Indoor Flea Control

Controlling fleas in your home

Your pet was not born with fleas and ticks. Your pet picked up fleas and ticks from the environment, and they will pick them up again unless you take action. Because over 95% of the flea population exists as eggs, larvae, or pupae in carpet and grass, tackle fleas and ticks right in the carpet and grass.

Pets with flea allergies don’t improve unless fleas are removed from the home and yard. When pets spend 90% of their time indoors, focus your flea prevention efforts on the indoors, but it’s important to also include general outdoor flea and tick control (if you have a yard or patio).

Rid your home of fleas

Products that kill fleas and ticks inside your home:

• Fogger: Foggers are popular and easy to use. Unfortunately, they do not reach deep in the carpet, under furniture, in closets, along baseboards, and under furniture cushions. Use one fogger for each room, and realize that fogger chemicals are distributed in a circle and do not penetrate corners. To spot treat corners and areas that foggers don’t reach, use a powder. Virbac Knockout Fogger will kill fleas, eggs, spiders, ants, and roaches.
• Powder: Use powders on carpet, upholstery, and under cushions. Bio Spot Carpet Powder kills fleas, flea eggs, and ticks.

Areas to treat for flea control

• Carpeted areas and upholstery, including carpeted closets, under cushions and furniture. A vacuum with a beater bar removes 20% of the flea larvae and 50% of the flea eggs in the carpet. And vacuuming raises the carpet fibers so insecticides can penetrate.
• Bed linens and pet bedding. Dry with high heat, as materials tolerate. Hot water and a long cycle in a hot dryer kills fleas at any life stage, egg, larva, pupa, or adult.
• Under the furniture edges where flea larvae crawl
• Areas the pet is denied access because they often have some access
• All carpeted areas
• Upholstered furniture
• Mattresses

How often should I treat these areas to control fleas?
To control a serious flea infestation, repeat this treatment every 2-3 weeks for at least 6 weeks. Once it seems the fleas are under control, you should implement a maintenance treatment every 4-6 weeks thereafter. At the same time you’re treating your home and yard, use flea treatments on your pet.

The immature flea, when protected by a cocoon, can survive over 4 months in carpet, so vacuum and treat the carpets thoroughly.