Flea help please

I think you just put me off ever having a gite :grin::grin::grin: I wouldn’t so much if I had pets as it’s all part if it, but to not have pets and be eaten alive, well…….

So hopefully my last night of being someone else’s meal before armageddon tmrw :partying_face::partying_face::partying_face:

This is not flee bites.

Never heard of flee bites in a house with no pets.

Coat yourself in anti mosquito spray and see what happens. No saying it is mosquitos but I bet a million ponds it is not Flees.

Well you’d win your bet, these things are certainly, and sadly, not running away. :rofl:

In fact last night after showering I coated myself head to toe in mosquito repellant. The bites are very typical of fleas, starting all around the ankles.

After all the pain, I’ve done alot of reserach over the last days on fleas. And in addition I have found quite a few over the last days. Below is a pic if a dead one earlier today, just to close any doubt.

And one of the earlier finds.

Hello
The lifecycle of a flea is approximately 21 days from hatched egg to adult.

Fumigens will kill adults exposed to the smoke, but not hiding adults. There is no insecticide on the market that kills any insect eggs. Extreme heat (43°+) or extreme cold -18 for several weeks will work, but it’s difficult to freeze the inside of a house for 2 weeks!

Diatomaceous earth is very good for fleas, it’s natural, the dust should be brushed into as many cracks and crevaces. Even if you treat on day 1, you should expect to have activity upto 3 weeks.

You should also consider treating the the front and back doors. Fleas like to live outside, it’s the humans [and animals] that inadvertantly bring them into the house.

AYou could also try a bassy speaker with a dinner plate of water. Fleas are attracted to vibrations, so the bass will lure them to the water. Then you will be able to monitor the treatment progress. Nothing beats a bit of Motorhead with one’s cornflakes!

Good luck.

I’m off to England tomorrow to discuss Asian hornets on BBC TV! woo hoo!

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Thanks @Rob_le_Pest. It’s only been a few days and already very brassed off with the whole situation.

Is there anything I can apply to deter them from biting me?? As that’s really my biggest issue right now.

Just contemplating sleeping in another room tonight, as they seem to be focussed more on the bedroom, but a little nervey that I may entice them to another room :scream:

Try sleeping with if you have any, sports leggings and socks over the top and long sleeve T shirt.

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Good idea​:+1::+1: think i’ll get my cycling bottoms on​:+1::+1:

The next challenge will be shifting the wood off the drive, which I think is the source. I was looking at disposable hazmat suits today as really really do ‘t want to have any repeats :scream::scream:

Correct!
@letsmile Changing rooms will encourage the fleas to follow you to the new room. Unfortunately, it’s leggings and vacuuming for the next few weeks. :flushed:

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Poor @letsmile ! I really do feel badly for you.

If you decide to use bug bomb fumigants, possibly more than once, repeat a couple of weeks apart, and please note you will need to clean all exposed table tops and put on fresh bed linen before using. Residue from the bomb is something you will not want to ingest.

I am impressed by your level of tolerance! I would have been calling a pest control company on day one. My usual modus operandi is to throw money at a problem until it goes away. Drives my husband to drink.

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Gets my vote for areas you can dust. Works long term and descates the critters.

We had one in our house last year, South east London. Took some mighty blows to end it. Reported it but was told there arent any in my area, yeh right, there was but stupid me forgot to ask its name, take its photo just for the benefit of a civil servant and his form to fill out.

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@wozza - great advice - went to bed looking like I was about to participate in an endurance race :grin: bike leggings, long hiking socks pulled up and over the outside, with two relatively tight long sleeve t-shirts on! And can honestly say I didn’t feel one bite all night :partying_face::partying_face::partying_face:

The other little drama before going to bed was with peppermint oil. I had a small 10ml bottle which I sprinkled a few drops to put on my exposed neck and head areas + hands. All going well until the bottle suddenly disintegrated, with all the oil going onto my hand, then the tiled floor :scream::scream: I suddenly realised I’d dropped the bottle on the floor earlier and it must have cracked! Wow that stuff is powerful, I could barely see through the tears in my eyes!

Anyway, happily woken up this morning feeling infinitely more cheerful about the situation and ready to prep for the ‘foggers’ to let off today​:crossed_fingers::crossed_fingers:

Ps As I didn’t have any of the ‘earth stuff’, I used salt to sprinkle in a few strategic corners. Will be getting some of that earth stuff today to sprinkle around corners :+1::+1::+1:

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I had a huge nest of Asian hornets in my cherry tree in Bretagne and did not even see it under the leaves until the autumn when a neighbour pointed it out.Went to the mairie immediately as its notifiable for destruction, they sent a specialist round who happened to be the adjoint to the maire and he, looking like a hazmat adverts got rid of it by a long pole injecting a poison. I had to keep the animals indoors and warn the neighbour about their cats and an hour later found dozens of huge corpses of the hornets on the ground with bits of the nest which took about a week to completely disintegrate. I had to pay the operator €80 who gave me a paper which I took to the mairie and two weeks later was reimbursed by the Trésor Public. I think now the householder has to pay and no reimbursement is made, hence why so many nests are left untouched.

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Re Frelons and Asiatic Frelons… seems it all depends on the Commune and for what the Mairie is prepared to pay out (if anything…)

Destruction nid frelon asiatique gratuit - ALLO FRELONS.

My neighbour has a huge nest in one of his trees, its about 40ft up in the air so I guestimate 3ft long. It must be said Asian hornets? I dont know if he has contacted the Mairie, although a new neighbour he has lived in the village for many years so must know the process. The same guy with the birds of prey and dogs so would think he would be concerned. Maybe he has and the nest is now empty but still there, I will ask when we are there in a few weeks time yipee :blush:

If it’s huge at this time of year, I reckon it’s an old and empty nest… and from local experience I reckon they build new each year…

https://www.ahat.org.uk/lifecycle

It was huge when we were over the other month (April) 180-500 new queens, sounds like a night club in Old Compton Street :joy:

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