So, your pet has brought some unwanted guest into your house? If you are dealing with a flea infestation, get ready for a long battle. Owing to the life cycles of these pesky parasites, their survival abilities, and habits, it can take up to a few days, even weeks to bring an end to a flea infestation. However, whether you like it or not, once these uninvited guests are inside your house, there’s really no other way but to switch on your exterminator mode!
Fleas are tiny reddish-brown insects that no one likes to have around in their house. Having them around the house is not only annoying and uncomfortable but it can also deteriorate the quality of your life and affect the health of your pets. Generally stemming from pets, fleas dine on the blood of your pets. However, if you are dealing with a full-blown flea infestation, these parasites may even feed on you.
Since fleas don’t have wings, they can’t fly into your house. However, they can jump from one animal or person to another. In most cases, fleas are brought into a household by the family pets. The worst part is that since fleas are tiny, they can easily hide in upholstery. This makes it difficult to detect them until you have a large infestation on your hands. Scroll down to read all that you need to know about fleas and learn a great and effective method to kill these pesky little parasites.
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Signs of a Flea Infestation
A case of a flea infestation is hard to miss. There are a lot of telltale signs that are indicative of when fleas have gotten into your territory. However, sometimes, it is easy to confuse a flea infestation with other pest or parasite attacks like bed bugs infestation. In order to take the right measures to make your home a parasite-free zone, first, it is important to be sure about what you are dealing with. Scroll down to read about some of the telltale signs of a flea infestation.
1. Scratch Scratch!
Have your pets been excessively itchy lately? If your pets have been scratching excessively, you may want to check them for fleas. Examine the fur to check for scabs from fleabites. Keep in mind that reddened skin and hair loss is also common in infested pets. If you are unable to notice any fleas, it is advisable to take your pet to a vet as they might be suffering from a skin disease.
2. Fleas Dancing around the House
Know that you have a serious flea problem when you see them hopping around on the carpets or floor near your pets or the furniture of your house! Once the presence of fleas becomes persistent in the house, it is probably time or you to get ready to treat your house for a flea infestation.
3. Specks in Pet’s Bed
If you think that your pet is infested, check their bed for tiny specks. If you find droppings that resemble “salt and pepper”, you are dealing with a flea infestation. The white specks are the flea eggs and the black specks are digested blood.
4. Fleabites
Fleabites are not limited to pets only. Once these pesky parasites have settled in your house, they will start feeding on human blood. If the members of the family are consistently experiencing small and itchy insect bites, you may have a flea infestation. It usually happens when you sleep in your bed or night or are sitting on a couch or other furniture that might be infected.
If you notice any of these signs, get ready to go in battle-mode to fight off the pesky fleas out of your house for good!
How to Get Rid of Fleas Using Borax
Like any other parasite attack, a flea infestation in your house can be considerably problematic. This makes it important to deal with fleas as soon as possible. However, fleas are not as easy to kill as you may have imagined. They have strong, armored bodies that make it impossible to squish them.
Thankfully, there are a few other surefire ways to put an end to a flea infestation for good. You can easily find flea-killing sprays in the market. However, one of the more preferred methods is to use boric powder or borax for fleas. Here’s how you can use borax for fleas.
- Start by vacuuming your carpets thoroughly. Use a plastic bag to gather the dirt and grit and make sure you dispose it away from the house.
- Sprinkle the borax powder in the areas that are likely to be infected by fleas.
- Use a stiff brush or a broom to spread the borax powder for fleas thoroughly in the carpet.
- It is advisable to leave the borax powder in the carpet for at least 6 hours and up to 2 days. However, for this period of time, it is essential to keep pets and children away from the treated areas.
- Finally, vacuum the carpet again. Make sure you remove all the borax from the carpet. Bag it up and throw it away from the house.
- Repeat the process after every few days until you successfully put an end to the infestation.
You can use the same method when using boric acid for fleas. Keep in mind that while borax and boric powder essential employ the same compounds to kill fleas, they are not entirely the same. Boric powder is synthetically created by mixing borax with acids. This makes boric powder more potent. However, it also means that you need to be extra careful while using it because of its high toxicity levels.
FAQs about Borax for Fleas
Is Borax Safe for Cats?
Borax is not only toxic to fleas but it also equally dangerous for cats and humans. While it works effectively to kill fleas, never use it around cats. In fact, it is advisable to move your kitties to another location before treating your house with borax or boric powder. From skin problems to breathlessness and symptoms like vomiting and tummy aches, borax can present a number of health problems for your cat. If ingested, it can even prove to be fatal for your feline friend. This is because it is just as toxic for cats as it is for fleas! If you suspect that your cat has come in contact with borax or has ingested it, it is advisable to take it to a vet as soon as possible.
On the other hand, boric powder is even more dangerous because of the added chemicals. It is more toxic than borax powdered. Therefore, if you are using boric powder, be extra careful to keep your cat away from it.
Is Borax Safe for Dogs?
Just like borax is dangerous, even fatal, for cats, it can also cause a number of serious health complications for your dog. In just a few hours of ingestion, borax can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, stomach aches, and excessive drooling among other symptoms. On the other hand, external contact to the skin can cause redness, itching, skin irritation. Inhalation of borax is equally dangerous as it can lead to breathlessness in dogs. If ingested in large quantities, borax can even cause tremors, seizures, coma, and even death.
For this reason, it is essential to keep your dogs away from the treated areas. In fact, it is best to move them out of the house before using borax for fleas. If you suspect that your pupper has come in contact with borax or has digested it, it is advisable to take them to a vet right away!
Keep in mind that boric acid is even more toxic for dogs so make sure you take extra measures to keep your dogs away from it,. Make sure you have removed all the boric acid before letting your dog back into the treated areas.
How to treat pets for Fleas?
Since you can’t use borax or boric powder to treat your pets for fleas, the best approach is to use a flea comb to carefully comb their body and remove as many fleas and eggs as possible. Next, use a good-quality flea shampoo to bathe your pets.
Can I use boric acid for flea eggs?
While borax and boric powder are highly effective for killing fleas, they don’t work for flea eggs. This is why it is advisable to repeat the borax treatment after every few days until all the eggs have hatched and all the fleas are dead.
Now that you know that you can easily use borax to fight off a flea infestation in your house, fleas should never bother you or your pets again. However, since these compounds are highly toxic, be extra careful while using them to once again turn your house into a flea-free zone!