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Zombie Fleas!!
updated: Aug 16, 2012, 2:39 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

Wondering if anyon else is having untreatable infesteation of zombie fleas?? My pets are all treated with 2 medications (Trifexis to kill the buggers and Program to keep the buggers from reproducing). The house and yard have been treated THREE times in the last month by a local extermination company and yet they persist. The exterminator thinks they might be coming from our neighbors. Anyone having trouble as well and any tips as to how to fix this huge hassel?

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 309145	2012-08-16 02:43 PM
UGH YES!!! They won't go away. I have very little carpet (mostly hardwood floors), but I've been vacuuming it 3-5 times a week. I've also set off flea bug-bombs on 3 separate occasions for the last 2 weeks, and still they persist. My cat is indoor only, and I live on the top floor of my complex, not even sure how they got to me and why they won't die. Luckily the flea collar is keeping them off the cat, but they still bug me.
COMMENT 309159	2012-08-16 02:59 PM
good lord ! I live on the second floor - no pets, never - nor do any of our neighbors have pets. We have wood and or tile floors through out. We keep our condo very clean, and yet MY PLACE HAS FLEA'S - how did this happen !?
COMMENT 309163	2012-08-16 03:07 PM
Shame on anyone who uses pesticides. (And your neighbors have fleas?) Sprinkle table salt all along edges of your rooms, where wall meets the floor. Sparingly. Repeat this if you vacuum up salt later. Wash your cat's bed(s) and the coverings on your bed, sofa. Remove cat's flea collar IMMEDIATELY. Go to McDonalds' veterinary--- at bottom of Milpas St. (google it). They will sell you "Comfortis," no pet exam or fee. Comfortis is VERY enviro, killed all my pets' fleas within a day or so. This year--no fleas at all. You must vacuum like a crazy person, every day, wherever the cat has been. "Flea season" doesn't end until around October. Pesticides in any form, especially in your home environment, are detrimental to your health and the health of your pets. NOT GOOD. Next year, early April, give your cat Comfortis again. You only need to dose a month or two each year. Good luck.
COMMENT 309166	2012-08-16 03:10 PM
It's the weather. It didn't get cold enough to kill them off during the winter, so we have tons this year. We have wildlife everywhere and they carry fleas. They get into the houses/apartments on your clothes when you walk inside.
COMMENT 309170	2012-08-16 03:13 PM
No flea problems. My dog died 5 years ago. I miss my dog. I don't miss his fleas.
D8VANILLA	2012-08-16 03:14 PM
Nematodes is the natural way to get rid of fleas, ants and other ground egg laying pests. Micro-organism www. arbico. com is where I buy them. Mix with water and spray in the yard with hose.
COMMENT 309172	2012-08-16 03:14 PM
Diatomaceous Earth human grade.
COMMENT 309176	2012-08-16 03:17 PM
Frankly, I don't care if it's poison or not. As long as it's legal, and it kills fleas, I'm happy to use it. If flea collars were so bad, then they would be removed from the market as unsafe. You know what is unsafe for Cats? Comfortis. Read the FAQ on Comfortis' website, they very specifically tell you not to use it on a cat. That being sad, what are your suggestions for the user that has fleas in their hom with no pet? Salt? That's going to maybe prevent them from moviing room to room (unless they are on your clothese), but does nothing to get rid of the infestation.
COMMENT 309182	2012-08-16 03:27 PM
Raccoons... I love them but they have awful fleas and they are everywhere right now. Those fleas are totally resistant to our pet flea meds. It will calm down when it cools off. In the meantime take your vitamin B to repel them!
COMMENT 309188	2012-08-16 03:33 PM
I used to use Frontline on my dog, it stopped working. I switched to Advantage plus and it seems to work better. I have three indoor cats also, and so far they are ok. Keeping them off the dog helps with the cats. I only use the product as a last resort.
COMMENT 309189	2012-08-16 03:37 PM
I have 5 cats...they go outside during the day and are in at night. All of my neighbors have animals...and we have No fleas. I use Siphotrol Plus II Premise Spray, available at amazon in my house as directed. I use advantage every 4 months on the cats. The only time we get a flea is if a friend comes in with one....and then these two products wipe them out.
TISHERSELF	2012-08-16 03:46 PM
Use a topical flea control plus the pill, switch to a different topical brand every year the animal becomes immune after continuous use.
COMMENT 309197	2012-08-16 03:50 PM
I had major problems last year - dog, but no carpet - he was scratching himself silly and I had tons of bites on my ankles! I had been treating him with Frontline, but that obviously was not working. Took him to the vet and he gave my dog Comfortis and I haven't seen a flea since then! I've been spreading out the pills more than a month because I would rather not give him poison, but I can't stand fleas!! Never treated yards or houses (he has multiple places to call home). He is regularly around lots of other dogs and out hiking/beach/trails/etc...I'm hoping the Comfortis continues to work!!!
COMMENT 309203	2012-08-16 03:59 PM
OP here - Thanks for all the comments and suggestions! I am at my witts end with these little monsters. LUCKILY they do not bite us or the puppies or cat. But the pups are crawling with them (literally I pulled 60+ off one 8lbs puppy last night) and then just keep coming! It's soooo gross and they do bite my family and friends! So at the moment we are like a house of lepers. No one can come over. I will have to try some of these other remedies. As I said, Western thinks they are coming from my neigherbors yard and their dogs. Not sure how to approach that!
COMMENT 309207	2012-08-16 04:07 PM
I have exactly the same problem. No pets. I'm in Noleta and have always accomodated the frequent skunk, possum and racoon deck visitors. Never had anything remotely close to these Zombie Fleas from Hell. I typically do not use pesticides on my property but this time choose to. After a month of effort all I've done is make them mad 1. An initial spray of Nylar and Permethrin on top of the deck. The IGR weakens newly hatched adult fleas. 2. 10 pounds of Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth spread thick on and around the deck. 3. After 10 days I swept the DE into the slats to get it under the deck, repeated the Nylar/Permethrin and laid down another 10 pounds of DE On the 30 day anniversary of my infestation I vacuumed the deck with a Shop-Vac and HEPA filter. If I stand there we are talking 20 each ankle in 10 seconds. We hide in our family room and hope they don't find us. What are these things, Linda Blair/Exorcist fleas with heads that pivot 360 degrees?
TISHERSELF	2012-08-16 04:16 PM
OP, try dipping the pups in a very gentle dog shampoo bath the fleas should die with the soapy water. Google flea problems there's a site for pups. It's been very helpful for me. I tried brewer's yeast for our dog and found he's allergic. Now have been to the vet and prednisone shots and antibiotics are my options.
COMMENT 309217	2012-08-16 04:23 PM
OP Here - Again. I have a great, gentle, yummy smelling soap that works very well for bathing the fleas away. I use it before I bring them to someone elses house. Fabulous stuff - can't remember the name of it. However, it doesn't keep them OFF. There is nothing that will act a zombie flea forcefield, unfortunately. They jump, they bite, they die.. later. But nothing will keep them OFF. I need to get rid of the infestation in the grass and we can't see to get that under control.
COMMENT 309220	2012-08-16 04:39 PM
Bleh- I had flea's in my apartment in Ellwood when I moved in 1 years ago. Supposedly the tenant before me didn't have pets, but whatever...Ellwood is filthy and even people without pets in my complex have flea's. They bite our ankles and I've seen one in my bed. What I did was: -Switch my cat from Frontline Plus to Revolution -Sprinkle Borax ALL over my apartment like a madwoman, let is sit overnight, then vacuum up the next day -Wash everything in hot water It took awhile, but the bastards finally died down. I still get occasional bug bites, but am unsure if they're from bed bugs, fleas, or mosquito's. I hate living in my apartment in Ellwood, to be honest- I had NONE of these problems while renting a room off Winchester Canyon.
COMMENT 309233	2012-08-16 05:01 PM
OP: Try a few different things: nematodes in the yard, and penny royal oil inside the house (they don't like the smell - try putting some on cotton balls & leaving them around the house, under couches, beds, furniture, etc). You can try diatomaceous earth, but be careful with that as you'll kill all insects (even beneficial ones). This might be ok inside your house, but outside that gets dangerous. I'd try nematodes first, then as a last resort diatomaceous earth just near your doors. Also, it's not something I ever thought of until it happened to me, but an old apt got fleas when we bought new furniture. They came in with the furniture, then the cats got them, and they were everywhere.
COMMENT 309240	2012-08-16 05:36 PM
I read on edhat that placing pans of soapy water on the floor with a small desk lamp (or other safe heat source) over it to attract the fleas. they jump to the heat and drown in soapy water. Fleas jump on shoes and legs of humans and end up in non-animal houses. Rats also leave fleas..... In Sweden they use collars of amber to create a mild static charge to repel ticks and fleas.
COMMENT 309246	2012-08-16 06:08 PM
Wow. These are really interesting comments. This is why I love edhat.
COMMENT 309249	2012-08-16 06:14 PM
hop on Amazon and get some nitenpyram. It is the active ingredient in Cap Star. I give my little girl a little in cheese and the fleas are dead within 30 minutes. Works GREAT and so much cheaper than Cap Star.
COMMENT 309270P	2012-08-16 07:21 PM
This worked for me on carpet. Get your gallon jug of household insecticide with the hose and spray nozzle. In the room where there are fleas, open the window, then spray the carpet directly. Close the door and don't go into the room for a couple of days. No ill effects on either me or my pets. If you don't have a window, open the room door but barricade the entry so pets can't get in and keep them away from the area.
COMMENT 309277	2012-08-16 08:23 PM
This worked for me on carpet. Tear it out! Better than living in the casmalia dump.
ROGER DODGER	2012-08-16 09:36 PM
What Ever you do DO NOT GIVE YOUR PETS BIO SPOT FLEA PRODUCTS. They are poision and yet they are still on the market. I would not use a flea collar on a loved one either.
COMMENT 309418	2012-08-17 08:47 AM
Go find Get set, Inc It is a free website which provides none toxic pest control of all kinds. It is do it yourself. It works.
EDSUP	2012-08-17 11:01 AM
The absolute best flea treatment I ever found for my dog was orange peel. I cut up the peel and put it through the blender with some water to make a thin paste. I then slather it all over the dog and sweet-talk him into staying still for 10 minutes. I rinse the dog thoroughly and dry. He remains flea-free for a long time - and smells divine!
COMMENT 309531	2012-08-17 11:04 AM
Sounds like a zombie exterminator company!
COMMENT 309543	2012-08-17 11:20 AM
Zombie Flea Apocalypse!!!!
COMMENT 309800P	2012-08-18 02:33 AM
I did not read of this remedy in previous posts so I thought I would post it as it has been a life-saver for me. The fleas, any and all, love me. Off the family dog and onto my ankles, feet and legs. Start taking Vitamin B. I wasn't sure which one to take originally so I got one that has many of the different kinds of B. Now they leave me alone too! I hope this helps because I know what it is like to itch and scratch and have your feet look terrible.
COMMENT 310374	2012-08-20 11:32 AM
I had the same problem...we vacuum every other day, flea combed the mainly indoor cat several times a day after giving her Advantage twice (which I hate doing) and finally got a flea trap which is basically a small light over sticky paper. You might unfortunately catch a few spiders too lured by the dead fleas but it works. OSH has the flea traps and they are non toxic...Lamps and bowls of soapy water work too but not if you have kids or adults who don't watch where they are going. Good luck!

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