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We are going to be critically looking at how to attract and trap fleas, what you can use as bait, and how you can prevent another flea infestation
March 28, 2022
12 min read time
This information is reviewed by an independent pest control expert.
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Fleas are a serious problem in any home, especially when they now cause a flea infestation. Your pets become very uncomfortable, you might have multiple flea bites, and your home may just become unwelcoming. How can you get rid of these bloodsuckers?
In eliminating fleas, you have to know what attracts them. Do they love sweet smells? Will candy lure them into your trap?
In this article, we are going to be critically looking at how to attract and trap fleas, what you can use as bait, and how you can prevent another flea infestation from taking place in your beloved home.
Table of Contents
You might be wondering why you have a flea infestation.
Well, there are two things that attract fleas: heat, then light. If you thought a particular scent or food was going to attract fleas, then that would not have worked.
Fleas love flocking to any warm environment: no wonder they cannot seem to leave you and your pets alone. If you can either get the kind of light they like or lure them with the scents they are attracted to, you are already halfway eliminating them.
There are two major things that fleas are looking for when they come into your area: warmth and carbon dioxide. As for warmth, fleas would jump on anything that releases body heat, which sadly includes you and your pet.
But, when it comes to deciding between you and your pets, fleas will decide to go for your pet instead because it has fur, meaning that the flea will be in a much warmer environment.
How are fleas able to differentiate between body heat and normal heat sources?
Well, living things have something called a scent, which is unique to each one. These scents serve as chemical attractants to fleas, so they are able to differentiate between a running refrigerator, which is warm, and a living breathing animal.
The second thing that attracts fleas into your home is something you cannot help either: carbon dioxide. This is so attractive to fleas, for reasons best known to them. You and your pet essentially breathe out carbon dioxide, so it’s impossible to stop producing it.
Contrary to popular belief, fleas are not attracted to most smells or scents.
The only scent that’s has proven to be attractive to fleas over and over again is the scent of their hosts (animals and humans). Fleas do not attack plants because they do not release attractants that are appealing to them.
Now, you might try masking your pet’s natural scent with different products and perfumes.
Somehow, fleas do not discover your pet and latch onto it. Bit this won’t work. Fleas will still be able to pick up your pet’s natural scent under layers and layers of products. Instead of trying to do this, you need to eliminate fleas from your home.
But first, let’s look at how that got there.
Primarily, fleas will get into your house either through an animal carrier or a human carrier. Your pet can pick up fleas in the following ways:
As your pet picks up fleas from any of these ways, they will bring the tiny insects into your home which might probably jump to you too!
Yes, humans can carry fleas too.
If someone who has a few fleas on them enters your home, they can unknowingly pass those fleas into your household. Articles are not left out either: if someone who has fleas drops their clothes at your house or brings in a piece of furniture, fleas could also get into your house this way.
But, fleas can do without a living carrier. They can also find their way into your home y discover cracks in your walls, doors, basically anything that connects the exterior to the interior. To trap fleas, you must first know how to lure them.
To lure fleas, you have to know what they are attracted to.
We already told you they love body heat and carbon dioxide, but that’s not all. Fleas are drawn to light. Unlike ants or some other household, you can’t use sweets to attract fleas because they only feast on fresh blood.
Now, this light has to produce heat, else it will remain unacctritice to the flea.
Do they like sunlight?
No. They dislike the sun because it is too hot and bright, but they prefer incandescent lightings such as fluorescent bulbs, and candles.
If you are not able to get a fluorescent bulb or a candle, you can still modify your regular home lighting to trap fleas.
The only difference is that you’ll make sure the light is either yellow or green this time. To attract fleas, you can use a yellow-green filter or simply buy a yellow bulb, since research has shown that this type of light attracts fleas much more.
Yes, you can use Thanos flea traps to eliminate fleas.
In fact, this is the best way to start making your home flea-free, by trapping them.
There is no one ultimate flea trap in the real sense. Trapping fleas might take you a while depending on the flea population in your home, but with continuous use, all the fleas would gradually reduce till fleas would be a thing of the past.
You can use both commercially available on thanoshome.com or homemade flea traps, depending on your preference.
However, if you do not want to go through the stress of constantly setting up the homemade DIY flea trap we will show you, then you can get an Thanos electronic flea trap.
The electronic flea trap is a kind of small flea trap that works on electricity or batteries.
It is a unit that makes use of light and heat, two major things any flea would be attracted to. The trap does not make use of chemicals and so is safe for your pets too.
Fleas sight the light from afar and start coming close to the trap.
Once they land on the trap’s floor, they are stuck with a very powerful glue that is no match for their jumping skills.
The fleas eventually die because they cannot get out of the train, and you didn’t even have to lift a finger. The glue disc which the fleas land on can be changed every week or two, so you don’t have to worry about dead fleas in your home.
Another alternative trap you can use for fleas is ultrasonic flea repellent. It makes use of high frequency sound waves to disturb and kill fleas over time. Just like an electronic trap, you will need to plug it into a power supply.
The fleas will die in different locations in your home, you just need to sweep them out. The trap makes no use of harmful chemicals and is safe for pets too. If you notice that your pets start reacting negatively to it, change the device’s location or stop using it altogether.
If you prefer to make your own homemade flea trap instead, here is a simple homemade flea trap that does not cost much.
The best part?
DIY flea traps make use of everyday ingredients in your home and is very safe. A homemade flea trap, unlike other flea traps, is easy to make and will not harm your kids.
No, dish soap and water does not attract fleas.
Remember, the things we listed in previous sections that attract fleas? Those are the only things that can attract fleas. So neither the smell of the dish soap nor water can attract a flea. So why are we using them to set a flea trap?
One of the most popular and successful flea traps is made with dish soap, a bowl of water, and candlelight. Fleas, as previously said, are drawn to the warmth and will be drawn to the flame of a candle.
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 homemade flea trap. If you have large flea infestations, place many bowls in high-flea-activity locations.
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, creating a barrier between the fleas and the outside world.
If you wish to use a candle, you must be extra cautious because the flame can spark a fire. In the evening, turn off all the lights and light a candle.
Turn on the lights, blow out the candle, and pour the dish soap water down the drain when you’re finished with the flea trap. A lot of dead fleas would be floating around in the water.
By putting the mixture in a spray bottle and using it on your pet on a regular basis, you may get rid of fleas and other insects. If burning a candle is too much bother, you can use any of the other lights we recommended in the preceding section instead.
What if you want to kill fleas as quickly as possible because you do not have the patience to keep putting trap after trap in your home. Is there something that kills fleas instantly?
Yes, rubbing alcohol eliminates fleas on contact.
Rubbing alcohol, which is made up of 70% isopropyl alcohol and 30% is an efficient flea killer as fleas die as soon as it touches them. How does it do this?
The alcohol dissolves the outer layer of the flea’s body and goes straight for its internal organs. After reaching the flea’s vital organs, it dries them up, leading to death.
You can use rubbing alcohol to wipe down a lot of surfaces, especially in places that have been overtaken by fleas. You can also use rubbing alcohol to pat down your pet too, but always conduit with a vet first to see if it’s sage for your own pet.
The easiest way to get adult fleas out of your pet is through a flea comb.
Use this flea comb to get as much fleas as you can off your furry friend. Do not forget to immerse pet bedding in hot water to kill all the fleas.
It is important to immerse the beddings in water as fleas jump great distances and can make an escape even if the beddings are in hot water.
It may not be easy to eliminate fleas from your home, but once you do, you might want to rest on your oars.
For the first few months after flea infestations, you need to take active steps in preventing fleas from coming back. Some of the ways you can do this are:
Attracting and luring fleas should be very easy for you, as far as you follow this guide.
Now that you know heat and light attracts fleas, you can use both of these to lure fleas into any kind of trap you want to set up. Both elements must be pressed t for the best results in any trap.
Understand that fleas are insects too, so they have a life cycle that can be interrupted to your advantage. Be on the lookout for flea eggs which are small, white substances.
Killing these eggs prevents the next generation of fleas before they even hatch. Go for products that can kill all stages of fleas, instead of focusing on the adult ones. If you enjoyed this article, please share!
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