How to deal with earthen fleas and how can you get them out?

There are about 2,000 species of fleas on the planet. Most often, people encounter bloodsuckers that parasitize domestic animals and rodents, as well as earthen fleas.

Regardless of their species, parasites pose a threat to health, so they must be gotten rid of by all available means, including special medications and folk remedies.

What are earth fleas?

Ground fleas are small insects that get their name because they often live in the upper layers of the soil. However, they willingly live on rodents, pets, birds, and can also live indoors. Externally, earthen fleas differ little from, for example, cat or dog fleas, except that they are a little smaller and a little darker than their counterparts.

What do they look like?

At first glance, it is almost impossible to distinguish the differences between ground fleas and other varieties, except that they are a little smaller and darker. The size of an adult flea is about 3 mm.

The body of the parasite is flattened laterally, the durable chitinous cover is dark brown, almost black. There are three pairs of legs on the body, the hind ones are much longer than the front ones, which provides the insects with excellent jumping ability (a flea can cover a distance of 30-35 cm to the side and 50-60 cm upward in one jump).

Flea

The paws and abdomen are covered with bristles and hairs, which allows the parasite to easily hold and move in animal fur. Fleas have poor eyesight, but this is compensated by a good sense of smell - the insect can smell sweat or blood 2.5 - 3 m away. In the back of the abdomen there is a sensory organ with which the insect detects air vibrations and orients itself in space.

Life cycle

Fleas are insects with complete metamorphosis. During the life cycle, the parasite goes through four phases:

1. The egg is a light, translucent ball with a dark interior. After the female lays her eggs, they mature in a few days to a couple of weeks depending on environmental conditions (humidity and temperature).
2. The larvae of earthen fleas are almost transparent worms about 1.5 mm long. Develops in about 3 weeks. During this time, three molts occur, after each one increasing slightly in size.
3. Pupa – a cocoon forms around the larva. During maturation, the insect does not need food and is resistant to external conditions, mechanical stress and toxic substances. The parasite can remain in this state from 10 days to a year.
4. An adult individual emerges from a pupa and, under normal conditions, lives for 2-3 months.

What do they eat?

Flea larvae feed on biological waste, plant debris, even dust. Adult fleas need fresh blood to develop and reproduce. An insect sucks out much more blood at one time than it can digest. Therefore, a large amount of undigested blood remains in the excrement.

For reference! Females eat almost twice as much as males.

How do they reproduce?

The adult comes out of the cocoon ready to mate, but only fleas that have previously sucked blood can reproduce. If the flea manages to find a victim and gets enough, then about two days after mating it lays a clutch.

Ground flea beetles can lay eggs directly on the ground. If an insect parasitizes an animal, it shoots eggs directly from the fur or lays them on a bed, carpet, or a crack in the floor. There are from 30 to 50 eggs in one clutch. Over the course of its entire life, a flea lays about 500 eggs.

Reproduction

How long do they live?

The lifespan of a ground flea can vary greatly depending on living conditions. On average, the period is about 2 months. Heat shortens the lifespan of parasites, but cold and, oddly enough, lack of food increase it.

For reference! Without the ability to suck blood, the flea will not reproduce, but can live up to one and a half, and sometimes up to two years.

Safety precautions when removing fleas

Since most insecticides are toxic and can harm the human body, you should not neglect the means of protection. You will need:

• respirator, gauze bandage;
• protective glasses;
• latex gloves.

Do not forget to ventilate the room after treatment for several hours. It would be ideal if you can leave the house for 1-2 days during the treatment.

Gloves and a mask are reliable protection when working with chemicals

If there are children or pregnant women in the house

Small children crawl around the apartment, touch everything with their hands, and then put their fingers in their mouths. Pregnant women inhale harmful fumes, which can negatively affect the development of the fetus. In such cases, you can use only completely safe products. These are the same folk remedies, with the exception of boric acid, botanical dust and kerosene (its smell can cause nausea in pregnant women) or based on neonicotinoids, neostomazan (look on the package). Children and pregnant women must leave the house during chemical treatment. After the procedure, a thorough wet cleaning is carried out and the room is ventilated for a long time.

If there are animals in the house

It is not advisable for pets and birds to be in the house during treatment. If there is nowhere to put them, then it is recommended to use only those products that are sold in a veterinary pharmacy and are safe for animals, for example, drugs with the active ingredients fipronil, neonicotinoids, neostomazan.

Reasons for appearing in the house

Don’t think that fleas only appear in areas where residents keep animals or do not maintain cleanliness. Indeed, these conditions increase the risk of parasites, but they are completely optional. Insects can also be found in places where there are no and never have been pets, and cleaning is carried out regularly.

Ground fleas can appear at home in several ways:

• on the fur of a pet that has returned from a walk or interacted with an infected animal;
• on a person’s clothes or shoes;
• on the fur of rodents that have access to the house or basement;
• from a basement or cellar;
• with soil that is collected from the garden or vegetable garden for planting indoor plants.

Earth fleas are most active in the summer and autumn; it is during this season that the likelihood of finding a colony of parasites at home is especially high.

Infection of an apartment with fleas through pets

Another most common reason for a home to be infested with fleas is transportation by animals. If this is the case, your pet will need anti-parasite treatment. In warm weather, it is enough to walk with a dog or cat near the house in the grass and insidious insects will immediately cling to the fur; the animal does not necessarily become infected from others. While there are few fleas (you can notice their presence by the pet’s behavior), it is better to remove them immediately, rather than wait until their numbers are such that they begin to attack people.

Now that you know where earth fleas come from, be careful not to allow them to multiply to incredible sizes.

Habitats

Ground fleas, as their name suggests, live on the ground or shallow underground. They can also settle in animal burrows. If earthen fleas appear in the house, then they will first occupy the following places:

• carpets;
• cushioned furniture;
• blankets, bedspreads, soft toys;
• pet beds and houses;
• cracks in the floor, behind the baseboard.

When choosing secluded places in the apartment, fleas still prefer to be closer to the food source. That is why it is most likely to find them close to the place of the pet or on it itself.

Preparing for home treatment

In order for disinfestation to be as effective as possible, it is necessary to clean the living space and prepare it as much as possible. Before treatment, children and animals must be removed from the house.

You also need to place personal belongings, children's toys, and personal hygiene items in closets. Before eradicating earth fleas from the house, you should cover furniture, household appliances, and paintings with film. Dishes and food must be put in the refrigerator or cabinets.

Furniture should be moved away from the walls, which will allow you to treat hard-to-reach places. Bedding should be boiled and then ironed.

The procedure to help get rid of basement fleas involves the use of chemicals.

Therefore, before carrying out the treatment, you must wear a special protective suit, gloves, headscarf, and goggles.

Danger and treatment of bites

Earth fleas are dangerous for pets and people, as their bites can cause allergies, dermatitis, and severe itching. In addition, scratching itchy bites can introduce an infection into the wound.

Since fleas carry helminth eggs, by accidentally swallowing a flea, a person or animal can become infected with worms.

Cold compress

And finally, fleas are carriers of pathogens of many dangerous diseases, including:

• hepatitis;
• typhus;
• salmonellosis;
• pseudotuberculosis;
• anthrax;
• plague.

Having discovered a flea bite, it must be immediately disinfected by washing with soap and water or hydrogen peroxide. After this, the affected area should be lubricated with an antihistamine or antipruritic drug. A cold compress will help reduce discomfort and relieve swelling.

And yet they bite

A distinctive feature of fleas of this species can be considered their relative safety for humans. Although, in fairness, it must be said that they can still bite. But the maximum that a flea bite can cause is an allergic reaction. Usually a person experiences slight discomfort - redness at the site of the bite and severe itching. If you know how to get rid of fleas in the house quickly, you can avoid unpleasant consequences. Only the light-footed flea flea, which is well known to owners of private houses with a personal plot, does not bite humans.

How to fight?

The fight against fleas is carried out in several directions at once:

• treating pets with anti-flea drugs;
• general house cleaning;
• treating the premises with a parasite repellent.

To destroy parasites, you can use both insecticides (powders, sprays, solutions) and folk recipes (a mixture of soda and salt, essential oils, herbal infusions).

In advanced cases, when there are a lot of insects, it is worth seeking help from professionals - SES employees or specialized companies that provide pest control services.

Let's call on chemistry to help

The modern chemical market offers a huge range of products that help solve this problem. To combat earthen fleas, you can use:

• Dichlorvos. This effective spray can destroy any parasites that prevent you from living in peace. When using it, there should be no people or animals in the premises, since the unpleasant pungent odor of dichlorvos is harmful to all living things.
• Raptor. This product kills harmful insects and, unlike dichlorvos, smells pleasant.
• Chlorperimark. This drug works effectively not only indoors, but also outdoors, so it can be used to get rid of fleas in a private home.

Preventive measures

In order to minimize the risk of fleas reappearing in the house, you need to follow some recommendations:

• monitor the condition of basements and cellars, avoid dampness, periodically ventilate, eliminate leaks, and prevent the accumulation of garbage;
• do not allow pets into the basement, if the animal goes for a walk, use parasite protection, for example, an anti-flea collar;
• prevent rodents and stray animals from entering the basement;
• thoroughly clean outdoor shoes and clothing;
• Maintain cleanliness in the house or apartment, regularly vacuum carpets, carry out wet cleaning, wash pets’ beds and bedding.

In apartment buildings, supervision of basements is the responsibility of the management company.

Folk remedies

Those who are fundamentally opposed to the use of chemicals can use traditional methods of pest control. Like many insects, ground fleas cannot tolerate some of the odors of some plants. So, the smell has a detrimental effect on them:

• Tansy, chamomile, peppermint and wormwood. Their freshly picked crushed leaves are laid out along the baseboards in the rooms. Dry grass is removed and replaced with fresh grass. If you do a similar procedure 5-6 times, you can forget about the problem.
• Pine shavings. The pine aroma helps repel harmful insects. Pine sawdust can not only be scattered in the corners of rooms, but also used as cat litter. There is no need to talk about the practicality of this method, but the main thing is that earthen fleas will no longer appear in the house.

In addition, garlic, table salt, baking soda, and turpentine can be used as the main ingredients in folk methods. These components will allow you to get rid of parasites without harming your pets. It is better to prevent problems associated with flea infestation in an apartment or house than to rack your brains over how to get rid of microscopic pests and how to deal with them.

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Medicines

Also, modern medicine offers a large number of different ointments that help against bites of small fleas, which can be identified from the photo. They promote accelerated regeneration of the skin, relieve itching and other unpleasant sensations that occur after bites.

Fenistil.

Fenistil has a wide range of actions, including antipruritic. The composition of the drug contains dimethindene maleate, which blocks histamine H1 receptors. They are the ones that cause skin reactions such as itching, redness, and rash. Before treating the skin with this drug, it is necessary to lubricate it with some kind of antiseptic. Or at least wash it under water with antibacterial soap. Fenistil should be spread in a thin layer, then a bandage should be applied. It will start working in a couple of minutes and you will feel immediate relief. The drug is contraindicated for babies under one year of age.

Diphenhydramine.

Another effective ointment that helps against flea bites and other blood-sucking parasites. It not only eliminates allergic reactions and itching, but also relieves irritation, swelling, and has an analgesic effect. Diphenhydramine has two release forms:

• Psilo-balm – gel;
• Dermadrin - ointment.

These drugs are based on an emulsion that has a cooling effect. It can last for several hours. The product should be applied in a thin layer using a smoothing action. It is instantly absorbed into the skin and does not leave a sticky film.

Hydrocortisone ointment.

Hydrocortisone ointment is a universal drug. It is able to stop an allergic reaction and has antipruritic and anti-inflammatory effects. This drug has a cream-like consistency, so it is absorbed very well. To achieve a sustainable result, 2-3 applications are enough. But the drug has several contraindications. Thus, it cannot be used on children under two years of age, pregnant women, and for viral or fungal skin lesions.

Sinaflan.

Sinaflan is an analogue of hydrocortisone, which is also used externally. However, the composition contains glucocorticoid hormones, so it cannot be used by everyone. The product is prohibited for use by pregnant and lactating children, babies under one year old, with cancer, tuberculosis, and trophic ulcers. The product has antipruritic, decongestant and antiallergic effects, therefore it alleviates the condition of bites from fleas, wasps, mosquitoes and other insects.

The preparations must be used twice a day on clean skin. A thin layer is enough for the medicine to work. It is recommended to apply a bandage to the treated skin. If the affected area continues to hurt and is very swollen, you should urgently make an appointment with a therapist.

Methods of controlling parasites

Not everyone understands how to properly deal with earthen fleas that have settled in the house. There are several methods of disinfestation.

1. Treating your home with insecticides. This method is very labor-intensive, but most effective. It is used by sanitary and epidemiological services.
2. Freezing. The method is effective in the winter season. The fact is that fleas die at temperatures from -20 degrees, so they will be destroyed in a few hours. You just need to insulate the water supply and heating pipes to prevent a break.
3. Exposure to heat. This method requires special equipment and is therefore carried out only by professionals. The processing temperature must be at least +45 degrees so that all insects die.

Most often, owners of infested apartments also use insecticides to get rid of fleas that have infested the house. You can see from the photo how small they are, but it’s not easy to get them out. Hardware stores sell a large number of available drugs, which come in several forms:

• gels. These are very effective drugs whose task is to repel parasites. Drops of the drug should be placed at an equal distance from each other. Gels can be squeezed onto the floor or onto paper;
• concentrates. They must be diluted with water to avoid poisoning. The prepared solution should be poured into a spray bottle, then treat all places where parasites often appear;
• powders. They also need to be scattered evenly along the walls in places favored by insects;
• sprays. The most popular form of insecticide. Processing must be carried out indoors. It is important not to miss the slightest gap, otherwise the procedure will have to be repeated;
• crayons. Used on almost all surfaces;
• traps. Special devices that lure insects with their smell, after which they kill them or make them unable to move.

Before carrying out chemical treatment, you need to do a wet cleaning in all rooms, remove and wash curtains and curtains. Using a disinfectant, wash all floors, vacuum rugs, carpets, and sofas. If you have pets, they should be removed from the house. Of all kinds of sprays, the following have proven themselves well: “Epair”, “Raptor”, “Dichlorvos”, “Raid”, “Effective Ultra”. Take:

• Raptor aerosol (or other insect repellent).

Wear gloves while processing. It is also necessary to use a medical mask to protect your respiratory system.

1. Shake the can, then spray the chemical from a distance of about 20 cm. It is important to treat all places where parasites accumulate, not to miss a single crack.
2. After 15 minutes, ventilate the room.
3. It is advisable to repeat the treatment after a month, since fleas could lay eggs, and insecticides do not affect them.

One can is enough for a room with an area of ​​55-60 m². After 3-4 hours, you need to wipe all the furniture, and wash the floors only after 5 days. You can also get rid of dangerous fleas that have settled in a private house using folk remedies. This will help you deal with them:

• salt;
• baking soda.

The quantity of ingredients should be such that the entire apartment can be treated. It is advisable to combine the use of home remedies with proven commercial drugs.

1. Mix soda and salt in equal proportions.
2. Sprinkle the mixture over all cracks and baseboards, rub into carpets and upholstery.
3. Every other day, thoroughly vacuum all treated surfaces.

You can also use plants that fleas do not like. For example, wormwood, cedar leaves, tansy with mint, eucalyptus. They need to be placed throughout the apartment so that the pungent smell repels insects. It is recommended to combine this method with the use of purchased chemicals. To consolidate the effect, it is recommended to place small pillows with pine sawdust on the bed or sofa in each room. Parasites are very afraid of their smell.

Turpentine can also help with the question of how to get rid of fleas. But it is advisable to use it to treat utility rooms: barn, basement. The fact is that the product has a very persistent and pungent odor, so it will not be easy to remove it from an apartment or private house. But it’s better to be patient than to look for a photo later to understand what the fleas living in the house are.

Professional services

Many owners of infested homes try to get rid of fleas living in the house using folk remedies. There are effective methods, but they do not guarantee the destruction of all insects. If there are too many earthen fleas in the apartment, and you cannot remove them yourself, it is recommended to contact professionals who use effective methods for the total destruction of insects.

Of course, you can try to solve this problem yourself, but difficulties often arise already at the stage of selecting a product that saves you from fleas. These harmful insects quickly adapt to many insecticides and therefore do not react to them. In addition, owners of private houses or apartments can become poisoned when they try to remove fleas from their homes. To prevent this, it is better to entrust the processing to professionals. Experts know exactly how cat fleas differ from dog or earth fleas. They also have several advantages:

• safe but very effective drugs are used;
• long-lasting effect without the need for a repeat procedure;
• the use of high-quality professional equipment, which is very expensive and is not available without a license for pest control;
• A guarantee is provided for the provision of services. Specialists will repeat the procedure if fleas appear again;
• Many organizations work on weekends and holidays.

Exterminators don't need to look at photos because they know what fleas look like and can get rid of them in an hour and a half maximum. Specialists use professional products that cannot be purchased at a hardware store, since they are sold only to organizations with the appropriate license.

Thanks to special equipment, specialists can use temperature methods that have a very effective effect on parasites. Fleas cannot tolerate temperatures that are too high or low.

An effective method is the cold fog method. Using a generator, craftsmen spray an insecticidal composition containing tiny particles throughout the room. The essence of this method is that the insecticide is evenly distributed over all surfaces, including penetrating into the smallest crevices. In addition, the fog stays in the air for a long time, and then settles, filling all the cracks and crevices. The method has several obvious advantages:

• the equipment allows you to pour any liquid preparations into it;
• you can treat the entire room at once;
• fog will not spoil furniture, wallpaper or flood the floor;
• one procedure has a long-lasting effect;
• insects die instantly.

The hot fog method is also very effective. It penetrates absolutely into all crevices, destroying not only adult individuals, but also their eggs and larvae. Chemicals are heated to the required temperature and have a detrimental effect on parasites that cannot tolerate extreme heat. This method is effective not only against fleas. With its help you can destroy ants, moths, cockroaches, bedbugs, and silverfish. The insecticide covers the surface with a film, so insects have no chance to survive. Hot fog has several advantages over cold fog:

• chemical activity is lower;
• longer exposure to parasites;
• fog settling speed is lower.

Hot fog is not only effective against insects. Such treatment prevents the appearance of mold and reduces the number of microorganisms and bacteria that are in the air. Its particles are smaller than those of cold fog. This method is used in cases where the infection occurred a long time ago and there are a huge number of insects in the room. This is the so-called heavy artillery.

On their company websites, exterminators often post photographs of equipment, among which you can find drip spraying devices. This is a pump irrigation method that has been successfully used for many years. Manual processing has several advantages over hot and cold fog methods, which makes it worthwhile:

• with the help of manual processing, you can carry out local disinfestation where insects live: sockets, household appliances, baseboards, shelves;
• Fewer insecticides are required, so financial costs are reduced;
• a smaller amount of the drug is used, so the smell will disappear much faster;
• Mechanical irrigation will allow infecting a certain number of parasites. They, in turn, will infect their relatives.

A quality company has several methods in its arsenal, which they choose depending on a particular situation. Sometimes the infestation is so severe that a comprehensive treatment that combines cold or hot fog with hand spraying is required. The interaction of several complexes gives a more effective result.

Addresses where to order processing

When you order services, be sure to ask the manager to demonstrate a license to conduct pest control. You can search for reviews on the Internet to read the opinions of people who have already used the services of the company. A competent specialist will always question you thoroughly to clarify all the nuances. For example, the presence of allergy sufferers, small children, pets or birds.

If you decide to get rid of the population of fleas that have taken a fancy to your home, disinfestation should be carried out with the windows open. After work, the room should be closed for at least 1-3 hours so that the insecticide does not erode and has time to act. After this, you need to open the windows in all rooms and ventilate the home for 3-5 hours. Be sure to wet clean all surfaces that household hands often come into contact with:

• door handles;
• tables and chairs;
• armrests for sofas and armchairs;
• toilet;
• shells.

You should not carry out general cleaning of far corners, baseboards and walls if long-acting insecticides that contain special microcapsules were used. They can work for several months, so they will kill fleas that hatch from the eggs laid.

The longer the drug remains on the surface, the greater the chance that all insects will disappear. If additional barrier protection with the help of gel was used, it should not be washed off for at least a month in order to remove the entire population of bedbugs. You should also refrain from washing floor coverings, because water will immediately wash away all the chemicals that have a detrimental effect on parasites. It is recommended to carry out cleaning only after 2-3 days, when all the parasites have died. But you still shouldn’t touch the walls and baseboards.

If clothing ends up in the treatment area, it must be washed at high temperature, then rinsed thoroughly and ironed. It is advisable to use a steamer that can destroy even parasite eggs. It is necessary to wash all dishes, as well as household appliances used for cooking and, accordingly, in contact with food. It is best to use alkaline formulations because they help remove toxins. When cleaning, pay special attention to mirrors and polished furniture, as they may be left with residue from sprayed chemicals. After wet surface treatment, it is advisable to vacuum all furniture, baseboards and walls with a powerful vacuum cleaner, which can remove all dead parasites and their eggs.

Preparing the apartment for processing

The rules for preparing an apartment for disinfestation do not depend on where exactly small fleas come from. The better you prepare your home, the more effective the procedure will be. It doesn’t matter whether you do it yourself or call exterminators who know where earth fleas came from in your house and how to get rid of them.

• Before carrying out the treatment, you need to remove all children and pets from the apartment, do not forget to take out the cage with the parrot if it lives in the apartment. If you have an aquarium with fish or a terrarium, during the procedure and within an hour after it, you should close the lid and turn off the oxygen supply system;
• food and utensils must be removed from tables and hidden in airtight packaging or in the refrigerator;
• remove all personal hygiene items from bathrooms;
• hide soft toys and personal items in closets;
• cover oil paintings, household appliances and furniture with plastic wrap so that drops of sprayed products fall on them;
• move all furniture away from the walls to gain access to the far corners;
• Boil all bedding and iron with a hot iron.

No matter how many fleas are in your home, and how you decide to fight them, disinfestation should not be carried out in the presence of small children and pets. If the treatment is carried out on your own, you must wear clothing that completely covers the body. The respiratory tract should be protected with a respirator or medical mask. When pest control is carried out by specialists, the equipment must be professional, as they use very toxic substances and temperature methods that can be harmful to health. Some companies provide apartment owners with a special respirator, sealed goggles, and a suit. You will also need gloves, sleeves and a head scarf.

Prevention of parasites

It is hardly possible to find a person who likes the proximity of earthen fleas. Those who have encountered the problem at least once try to do everything possible to prevent re-infection. In order not to have to re-purchase medications developed for fleas living in the house, it is recommended to carry out prevention. If you have cats or dogs at home, they should be wearing flea collars. Especially when pets regularly walk outside. They should be washed with special medicated shampoos and treated with insecticidal drops. Unless necessary, try not to visit basements and other utility rooms, which are potential breeding grounds for parasites. If you do have to go there, after returning home, be sure to wash all the clothes you were wearing and take a shower.

Clean your home regularly using disinfectants. Wipe the floors with a damp cloth, do not forget about the far corners and spaces under the furniture. It is advisable to place sprigs of tansy or wormwood throughout the apartment, which repel fleas with their pungent odor.

From time to time, it won’t hurt to treat your home with insecticidal sprays, which are used to remove all fleas that have settled in the house. Be sure to seal any gaps in baseboards or walls, if any. Pay attention to wallpaper that is coming away from the walls. They should be glued.

All of the above measures are not complicated, but effective. If you carry out timely prevention, you won’t have to think about where cat or earthen fleas usually come from in the house.