FLEAS-Part Two!!

[dirtybuck]

I added this to my other flea message, but didn't know if anyone had read it or not, so here it is as a new topic.

Just thought I'd give you all the latest "flea update" from Joe.

He's heard from Brian, and from what he was told, the cat is out of the neighborhood (picked up my animal control). Brian used some of the methods that were sent to him, and said that the population is decreasing (he had to leave town for a few days, so he treated the carpet with borax and salt, thus giving it a chance to work on the little suckers while he was gone).

Joe has also informed me that Brian intends on moving from this house (it's a rental) and going to the other side of town within the next few weeks. He wants to know two things:

1. Is it OK to sprinkle a bit of borax and salt in his moving boxes to get rid of any fleas that might be lingering on other items or clothing? He doesn't want to take the chance of transporting them from one place to another.

2. Will a thorough carpet cleaning help get rid of any other fleas in the carpet? He plans on renting a Rug Doctor for this.

Thanks for the help, guys...all three of us appreciate it.

I hope you all had a good Turkey Day!

Bill

 

[tomturbomatic]

The best thing to spray inside the boxes before packing them is a cedar oil spray like SLA from Reefer & Galler. It or any other preparation containing cedar oil will get rid of any bug-type creatures and keep any crickets, roaches silverfish, etc. from entering. I have always used it when moving to a new place to debug and bug proof the dwelling. I spray thresholds, around plumping and pipes (where they come through walls), kitchen cabinets, closets etc. If you live in an apartment with one of those ventilation shafts in the kitchen, otherwise known as roach super highways, spray the grill and as far inside it as you can and you will have no visitors entering from it. As Fall approaches, I spray doormats and around outside doors to keep crickets from entering the house. Cedar oil has a nice clean smell and won't hurt things once it has dried. It is sold as a moth proofing spray and is meant to be sprayed on woolens before storage so it's pretty safe for most fabrics. It used to be really powerful, killing wasps on the wing so to speak, when it contained paradichlorobenzene, but now it contains the plant-based insecticide pyrethrin. Cedar oil can be bought in many forms.

 

[whirlcool]

Just in case, I'd bomb the new place a day or two before moving in. Make sure all windows and doors are tightly closed before setting off the bomb/fogger. And I would treat all of my furniture before moving with a flea spray that has a residual effect.