[jp4m2]

One of the problems with fleas is the ones we see are adults. The adults only account for about one percent of the fleas in the environment. The rest are in the egg, larvae and pupae stage. So when you kill the ones you see all the rest are in one of three stages: the egg, larva and pupae stages. Going from egg to adult can take 6 weeks or longer, so at any given time they are in all four stages all at once.

When they are in the egg and pupae stage they are essentially in a protective cocoon. This is why some pesticides don't work, it's like a coat of armor for them. It can be very frustrating to say the least.

One very effective and safe way to get them under control is using your trusty vacuum cleaner.......


"Sciencedaily.com: Lead study author W. Fred Hink, professor emeritus of entomology at Ohio State and a longtime researcher in nontoxic controls of fleas on dogs, sought to test the effects of vacuuming on all flea life stages and whether any extra disposal steps or additional chemical controls are necessary.

The study involved groups of 100 adult fleas at a time, as well as groups of 50 pupae and 50 larvae, by vacuuming them up from a tightly woven kitchen-type of carpet. Six tests of vacuuming the adult fleas yielded an average of 96 percent of fleas killed; three tests of vacuumed pupae and one test of vacuumed larvae (in their third stage of development) resulted in 100 percent killed.

In comparison, an average of only 5 percent of adult fleas died after being held in paper vacuum bags to test for toxicity, and an average of only 3 percent died when circulated in moving air.

“I did not include eggs in the vacuum study, but I'm sure they would not have survived,” Hink said."