Insect growth regulators (IGRs) and proper lawn care may control fleas in your yard. Flea infestations are excruciatingly uncomfortable, as anybody who has experienced them will attest. Fleas aren’t just a problem for your pets; they’re also a problem for you. Therefore, it’s important to keep your home and yard safe from them. Keep reading to know how you can get rid of fleas in the yard.
When to Spray for Fleas in Yard?
When treating your home for fleas, it is best to begin the process in the late spring, before the adult fleas have emerged. Your flea control program should begin with flea control yard treatments and the use of an insect growth regulator (IGR) for your property throughout the months of spring and summer. That is because the majority of the adult flea population lives in yards. They find healthy places for hiding in yards, so you will need to treat the yard with flea spray.
Where to Spray for Fleas in Yard?
Fleas may lay their eggs both inside and outside your house, and they can then spread all over your property. On the other hand, Fleas find it relatively easy to conceal themselves in yards. Fleas like to congregate in the shadier areas of your yard.
This means that fleas have a place to hide in the yard.
- Fragments of wood that had rotted away.
- There was a lot of tall grass and shrubs.
- Piles of leaves or other types of plant material.
- The main stems of a plant.
These are the most prominent places where fleas generally hide. So it would help if you sprayed on the spots. Fleas seek environments that are dark, damp, and shady to make their homes and raise their young. They cannot withstand the sun’s direct heat and will thus avoid it at all costs.
How can you tell if you have fleas in your yard? Check out our post “Do I Have Fleas in my Yard” to learn more.
How to Get Rid of Fleas in the Yard?
If you give them the opportunity, fleas will make your life a living hell. If you discover that your yard is infested with fleas, you should take immediate action to get rid of them so that your dogs do not inadvertently bring them inside.
An adult flea in the yard can live for several months. Pupae, also known as cocoons, are the primary cause of flea infestations since they are the stage from which adult fleas emerge. It is conceivable for these pupae to remain dormant for a whole year until the environmental conditions need for the adult fleas to emerge from their cocoons. So, you will want to get rid of fleas. The following are the methods that you can use to get rid of fleas in the yard.
Flea Spray
Applying a pesticide or insecticide to your yard is one method that will effectively address the problem. Spraying your yard with a pesticide with a sprayer can help reduce the number of fleas and other insects in your yard. There is a good chance you do not need to apply pesticides to the entire yard. Flea larvae cannot live in regions exposed to direct sunlight or have a lot of foot traffic. Instead, target the places where your pets play and sleep using the spray.
Yard Inspection
Getting rid of wild animals is another crucial step in controlling fleas. Fleas can hitch rides on wild animals, particularly wild cats. The presence of these wild creatures in your yard should be discouraged so that they do not bring other fleas there.
Perform a thorough inspection of your yard to search for signs of animals, such as raccoons, rabbits, rats, and squirrels, among other species. If you want to prevent wild or stray animals from entering your land, you might have to build a fence or fortify an existing barrier. You may also need to critter-proof other spaces, such as those animals like to hide, such as underneath decks or porches.
Keep Your Yard Clean
The corners of your yard might go neglected if you don’t maintain your grass trimmed. Keep weeds clipped to avoid attracting fleas and other insects. Debris that has accumulated in isolated areas should be removed. Flea infestations are less likely if you get rid of these (and more extensive, flea-harboring wildlife).
Your mulch should also be examined. A Cornell University Integrated Pest Management program community educator believes that replacing filthy mulch with fresh mulch will help decrease flea-friendly microenvironments. Fleas don’t enjoy the scent of cedar chips and it is one of the best alternatives.
Other Ways to Get Rid of Fleas
Fleas and ticks could be attracted to our grass, especially when neglected and allowed to get overgrown. If you want to keep pests away from your lawn, all you need to do is follow these easy steps.
Sprinkle Salt
Salt of a food-grade variety can be sprinkled on and around locations where fleas have made their nests. Fleas do not have any water in their bodies, and as a result, they are unable to thrive without salt.
Fix Water Loggings
Take care of any waterlogging issues and plug in any holes holding water. Fleas can be found in the grasses and shrubs close to the waterholes. Mosquitoes use waterholes and other stagnant bodies of water as breeding habitats.
Remove Debris
Clean your yard. Eliminate the conditions that allow fleas to thrive. Take off the leaves and other plant matter and any organic waste and plant thatch, and get rid of any pieces of wood that are rotting or moist. A sanctuary for termites that feed on moist wood is a wet forest.
Avoid Extra Moisture
Never overwater your yard or garden. Fleas require a substantial quantity of moisture to complete their life cycle, which can only be accomplished in your yard if they can breed there. Fleas can only survive in an environment where they can reproduce.
How Do I Get Rid of Fleas in My Yard Without Harming Pets?
Don’t panic if the word “flea treatment” conjures images of toxic fumes. Natural alternatives to pesticides exist, and they may be equally as successful as synthetic ones with little effort and constant monitoring.
Fleas can be eliminated organically by introducing a predator. It may seem paradoxical to introduce additional parasites to an already overburdened ecosystem. Still, helpful nematodes are entirely harmless and exclusively feed on fleas. “helpful” means nematodes that won’t harm your garden’s plants. Some natural remedies to remove fleas without harming pets are as follows.
Diatomaceous Earth
Want to get rid of fleas the natural way? Diatomaceous earth, formed from the fossils of microscopic aquatic animals, is a standard product used to get rid of fleas, flea eggs, bedbugs, spiders, and a vast host of common home insects.
When the chemical comes in touch with insects, it kills them by drying up their exoskeleton. Food-grade diatomaceous earth can be applied dry or sprayed as a liquid, depending on the formulation you choose. Apply it on the ground or other flea-infested places.
Did you know that Diatomaceous Earth kills fleas? Check out our post “Diatomaceous Earth for Fleas in Yard” to learn more.
Nematodes
Nematodes are worm-like earthworms. They’re a non-toxic natural cure for flea-infested areas. Nematodes kill fleas in pupae, larvae, and pre-adult stages, according to MotherEarthNews.com. This reduces pests naturally.
Combine them with water and spray or sprinkle them on your grass to reduce yard pests and infestations. Wash your pet with Dawn dish soap to temporarily remove these insects. This home cure drowns fleas while you clean and rinse. You may also apply over-the-counter boric acid to carpets and furniture, scour it, and then vacuum out flea eggs and powder.
Use Cedar Chips
A cedar fence isn’t the only use for cedar. To keep fleas and other insects away, use cedar oil, which may be sprayed on the outside of the house, beneath porches, and in other shady spots. Keeping fleas out of a doghouse and its bedding is also a tremendous benefit of using this product.
Use cedar mulch for flower beds, trees, and even barren patches beneath a dog run or a playground. Cedar has an insect-repelling solid fragrance. Additionally, mulch keeps the soil moist and prevents weeds. Cedar mulch takes a little longer to decompose than some other wood mulches.
What is the Fastest Way to Get Rid of Fleas in the Yard?
Pesticides immediately kill adult fleas from the yard but must be used in conjunction with other ways to eliminate fleas from the yard permanently.
Insecticides
Pyrethrin-based insecticides are effective against adult insects. It is common for more fleas to appear following an insecticide application, but this does not always suggest that the pesticide was ineffective. Said, this indicates that the flea chemical did not target the flea’s eggs, larvae, or pupae stages.
It is the larval stage of the insect that IGRs like pyriproxyfen and methoprene aim to prevent from becoming an adult. The fastest and most effective way to get rid of fleas is to use an adulticide first, followed by an IGR. Treat the locations where your dog spends a lot of time, such as the doghouse.
Control Growth
Fleas may be eradicated by using the appropriate amount of chemical treatment at the appropriate time, but in addition to that, there are a few straightforward steps that might help. The development of flea larvae is dependent on the presence of both moisture and shade.
Reduce the amount of shade and increase the amount of sunshine that may penetrate areas plagued with fleas by removing branches and vegetation from these areas. The warm, dry weather is needed to kill off the flea larvae. It is possible to get rid of larvae by watering the lawn often. It is essential to keep in mind that flea larvae feed on flea feces when you are cleaning the bedding for your dogs.
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Please note: We are not veterinarians and you use our advice at your own discretion. We always recommend that you consult your veterinarian whenever you have health-related conditions your furbaby is facing. With that in mind, as pet parents ourselves, we wish nothing but the best for your pet and their healthy and happy lives.