
Fleas were also the catalyst for the bubonic plague and continue to wreak havoc on the lives of humans and pets. The adult flea resides about 14 weeks and can lay as many as 5,000 eggs at that time period. There are several methods to guard your home and pets by a flea infestation. The best flea killer for lawns is dependent upon where you are and the type of treatment you feel comfortable using around your family.
Commercial Flea Killers
Insecticides that kill adult fleas have a compound called permethrin. This compound kills the fleas that bite but does little to control the larvae or eggs. The eggs, larvae and pupae are killed by a growth inhibitor which keeps the eggs from hatching and stops the juvenile fleas from developing into adulthood. Treatment of one stage and not the other stages of growth results in a re-infestation as the eggs hatch and the fleas develop. For complete extermination, the best commercial flea killer contains a formula which affects all stages of development and maturity. Choose a treatment which contains permethrin and a growth inhibitor like pyriproxfen. Methoprene is also a growth inhibitor but tends to break down fast. Pyriproxfen breaks down more gradually and functions better for outdoor usage.
Organic Product
The best organic product which kills fleas from the yard is a powder made from fossilized plants known as diatomaceous earth. Diatoms were prehistoric single-celled organisms that formed silica deposits from the earth’s crust. The deposits have been ground to a fine powder to make diatomaceous earth. The garden variety of diatomaceous earth is used as an organic insecticide from the landscape. Put on the product as a powder, slurry or fogger to kill the fleas from the yard. The powder penetrates the joints at the exoskeleton of a flea and acts like razor blades. The flea is cut into pieces and becomes dehydrated in the cuts. The food grade diatomaceous earth is used for killing fleas, not the pool grade formula.
Homemade Remedies
There are homemade remedies to get a flea infestation from the yard. The majority of the organic goods in your home, like bleach, garlic or vinegar, don’t kill fleas. The powerful odors only repel the insects. Salt is very effective in killing fleas. However, salt can affect the plants from the landscape. If you use salt to kill the fleas from the yard, concentrate the program where fleas are vulnerable to infiltrate. Fleas need warm, moist areas which are in the colour. Fleas cannot survive the direct heat of the sun for extended periods of time. Use a program of table salt in these kinds of areas. Consider limiting the salt treatment to areas where your pets hang out in the lawn.
Prevention
Keep the grass mowed and trash picked up in the yard to eliminate areas where fleas can live and breed. Remove dead leaves and other organic matter which will gather in flower beds or across the under side of porches. Take precautionary measures against wild animals, like raccoons, squirrels and rodents, that can bring fleas into the lawn. Safe trash cans and remove timber or brush piles in which the creatures and rodents may conceal. Keep hedges, trees and shrubs pruned to increase the quantity of direct sunlight in the lawn. A clean, litter-free lawn filled with sunlight helps reduce the fleas in the region.