How to get rid of fleas in your home?

A variety of pests are often found in apartments and private houses. These can be cockroaches, bugs and ants, and fleas. It is about the latter that will be discussed in this article.

Fleas are tiny insects that feed on the blood of living organisms. The approximate length of the parasite's body is 5 millimeters, but the female carrying the cubs is quite capable of growing up to one and a half centimeters. The body of the insect is abundantly covered with small hairs, thanks to which the flea is able to firmly cling to any surface.

Insects, as a rule, are wingless, but they have strong limbs with tenacious claws. Flea prey is found thanks to pygidium - this is an organ that helps the insect to navigate in space. Reproduction of parasites occurs with the help of the genitals. A fertilized flea always needs a lot of blood, because now it also needs to feed its young. One female for the entire period of her existence can lay up to 4 hundred eggs, and this is a lot, especially in an apartment.

Fleas enter the house through a variety of channels:

• from warm and humid basements of residential premises;
• on clothing and pet hair;
• from neighboring apartments.

And also fleas often appear where it is dirty and not cleaned. Having penetrated the premises, the parasites choose secluded places. So, especially a lot of them happen in places where animals sleep. Insects also live in genital crevices, carpets, furniture.

Fleas living in the house pose a serious danger to humans. If there are a lot of them, there will be bite marks on the body of the owners of the room - small red dots, accompanied by severe itching.

To humans, all fleas look exactly the same. Insects are small, like dots on paper, and you can only understand what kind of species it is with the help of a professional microscope. Nevertheless, you should know what, in general, fleas are.

Most often, black cat fleas are born in private houses and apartments. Insects are small, flattened, and they bite people quite often. The bite is painful, and then a red rash appears on the skin, which quickly becomes pustular. Cat fleas, despite the name, can actively parasitize on dogs.

The second subspecies of animal fleas is called dog fleas. And they also feed on more than just dog blood. If there is a cat in the house, insects can migrate to its fur. Fleas are dangerous because they can live a long time without food, activating only when a new pet appears. They have very tenacious legs, so they can easily move from one animal to another.

If there are no animals in the house, this does not mean that fleas cannot get in it.... Bed insects are brown in color, and they appear if people sleep for a long time on dirty bedding and do not monitor the cleanliness of the bed as a whole. Linen fleas are smaller than their animal counterparts, but their proboscis is no less dangerous. Insects bite people day and night.Bites are difficult for a person to bear, as they cause severe allergies.

It is obvious from the name that such subtypes choose the ground as their habitat... They can live in the ground or sand, as well as in plants. They appear in apartments where there are many flowers, and they penetrate into private houses from plots. Like other species, earthen fleas bite heavily. The bite site is immediately visible: it is very red, itchy and swollen.

The most dangerous types of fleas are rat (carries a lot of serious diseases) and sandy (makes clutches directly under the dermis).

Considering the danger that fleas pose to people and animals, such "neighbors" must be immediately disposed of. At home, this can be done in several ways. The first one is heat treatment. It can be done in two ways.

• Cold exposure... Fleas do not tolerate extreme cold, so you can simply try to freeze them. The procedure is available exclusively during the cold season. It is necessary to open the windows wide open, turn off the heating system. After a few hours, the parasites will leave the house or simply die out. It is important to note that the heating cannot be turned on immediately upon arrival. Sudden temperature changes can lead to pipe rupture.
• Exposure to heat. Fleas also do not like intense heat, and with the help of increased heat, you can quickly get rid of them. But the method is quite difficult to implement, because the temperature in the house will have to be brought to +50 degrees. All available tools will do. Close the windows, turn on the stove, oven, heater, air conditioner. If the temperature indicators do not want to rise to the desired limit in any way, you will have to use heat guns.

It is also worth noting that fleas are very uncomfortable with direct sunlight. Therefore, it is recommended to illuminate the places of their accumulation. For example, if it is a mattress, it is taken out into the yard in the sun. Pillows, bed linen, carpets - all this can also be detected under direct rays.

The fastest way to kill fleas in a house or apartment is professional chemicals.... The poison can have different forms of release: liquid in ampoules, gel, powder, aerosol. Drugs can affect insects in different ways. Most often, agents are chosen that affect the nervous system or the intestines of the parasite.

Flea sprays are quite toxic, but they are also highly effective. The most budgetary aerosol is considered Dichlorvos, however, such a remedy is used less and less today. It is best to purchase a more expensive spray. Modern drugs are odorless, and they fight parasites more effectively. Among the best products are "Raid", "Raptor", "Executioner", "Kombat".

We will talk about the features of processing with aerosols a little later.

There are other effective flea treatments available. So, you can poison parasites in an apartment with the help of concentrates. Such products are diluted with water in strict accordance with the instructions. It is also necessary to process the room with them correctly. Personal protective equipment will be required, since the vapors of the products are very toxic. The best compositions from this group are Tetrix, Cucaracha and Medilis.

These flea products are only suitable for those who do not have pets or small children.... The powder should be sprinkled directly on the floor or in the place where fleas are most often seen. The mixture is toxic and the animal may be poisoned by eating it. And the procedure is quite long in time - at least 10 days. Compositions such as "Feverfew" and "Fenaxin" can be recommended for use.

You can also take fleas out of the room with safer means. So, folk methods will also be good at destroying parasites. Here are some proven remedies over the years.

• Salt or soda. Both remedies work in the same way - they clog the airways of insects. You need to take the smallest product and scatter it in places where fleas accumulate. After a few days, you will need to vacuum the substance. If there is no salt or soda in the house, then ordinary semolina can replace them.
• Citrus... In this case, you just need to spread fresh lemon or orange zest around the apartment. The broth will work no less well. It is necessary to grind one lemon and pour two glasses of boiling water over it. Put the mixture on fire and hold it there for about 5 minutes, then cool, strain and draw into a spray bottle. The composition is sprayed on the floor, furniture and other habitats of parasites.
• Yeast and garlic. Take a small pack of yeast, stir in water. A few crushed garlic cloves are then added to the mixture. Next, the product is laid out in small containers, and the latter are placed around the apartment.
• Herbs... You can also treat an apartment from fleas with the help of aromatic herbs. These rightfully include wormwood, mint, lavender, tansy. You can take both fresh and dry options by simply laying them out around the apartment. And the infusion is also effective. Mix 4 tablespoons of wormwood, as well as 2 tablespoons of tansy and eucalyptus. The herbs are poured with water and insisted for about 12 hours. The resulting product is filtered and used for spraying the premises.
• Essential oils... Strong scented oils can also help get rid of insects. You can take the oils of the herbs indicated in the previous method. But the oils of pine trees or citrus trees work equally well on fleas. They can be used to fumigate a room with an aroma lamp. Another option is to lay out cotton pads soaked in aromatic mixtures around the apartment.
• Ammonia... Ammonia is harmful to many insects, including fleas. Ammonium is applied to cotton wool discs, and then plinths, floors, and various surfaces are treated with them. In addition, ammonia can be dissolved in water and supplemented with eucalyptus. This wiping mixture will be even more effective.

In addition to the methods described, there are several more options for how to destroy fleas indoors. For example, you can build a homemade trap. You need to take small saucers, fill with water, adding a couple of drops of liquid dishwashing detergent. The containers are placed on the floor, and light sources are placed next to them. Fleas will go to light and fall into a trap.

In extreme cases, the use of smoke bombs is acceptable. However, it should be borne in mind that they can be used in basements or private houses. The smoke is toxic, and neighbors are unlikely to appreciate such innovations. Smoke bombs destroy all types of pests. During processing, all windows and doors are closed so that air does not enter the room. The checker is set on fire and immediately leaves. During her work, there should be no animals or plants in the room. It is also worth considering that a specific smell on furniture and fabrics will persist for several days.

If you can't drive out fleas on your own, and all means have been tried, there is only one thing left - to call a special service. Experts will carry out pest control of the premises, completely destroying insects. In addition, they will tell you what to do to prevent insects from returning to the house.

Proper processing of a room is a very difficult and time-consuming task. However, there is simply no other way to expel parasites. Let's consider step by step what needs to be done.

1. The first step is to take out the trash. Remove from the apartment everything that you have not used for many years. Unnecessary trash very often becomes a haven for parasites.
2. Arrange a large wash. Absolutely everything will have to be washed: clothes, bedding, curtains and curtains, covers for sofas and armchairs, toys. If a thing can be washed at a high temperature, then this is just fine, since in this case the parasites will definitely die. The best way to throw away your pet's litter is to buy a new one.
3. Further it is worth examining the mattresses and carpets.... It will be good if they can be pulled out of the room and taken out into the street in the sun. The same should be done with blankets, pillows, rugs.
4. If it is not possible to remove the carpets, they should be vacuumed as thoroughly as possible. Immediately thereafter, the contents of the bag are emptied and disposed of in the street trash can. Fleas do not die from dust, on the contrary, they love it.
5. The next stage is wet cleaning.... It is necessary to wipe the dust well, and also wash the floor. A disinfection product should be added to the water for cleaning the floor. For example, it can be chlorine or its equivalent. After cleaning the room, you need to open the windows.

After this preparation, you can begin to get rid of fleas. We have already described the most popular means, but special attention should be paid to the treatment of a residential apartment with aerosols. It is very important to know the features of such a fight against parasites, because the funds are toxic to humans and animals. The step-by-step plan looks like this:

1. we remove children and animals from the apartment;
2. we prepare the room as described above;
3. remove carpets, move furniture to the center;
4. put on a respirator and goggles;
5. we carefully process the floor and furniture, paying special attention to cracks and seams, we pass through the aerosol along the baseboards and door openings;
6. we deprive the room of the flow of fresh air, leave it for several hours;
7. thoroughly ventilate, repeat cleaning.

Fleas in the house are not only unpleasant, but also dangerous. Therefore, it is better to do everything to prevent these parasites from entering the room. The following tips from experts will help with this.

• Always keep your apartment tidy. Clean regularly, do not allow dust and debris to accumulate. Wash bed linen in time, monitor the hygiene of the bed.
• If there are pets at home walking on the street, they must be bathed periodically or treated with special products. Also, animals need to buy anti-flea collars.
• Wash your floors with bleach a couple of times a month. If the smell is extremely unpleasant, it doesn't matter: there are many other floor cleaning disinfectants in hardware stores today.
• Plant lavender, mint, or similar herb at home... And also dry herbs can be spread out in hard-to-reach places, where they will not interfere and catch the eye, but they will scare off fleas. Remember to replace them from time to time.
• When you come home, wash your shoes, because fleas can very often be brought in just from the street.
• If you live in a private house, take care of the cleanliness of the site. Do not accumulate heaps of branches and construction waste in the yard, cut the grass in time.

These simple techniques can help prevent fleas from entering your home. Fighting parasites is difficult, time-consuming, and there is always a chance of relapse. Therefore, it is better to secure your home in advance.