Isn’t it bad enough that you are dealing with fleas, only to discover you have lice in your house too?

That could be a total nightmare.

If you are in this type of situation, fear not because we have you covered.

In this article, we are going to talk about how you can combat fleas especially adult fleas, how you can deal effectively with a flea problem and how you can keep your home flea free.

What is a flea trap?

Before we go in-depth into how useful flea traps are, let us look at what they are.

A flea trap is a small device that is usually powered by a minimal amount of electricity. Most flea traps have a lamp that attracts adult fleas by existing incandescent light.

The light serves as bait to the fleas.

When they try to reach for the light, they fall into a tray where they drown after being drawn to the light. These kinds of traps are considered safe as they do not make use of pesticides or chemicals.

There are a number of flea traps available on the market, so you can get choose what works for your home. Thanos Flea traps is one of the best flea trap in the market,

Flea and Fly Trap

One deciding factor should be the flea population in your home: if it is much, then you will have to look for a trap that can eliminate a large number of fleas at once, as opposed to those who can only handle a small number of fleas at a time.

*How effective are flea traps?

Flea traps are effective in dealing with fleas, within your house and in your surroundings.

In fact, flea traps may appear to be the holy grail of your flea infestation.

But, hold on. While flea traps are good ways to get rid of fleas, flea traps alone will not rid your house of fleas for good.

Why?

Because fleas are drawn to warm-blooded creatures.

It does not matter if you cover your whole house in flea traps, or out one in every location in your yard, if you do not deal with the fleas on your pest, you might just as well be throwing your money away by buying a flea trap.

Flea traps do not kill fleas that are already present on animals.

So if your fuzzy companion is covered in fleas and you think trapping will solve the problem, it won’t.

The first thing you need to do is to treat your pet and remove those little blood-suckers from it.

To treat fleas on your pet, you can do any of the following:

Washing your pet with anti-flea shampoo:

Anti-flea shampoo is a great way to reduce the number of fleas on your pet and kill fleas instantly.

Before you pick a suitable shampoo for your pet, it will be best if you consult with your vet as he/she will recommend the best product for your pet.

To use flea shampoo:

• Prepare a warm bath for your pet.
• Soak your pet in it for some minutes to soften its fur.
• Apply a generous amount of flea shampoo to your pet’s fur, focusing on areas where you have seen a high amount of flea activity.
• Rinse out and repeat for a minimum of one week, or until you see serious improvement.

Use a flea comb to pick out fleas:

A flea comb is a comb with fine teeth that can be used to pick out fleas, their eggs and their excrement from your pet’s fur. Most flea combs are made with metal teeth so they are strong enough to remove any flea-like attachments.

However, they are also soft on your pet’s fur and will not hurt your pet provided it is used the right way. To use a flea comb, simply get your pet to lie down on a mat, preferably outdoors so that you do not move fleas from your furry companion to other parts of your house.

Inspect your pet’s fur for fleas. Do not freak out if you start seeing tens of fleas or sores on your pet as a result of excessive itching. Remember, you are combing out your pet thoroughly to get rid of fleas. It cannot do this without you.

Gently check different parts of your pet and remove as many fleas as you can. You can occasionally dip the comb in soapy water to prevent fleas from escaping to other parts of your yard. Do this till you are able to reduce the number of insects on your pet.

how to attract and trap fleas

Apply topical cream:

A topical cream can do wonders for your pet and help curb flea infestation in a short time. In fact, these creams are one of the best ways to deal with fleas as they kill fleas instantly on contact. Focus on applying the cream on areas where fleas love to congregate such as the groin, armpit and similar moist places.

Topical creams, no matter how effective, should never be used without a prescription. This is because some of them contain substances that can affect your pet if abused. The last thing you want is for your pet to develop some complications just because of flea treatment.

All the treatments listed above should not only focus on adult fleas but should also focus on flea larvae and flea eggs. It is hard for fleas to leave your pet. Instead, they prefer to keep on laying eggs. If you see cocoons, you are not safe either.

You can also use flea medications to fight an active infestation. All you need to do is ensure that your pet swallows it’s flea medications as at when due. Flea medications work by releasing certain substances that make your pet unattractive to fleas.

Did you know that fleas in cocoons can tell when you or your pet are approaching? Yes, using carbon dioxide or body heat, they can quickly come out of their cocoons and latch on to you! Disgusting, right? This is why you need to be aggressive while dealing with fleas.

Can flea traps work on lice?

No.

Flea traps cannot work on lice because they are already modelled to attract only fleas. Lice are not attracted to light and so will hardly be seeing a light flea trap. But in sticky traps, you might see a few lice and bed bugs that might be unfortunate to get stuck in the flea trap.

Even at that, because lice move mostly through the head to head contact or through hair accessories, it’s unlikely that a flea trap will trap a sufficient number of lice to significantly reduced a lice infestation.

Lice can only be trapped probably through the movement of hats, wigs or combs over flea traps. Then, you might be a bit lucky to catch some lice. We have to emphasize that flea traps will not attract lice and are not effective against lice.

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Do I need flea traps?

So we have seen that flea traps in themselves are not a surefire method of flea control and they can not prevent lice or even do much to reduce them.

You might be asking yourself at this point: do I still need a flea trap?

Yes, you do.

Here are three reasons why:

Warning sign:

They can serve as an early warning indicator that you have fleas. If you place a flea trap on the floor and discover that it captures fleas, you may have a good sense of what you’re up against. Placing a few traps about the house could indicate a little infestation that can be controlled before it becomes a major problem.

A large number of fleas on a trap, for example, could indicate that there are still a lot of fleas hiding in your carpet or elsewhere in your home.

Some of these fleas will mature, mate, and lay their eggs before making their way into a trap. If you do not act quickly, you may soon be dealing with a flea infestation.

Exposes their hiding places:

Even if you are convinced you do not have a flea infestation, traps may be beneficial. Placing a few traps about the house will allow you to determine whether certain areas of your home have more or less flea activity. This will enable you to concentrate more on the areas that need serious attention.

Let’s say for instance you find out that the flea traps in your living room catch a good amount of fleas but the ones in your bedroom don’t. It could mean that they are more fleas in your living room and you should pay more attention to that area.

What Are Fleas Traps?

Stop a re-infestation in its tracks:

When you’ve finally gotten rid of the flea infestation, traps are still handy. They will be able to guarantee that the fleas are completely gone. A good flea trap will let you know if the fleas make a comeback sooner.

The last thing you want another flea infestation is another flea infestation so you can use traps as a kind of monitoring tool to track your progress over time. You might not need to buy as many traps as you would during an actual infestation.

Does pest trapper actually work?

Yes, pest trappers work.

Some pest trappers have a sticky pad that is also used to catch fleas.

If you are looking for a very effective flea trapper, you should go for the traps that employ a combination of light and heat to attract fleas. These traps work well because the light attracts fleas from afar, and the heat then draws them in close enough to be trapped.

The only reason you should not use this kind of trap is if you have pets or toddlers/infants. They can become attracted to light’s trap and find themselves in a sticky situation, literally.

You can also use an electric grid system is another sort of trapping that can be successful. These devices kill fleas by electrical current. Some models even include a sticky pad to trap any insects that escape being zapped. Although these traps are extremely effective, again they may not be suitable for use in homes with pets or children like glue boards.

Ideally, traps should also contain two different compartments: one for killing fleas and another for capturing them.

For traps to work optimally, they should be put near sofas, beds, chairs, and pet resting spaces where pets spend the most time. Some traps also have a warning light that turns on when insects are caught.

This warning light helps toy know that some fleas have been caught so you can go ahead and dispose of them.

Make sure you dispose of the flea bodies in a plastic bag and seal it well then toss them in the trash. As for sticky traps, empty them as soon as you have a good number of fleas before the traps start to look unsightly.

How long do flea traps take to work?

Flea traps can take anywhere from 1-2 days or weeks to work and reduce the number of fleas around you. The effectiveness of the traps will depend on a number of factors such as the severity of the flea infestation, the size of your home/property, the time of the year and where you live.

However, if you use the appropriate ways, you should see considerable results in just one week.

If you do not see results after two weeks, feel free to change the traps you are currently using or change tactics. Also, make sure your pets and kids are not interfering with the traps by touching them or shifting them from their original positions.

How do I make a homemade flea trap?

Flea traps are the most effective technique for catching fleas. As a flea management method, you can use glue traps, a glue pad, or a sticky pad, but if you want a DIY flea trap, this is it.

One of the most popular and successful flea traps is made with dish soap, a bowl of water, and candlelight or tea light. Fleas, as previously said, are drawn to the warmth and will be drawn to the flame of a candle. If you are unable to get a candle or afraid of a fire hazard, you can make your regular bulb more attractive to fleas by placing a yellow green filter on it.

Pour a few drops of dish soap into a bowl of water and place it where you notice a lot of flea activity to build this flea trap. If you have a large flea infestation, place many bowls in areas where there is a lot of flea activity.

Because of the dish soap, the fleas can’t get out once they spring up from their bases and dive immediately into the water. The soap creates strong surface tension on the water’s surface, acting as a barrier between the fleas and the outside world. After much struggle, the fleas will eventually die from exhaustion and hunger.

are homemade flea traps safe for animals

Why do fleas jump into soapy water?

Some people think that fleas jump into soapy water because they are attracted to water.

Is that correct?

No, water does not attract fleas.

However, they are attracted to moisture so anywhere with even a bit of moisture becomes very attractive.

In the DIY flea trap we discussed earlier, we saw that it is made up of two essential parts: the light source and the soapy water. It is the light source that draws the fleas into the water where they drown to their death. As they try to jump towards the light, they fall and then boom! they can not get out.

When fleas are submerged in water, they might not die immediately.

As a matter of fact, fleas can survive for up to a day in soapy water. Without the soap, they will simply jump out or remain on the surface of the water fit as long as they like.

Are homemade flea traps safe?

Yes, homemade flea traps are safe for humans. They are also a good method of flea control as they are simple to set up and effective.

Conclusion:

Fighting fleas is no mean feat, but you can successfully reduce the flea population in your home using either commercial traps or a homemade trap.

In the case of a severe infestation, you need more traps so you can even combat adult fleas before they even lay eggs.

Always remember that in an active infestation, your best bet is to lure fleas first into a trap, ensure that trapped fleas are killed, and make sure that you kill fleas on the host animal as fast as you can.

Like lice, bed bugs might not fall for these traps so it is better you do not plan to capture them with flea traps.

Instead, you can use an insect growth regulator or other methods to deal with them. If you enjoyed this article, please share it!