Heat kills fleas

Paul, I read your article about fleas. I had a rental house that was left infested by fleas. I had read that no stage of fleas could stand much heat. I took the cover off the thermostat so I could push it as high as possible and put a thermometer where I could see it through a window. I left it for several days at over 100. No more fleas. I had the advantage of an empty house. Moved new tenants in a few weeks later with no problems.

wow, I would have never thought to do that!!!

EXCELLENT!

This is fantastic news!

So, would you say three days at 100 degrees?  Was this electric heat?  Was this during the summer?

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) will also kill fleas and other insects with shells.  It works under their carapace and punctures and dehydrates them.  It is a naturally-occuring material, the fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae.

If you want to try it, get the kind labeled CODEX FOOD GRADE from a farm/feed store (I bought 50# for $15 two years ago, probably higher now).  This kind is totally non-toxic to people, pets, and earthworms and bees.  Farmers feed it to their livestock, as they say it reduces the fly problems, and it even contains some trace nutrients.  You can even eat it (some people do, mixed with applesauce, etc).

DO NOT use other kinds, which may be mixed with insecticides or other toxic/damaging substances.

The only thing you want to watch is not inhaling much of the dust.  Don't work up a big cloud of it and then stick your head into it and inhale. DE from freshwater sources is less irritating to the lungs than the kind from saltwater sources. Use a dust mask if you're concerned or spreading a lot of it.

You can gently sift it into your carpet, suck it into your dry vacuum bag to kill hatching eggs and larvae, put it where cockroaches go, apply to your pet's coats, and kill ants with a thick coating around their nests (after dark).  It loses its effectiveness when it gets wet.

Sue

I lived down in Florida for a few years and we had a huge dog.  With fleas. The sand fleas were horrible there! We had them all over the house and you could see them jumping when you walked across the floor. Wish I had known about diatomacious earth then!

I didn't know heat would kill them.  It seemed so hot and humid in Florida and they were always still around.  Maybe they burrowed under the sand to where it was cool?  Seems like it should have got hot enough outside to kill the fleas.

I think it might not be so much the heat, as the relative humidity.

Even though gas heat adds some moisture to the air, I don't think it adds enough to make a critical difference in this case.

In an empty house (i.e., no breathing or cooking or cleaning happening inside), I think air conditioning might be used to similar effect, but heat is probably much more energy-efficient.

Rebecca Dane wrote:
I lived down in Florida for a few years and we had a huge dog.  With fleas. The sand fleas were horrible there! We had them all over the house and you could see them jumping when you walked across the floor. Wish I had known about diatomacious earth then!

I didn't know heat would kill them.  It seemed so hot and humid in Florida and they were always still around.  Maybe they burrowed under the sand to where it was cool?  Seems like it should have got hot enough outside to kill the fleas.

It never gets to 100 degrees in FL.  Certainly the humidity is a factor. 

Up to 140 degrees by a pro bug company.  Monitored. 

Look under your box spring like the white cover stapled on.  remove you do not need it buy a cover for your bed, pillows, box spring with high quality covers zippers that lock .  Wait 1yr and a half anything in it will starve.   

fire sprinkler systems up grade to out side sprinklers they will not go off at 140 degrees change back when done. 

DRY ICE sticky tape make a trap dry ice mimics our breath Carbon Dioxide which all are attracted to. 

Vaccum vaccum vaccum if you suck em up they are gone.  But get your vaccum out of the house.  Keep this good practice going forward.