I went dancing one night. I noticed I had a little bite on my neck, but figured no big deal. Got home about 3 in the morning and went to bed. A few hours later I woke up with a start, and started scratching my legs. I stood up and turned on the light. To my shock I had a couple hundred bites on me. I looked down and saw little black bugs jumping on and off my legs, crawling around and biting me. I grabbed one and squeezed it between my finger and thumb for a few seconds, opened my grip a little, and it sprang away. Yep, I had fleas in the house.
What puzzled me is I have no pets and no animal had ever been in the house. But I wasn’t puzzled long because I was getting really annoyed and didn’t have time to puzzle. I drove to the local store, bought some Raid Flea spray, covered the carpet with it, vacuumed, and spread borax around. That seemed to knock them back.
I sat in the tub with some oils to take out some of the sting and that allowed me to get back to sleep. In the morning I woke up, and had several fleas running around on my chest having lunch at my expense (there are no free lunches). I knocked them off, got more spray, shot it all over the house, vacuumed, powder, vacuum spray, vacuum powder. It knocked them back, but they still were there.
And then I heard some scratching sounds under the house. Ah ha, I had critters under the house, and their friends the fleas were coming to say hello to me. I contacted Animal Control at the City Offices. They recommended tossing moth balls under the house. Moth balls stink and the animals would leave, taking there bouncing biting friends with them. So I did that and after a couple days the scratching sound ended. I don’t know if they left or ate some moth balls and died, but the sound was gone. But the fleas were not.
I contacted Grapevine, a Yahoo Group in San Diego and asked if any of them had lavender or eucalyptus plants so I could get some leave or pods. Friends told me this would work, and as the Spray and powder hadn’t stopped them I figured what the heck try these. I received a couple other suggestions also that I will list below that seemed to have helped.
After about two weeks of several hundred bites and not getting much sleep I am almost rested and happy again. I wanted to share these alternatives to the vacuum and spray toxins in your house solutions, just in case you might want to try them instead. I don’t know if it was the toxins or these, but I do know the toxins didn’t take care of the infestation, but after I used these I am not being bit anymore.
1) This one I had my doubts about, but I did it and found a bunch of dead fleas the next day. Teach me to think I know everything (again). She said pie pan but I used a white dinner plate instead.
Put a pie pan in the middle of the floor with water and a tsp of dish soap. Point a light down on it, about 12” away and turn out all the other lights. The fleas will be attracted to the light, jump in the water, and the soap will drown them. They will congregate there from all over the house. It is astonishing and work much faster that eucalyptus and lavender.
2) As I couldn't see the fleas in the carpet I don't know if this works, but it makes sense.
Go to the grocery store and get a box of borax. It is in the soap aisle. Add to it an equal amount of salt.
Spread it around your house. Leave it for a day or two. Walk on it, with shoes. Then vacuum it up.
The combination of salt and borax will dehydrate the fleas and their eggs.
I have a dog and have used this. It works great and is non-toxic.
3) I mixed some eucalyptus oil, lavender oil (like ten drops each) with water in a spray bottle. Misted my self and the house. Went out in the yard and misted.
4) Tossed a bunch of moth balls under the house. Animals are irritated by them. I figure the fleas weren't leaving as long as the animal was under the house. Haven't heard them under the house in a week.
All I know is I haven't been bit in a few days and the animals are gone. Animals gone, fleas flea with them. (I know bad joke)
And I smell great