Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Flea Infestation.....HELP!!!

My dogs have been suffering lately as we appear to have a lage influx of fleas this year, I've never seen it so bad.
Ive been giving them flea baths several days a week and it seems to help temporarily
I think I need to spray outside or call an exterminator.

Anyone here have a similar problem or suggest ways to reduce the problem?

Had the same problem last year. I had used Frontline plus for years but last year it had zero effect on the little buggers. I switched to seresto collars and have not had a problem since.

Had that problem a few years back. The fleas were getting on my legs outside and riding inside on me to get to the pets. Treated the yard and house, problem solved.

I'm using frontline too.

Thankfully I have tile floors throughout the house.
Carpet would be horrible.

Sprinkle the place with sulphur dust.

3 dogs (only two in the house) and 2 cats, one of which goes outside...we use Advantix on them all monthly, no problems with fleas or ticks. When I had coon hounds and running hounds I washed them down twice a year, spring and mid summer with stuff, forget the name, that's all it took.

I would try spraying Tempo. You can use it indoors and out, pet safe and odorless and one treatment will last about a month.

If you have a Tractor Supply close, might want to go get a gallon of this.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/gordons-aqueous-fly-spray-1-gal?cm_vc=-10005

This is the same concentrated Pyrethrin that expensive dog dip is made from. (A small bottle of dog dip costs like $20. A gallon of this is $14.)

Mix about 1/2 and half with water and put in a spray bottle, or pour it all over the dogs. Get 'em wet. Let it dry. You can bathe them after it dries.

Fleas and ticks are gone. Period.

I use it on my dogs and cattle. It works.

Might not hurt to spray your lawn with some insecticide weekly as well. House and carpet too.

Look for a product with Bifenthrin as the active ingredient like 'Talstar' P/L granular or one of the generics to treat your yard and dog pen. Use a broadcast spreader and be careful about the application rate on the label because the stuff is about a $1.00 per pound. Always read that whole BORING label and especially the precautionary statements about fish ponds, pastures, runoff, etc. Note that P/L granular products activate when it rains and can last up to 6 months. You didn't mention where you live but, if you're in a dry climate, you will need to water it in to get it to activate. Also note that each time it rains, it reactivates and this stuff works great on ticks, fire ants,roaches and other pests.

Inside look for a productlike 'Precor' or 'Alpine' in an aerosol can that has a growth regulator and, again READ THE LABEL because you are using it in your living space. Note that fleas have a 14 day growth cycle and you are only killing the live fleas. That's why you're using the growth regulator in the house and on the dog. The eggs that hatch and the larvae that emerge in 14 days will get into the growth regulator cannot reproduce(even though they can still bite)

Hope this helps...
Mediabug

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A can of "Raid" indoor spray will take care of carpets...follow the directions...make sure the active ingredient is "pyrethrin".....finid a similar concentrate for outdoor spraying. Wash the indoor pets and your problems will be history...

I raise beagles and am in a constant battle with fleas and ticks, my dogs are constantly exposed to them when they hunt. If you only have a couple of dogs, get some Seresto flea and tick collars. They are expensive, but they work as good or better than anything else on the market. I have too many dogs for them to be economical for me, but I know a lot of guys with 1-3 dogs and they all swear by them. Depending how big your dogs are, you might be able to use one collar for two dogs. Get the biggest size they make and cut it in half. You'll have to determine how big the necks are on your dogs. I've tried everything that is on the market and if I only had a couple of dogs, the Seresto collars is what I would be using.

Shop around for the best price. Sometimes they can be had on ebay for a good deal.

https://www.amazon.com/Bayer-Seresto-Collar-Large-Protection/dp/B00B8CG602

20 mule team Borax for the house, not pets.

http://www.boraxforfleas.com

What the borax is doing is etching into the skin of the fleas and being a desiccant it is drying the fleas from the inside out. This will not only kill the fleas,but their larvae as well. Borax will kill fleas in all stages of its life cycle. There are not many other products than can claim that and for the price you can’t beat it.

I'm living in Gridley now and have been dealing with the same thing. Here's a recent thread that has a lot of good info.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/12047493/1

Couldn't disagree more, especially for smaller dogs for numerous reasons. First of all if you read the negative reviews on the very link you put up, there are numerous accounts posted in just the last week of negative reactions from incessant scratching, to lethargy and seizures. I would not recommend it for small dogs as it has a long 8 month time release and reports of toxicity in smaller dogs is all too common. I knew that about Seresto a long time ago without reading the negative reviews in the link you put up.

For larger dogs like full size hounds I never heard of any issues and it seems to work fine overall, but that brings up the second point you made in your own post. It isn't cheap.

Permethrin works very well and is cheap. I can buy Freedom Spot on 45 packaged for dogs which lasts 1 month per dose, and treat a 33-66 lb dog for $2.30 per month. I buy it packaged for horses (which is the exact same stuff just comes in bigger tubes) I can treat a dog over 66 lbs for $2.60 per month using the dog dosage listed on the dog packs, a dog 33-66 lbs for $1.30 per month, and a dog under 33 lbs for a little over .65 cents per month.

I've been doing this for yrs with dogs of all sizes, and to date I have 1 dog that hovers around the 33 lb mark that will rub like a cat at times for the first couple days after giving it, it must make him somewhat itchy, other than that no side affects I've ever seen with any dogs and any ticks I ever find which are few, are dead. I never see fleas on my dogs.

Where do you live, Salmonella? Flea infestations are not created equal! The gulf coast states have much more severe problems
and require a waaaay more aggressive approach. For most other folks there are lots of good options. Saresto collars are great as are many of the newer generation topical and oral products. I've unfortunately seen numerous breaks in protection with Frontline. It is a 25 yr old product and I think the fleas have figured out a way to defeat it. Ditto for the OTC pyrethrin stuff like Sargent's, etc. Also, I'd be very cautious about using anything in an extra label fashion. Pyrethrins and permethrins can cause seizures if over dosed.

For the money, I like Activyl. It is a once a month topical that kills both fleas and ticks. If ticks and Lyme disease are a big deal in your area it is OK to get a regular flea collar and double down on tick protection.

If your house is infested you need to make sure ALL the mammalian pets are treated for fleas. THAT MEANS THE FRIGGIN' CAT THAT NEVER GOES OUTDOORS,TOO. You'll have to treat all pets throughout the flea season to avoid relapses. Also, daily vacuuming of the house helps remove flea eggs and larvae. Be sure to empty the vacuum outdoors so the eggs don't hatch in the Hoover. Be sure to wash pet beds in hot water and dry them in the dryer to kill any eggs. 20 mule team Borax does help dry out the larvae and eggs.

Finally, if you must, buy some flea bombs that contain IGR (insect growth regulator) for a rapid knock down of the adults. If you go this route, all the pets and people (excluding th emother-in-law ) must be out of the house. Any fish tanks must be sealed with saran wrap. Close all windows and shut off all fans to avoid blowing the mist away from a given area. After 4 hours, open the windows and allow 1 hour before bring the pets back indoors. If you have pet birds, I'd wait a day before reintroducing them to the house.

Hope this helps

Comfortis always worked for me before I discovered the many benefits of an all raw meat, organ, and bone diet for dogs. Since then the fleas have zero interest in my dogs' blood. Not sweet enough for them. Dogs fed on commercial dog foods have sweet blood that fleas love. A natural canine diet, on the other hand, doesn't make their blood sweet, so fleas can't sustain themselves on it.

There's not many products that's more useful than Borax.

There's also diatomaceous earth or DE for short.

WD-40.....it works. Spray your dogs down with it and then just rub it into their coats. Within 30 seconds you'll see fleas come to the surface of their coat and then presto, they fall over dead. Also makes their coat nice and shiny. Another advantage of it is the residue stays on the coat for a couple of weeks. Try it - your dogs will appreciate it. Probably not the best thing if you have inside dogs that like to sleep on the couch instead of their bed. Been using it for 30 years.

some of the chemicals used in WD-40 can be absorbed through skin , specially petroleum oils and solvents.

P.

had a huge flea issue a couple years ago, fenced off a small area of the yard, and sprayed it down, covered the carpets and furniture with 20 mule team borax mixed with salt and dichotomous earth. Set off 3 times as many bug bombs as needed and left the house with the dogs. Took dogs to groomer had them shaved. It was a nightmare that went on for weeks until i did the above.