Natural Flea Control
(Page 3 of 5)
May/June 1985
By Christine Makowski, D.V.M.
A much newer natural agent, d-Limonene, is a by-product of the citrus industry and carries a mild, grapefruitlike odor.
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But it's the third of the three natural pesticides that is the safest and that offers the greatest hope. While both pyrethrins and limonenes are much less toxic than the synthetic organophosphates and carbamates, they should still be used with caution. There's only one pesticide, natural or otherwise, that's a specific for insects and completely safe. Diatomaceousearth is a type of fossilized algae that resembles chalk dust. The fine, sharp-edged particles attach themselves to and penetrate the waxy coating on a flea's shell-like exoskeleton, causing the little bloodsucker to dehydrate and die.
FORMULATING A BATTLE PLAN
Treatment of your home must begin with a thorough cleaning. Frequent vacuuming of the house, especially pet areas, is necessary to keep fleas at bay. Pay special attention to dark, damp places where fleas may have deposited their eggs. After vacuuming, the cleaner bag shouldn't be left in the closet, since the flea eggs it contains can hatch and reinfect your house. Empty the bag and burn the contents, or seal the sweepings in a plastic trash bag and dispose of it properly.
Next, wash your pet's bedding and finish off any six-legged survivors by tumbling the wet bedding in a hot dryer. Diatomaceous earth or powdered pyrethrum — both of which can be found at herb outlets or lawn-and-garden shops (or check with your veterinarian) — should then be sprinkled on the clean pet bedding, as well as on carpets and floors, and worked in with a broom.
Unfortunately, in cases of severe flea infestation it may be necessary to "bomb" your house with a commercial insecticide to annihilate the adult fleas before a natural-insecticide program can be implemented effectively. If you find yourself faced with this necessity, take the time to search out a bomb that contains either pyrethrins (natural) or resmethrin (one of the less dangerous synthetics) as the active ingredient. These are the safest of the "bombers," but, nonetheless, follow the directions on the container exactly. After this initial treatment, an ongoing natural flea-control program should preclude the necessity for further chemical "fogging" in your home.
Controlling fleas on your pets requires endless attention; it's never a onetime or occasional thing. Also, it's important to keep in mind, and learn from, the fact that parasites do have a function in nature's scheme of things, to weed out and finish off unhealthy members of the various host species.
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