Question from JC in VA
We’ve been in the flea battle for a couple of months and based on all the bites my son has, we feel like we’re losing the battle! We’ve been trying the natural methods as I am very anxious about using chemicals so lots of vacuuming, laundry, pet bathing, cleaning, salt, etc.
Our vet suggested we try a product called fleabusters but before doing so I wanted to get your thoughts. The fleas we have don’t seem too terrible but since my son plays on the floor a lot he seems to be the most affected – and since he plays on the floor so much I am hesitant to coat the carpet in something. Thanks so much for your input and for all your work in general!
Debra’s Answer
Well, I don’t see a list of ingredients on the Fleabusters website, but it sounds like a mixture of boric acid and diatomaceous earth.
I would suggest that you use just plain diatomaceous earth, which you can get at Home Depot, or many other places online and locally.
This is so safe your son could get covered in it and eat it and it’s not toxic. The only caveat I know about it is to not use too much because the dust can be harmful to the lungs.
Diatomaceous earth is like a big sharp knife to a flea. It cuts their bodies and they dry out. It’s mechanical, not chemical.
I’ve used a salt water spray on the rug & baseboards to kill the larve and it worked. Also you can place a shallow dish of soapy water on the floor with a light a couple of feet above it overnight to catch the adults.
I use the Victor M230 Ultimate Flea Trap; I have for years, one in each room. You can find it on amazon. I was able to eradicate a flea infestation with the traps and vacuuming alone, and now I leave them on all year round to control anything that might turn up. There is no need to spread powders all over your house, and it is potentially dangerous.
I just called Fleabusters and was told that the powder is Sodium-Polyborate (that is, borate and sodium sulfate).
It does not contain diatomaceous earth or any other substance.
I do everything that you do for fleas. I’ve also read that baking soda on the carpet will do the same thing as diatomaceous earth and salt but I’ve not had a big problem with fleas so I haven’t tried using it yet. I do sweep some up in the bag after vacuuming though.
I also buy a flea light with sticky papers to catch the fleas from Gardener’s Alive which works like the water and soap method above but better. You don’t have to constantly change the water. I use a green nightlight bulb to attract fleas better plus it doesn’t put out as much light at night when you want to sleep. We put 3 flea lights in our house (900sq ft). We also apply the nematodes from Gardener’s Alive in the spring on our side yard.
Colleen
From my experience with Fleabusters, it absolutely is not made up of diatomaceous earth, in fact I know the local owner of the Seattle area Fleabusters and he feels that diatomaceous earth is “terrible stuff” and advised never to use it. Fleabusters is a derivative of borate. They claim it is “harmless” but (as with anything, I’ve discovered) you can find places on the internet that will tell you that borate is definitely *not* harmless. As far as diatomaceous earth is concerned, I have used it in my home as an alternative to Fleabusters (which I had applied several years ago with no harmful effects noticed), and found the diatomaceous earth to be terribly messy and no matter how hard I tried, it created a very fine fine dust in the air that was irritating to breathe, even when I later vacuumed.