How to Kill All Four Stages of Fleas

Fleas are a source of anxiety and annoyance for many pet owners or even home owners. They infest a home, and their bites are annoying and itchy. Fleas even carry diseases, especially those that come from rodents like mice and rats. Killing the fleas is the best way to get rid of them and keep them from coming back. Since there are four stages of a flea life cycle, it is important to kill them in all of the stages so that they don’t come back after the adults have been killed.

Treat dogs and cats for fleas often, especially outdoor pets. The best way to kill most of the fleas is to kill them on the pets. There are many options available for killing all four stages of fleas on dogs and cats. These can be bought through any veterinarian or animal supply store.

Vacuum often. All four stages of fleas are killed after vacuuming, with a 96 percent success rate. Homes that are vacuumed often will usually not have a flea problem that persists for long, because the eggs, larvae, pupa and adult fleas will all be killed or removed through the vacuum. Only the fleas that are missed with the vacuum will persist and those can be killed easily before they get out of hand.

Put down flea powder. Though this technically will only kill two of the four stages, it lasts for one year after it is put down, which will kill all of the fleas in the home before it can become a problem a second time. This is also a good preventative measure against flea infestation. Sprinkle the powder over the entire floor, allow it to sit for awhile and then vacuum. The vacuum will kill most of the fleas and the rest will be killed over time due to the powder.

Spray a liquid flea treatment. These are available in many stores and are an effective way to get rid of the fleas quickly. They do not last as long as the powders, but they are faster at killing the fleas.