Fleas In My Backyard – What Do I Do?

  Dealing With Fleas In Your Lawn?

Most of the time, we associate fleas with our pets. This makes sense since fleas need blood to survive. But where do pets pick up the fleas? That’s right; they usually come from your yard, where they can live and breed until they find an appropriate home. So what do you do? How do you control the pests in your yard?

Fleas in My Backyard – How to find them.

Wear long white socks pulled up. Go to your backyard and linger in the same areas where your dog hangs out. If fleas are present, they will likely gravitate to the socks. They like shady areas, too. They could be hanging out under your deck, but also investigate around lawn furniture, amid leaves and trees.

After you treat your pet, begin treating your yard. First, mow the grass, clean out the leaves, mounds of rocks, and stacks of wood, all of which are common areas for fleas to hide. If possible, keep your pet away from the area during the treatment, and remove their toys and any that your children might have left outside.

Insecticides are effective treatments for outdoor fleas but follow directions carefully, and that includes taking all the appropriate safety precautions. If you are doing it yourself, make sure you wear a mask and protect your eyes. Treat your pet’s most common ‘hang-out’ areas first. If you have a large yard, spraying the entire area might not be necessary. You might want to hire a professional to handle this job for you.

Once you have taken care of the yard, you need to eliminate flea larvae. Hose down your garden and any other areas where you found adult fleas. If the adults left offspring, they wouldn’t survive when flooded with water.

Natural Method

If you prefer a more natural method, get some nematodes, which are microscopic worms harmless to humans, pets and plants. Nematodes typically come in spray form. Cedarwood chips are another option; fleas detest the smell of the chips. Placing them around your fence will keep them from invading from a neighbor’s yard. You can mow over them, and the resulting powder is still an effective deterrent to the parasites.

To Prevent Future Flea Infestations

• Keep your lawn dry. Fleas thrive in moist areas.
• Use cedar chips-They can serve as both decoration and averting fleas.
• Consider planting pennyroyal–Like cedar chips, fleas detest its minty smell. Be careful, however. It’s poisonous to cats and not recommended exposure to pregnant animals.
• Prune, trim, mow–Keeping your yard properly maintained eliminates the flea-friendly moist, shady environment.

If you have fleas in your backyard, give us a call, and we can recommend a treatment program for your situation. If you also have fire ants or other turf insects, ask us about our turf insect control program.