How are there fleas in a vacant property?

[bluto]

So we have a house for sale in central Austin. It has been vacant for 2 months now (tenants gone finally). Half the house is carpet, other half pergo (little cottage).

In the last 3 wks, our contractor went over there and noticed a flea infestation. Yes, the tenants owned a dog... BUT we changed the carpet out. And even if we left the old carpet, what the hell would htey have fed for that long? It has been vacant with the occasional realtor showing a few times a week. Tenants never had a flea problem they talked about (babied the hell out of that dog).

Then I see these threads on ants and other little bugs inside houses and im starting to wonder if these are actually fleas. After setting off two rounds of foggers the last two weeks, im going up there today to see if they are still kicking. Any thoughts or anybody having the same problem?

 

[Summerof79]

my wife had a terrible flea infestation in her apartment when we were dating. She was basically living with me and we hadn't been over to her place for a month. Her dog must have brought the fleas in, and they just kept multiplying. Don't knwo what they were feeding on but the damn thngs were everywhere. If my memory is correct we either bombed the place of put down boric acid and then vacumned the living crap out of the place. You could see them all over her stockings and when we threw dwon a white piece of paper tey were all over it in a few minutes... yuck!

 

[Ignatius]

As the owner of multiple long-haired cats over the years and through a wide variety of quality in housing, I can promise you from a lot of experience in this area that your problem is due to poor insulation/weatherproofing, especially near your front door...make the house air-tight and I promise you, all your problems will be solved...

 

[Dogbert]

I have two small condos I rent out and occasionally a flea problem arises. I've walked into a unit that has been vacant for several weeks and gotten covered in the little buggers. Adult fleas (what you see) are only one part of the life cycle. It takes a number of efforts to get rid of them:The Link

 

[l00p]

There are some traps that use light and sticky surface to kill them. The fleas are attracted to the light or warmth and jump to it, then get caught in the trap that can be cleaned out.

Perhaps you could maybe get a couple of these and leave them on to see what you come up with.

 

[Thunderhoof]

We had an incredible flea infestation recently. We live in the country, so varmints bring them around all the time. We use a monthly treatment on pur pets, so they are not the problem.

In the house, we tried foggers which worked for several days each time.

In the end, I had to treat the outside yard areas. I tried yard sprays first, with basically the same effect as the foggers inside. They worked for several days, then I would start seeing fleas again.

Then I went organic. I used beneficial nematodes on the lawn areas to control the larval stage of the fleas. Then I spread diatomaceous earth (DE) everywhere to kill the adult fleas.

One week later, no fleas at all and they haven't been a problem since. Make sure you use food grade DE and not the stuff for swimming pools.

I had essentially the same problem with aphids one year, and started out using insecticides. Events followed pretty much the same arc as the did with the fleas -- the chemicals worked for several days and then the aphids came back. I went organic then, too, and ordered ladybugs. I haven't had aphids in years.

From now on, I'll try the organic solutions first. They take a little more time, but from my experience are far more effective and they are safe for your family and pets as well.

Hell, I have one really mean barn cat who gets fleas. I just throw down a bunch of DE and then roll her around in it. No more problems for her, either.

 

[Doughbroz]

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[accuratehorn]

They lay eggs which are dormant for some time, then when the climate is right, they hatch out, and are looking for a host. With no pets around, they just wait for someone to show up, then attack. I hate those things.