap is ineffective without bait, only “random” fleas will be caught.
Homemade traps have several advantages:
- ease of manufacture - the process takes 5 minutes;
- simple application - the trap is installed in places where fleas accumulate, and is regularly cleaned from the parasites that come across;
- low cost - making some types of traps is free;
- quick effect - after 2-3 hours an impressive number of fleas will be caught;
- safe ingredients are an advantage for those with small children or pets.
Choosing the type of trap, you need to take into account the characteristics of the room. If you do not use the bait, the effect of the application will be minimal.
Methods for preventing flea infection in an apartment
Since getting fleas out of an apartment is a rather troublesome task, it is worth taking care of adequate preventive measures. This is especially true for pet owners and residents of private houses. First, you need to regularly bathe your pets, thoroughly clean carpets and curtains. The natural pest control products mentioned above can also be used for prophylaxis.
With the onset of the first cool days, it is necessary to disinfect the house and the adjacent yard, front garden. In order to prevent earthen fleas from entering the house: you can put several cloves of garlic or citrus peels on the windowsills, balcony and in the area of \ u200b \ u200bthe entrance doors. Such aromas will scare away unwanted guests. Only regular cleaning will give a 100% guarantee that the parasites will not come back again.
