I have heard to use diatamaceous earth. It dries the flea larve out. Never tried it though. I heard it is cheap too.

What are you using on your dogs?
It doesn't matter how you treat your yard if you are not treating the dogs too.

We are hearing that the fleas and ticks are developing immunities to the ingredients in the older flea killers. You have to treat your yard, house and pets all at the same time. And if you have neighbors with issues, try to get them on board with you and do it all at the same time.

We use Comfortis for our dogs. It is spinosad, the same organic stuff we use in the garden, in a pet formulated pill. Our vet recommends Bayer Advanced for spraying the yard. If you are spraying, you also need to spray up 5 feet on trees, bushes and your house. If you have squirrels, you are fighting an ongoing battle.

I groomed my neighbors yorkies a few weeks ago. It took me over an hour to pick the fleas off each one of them. And he had them on one of the 'drops' on the neck flea preventatives. They were really bad. So, he was using a flea preventative, and he has an insecticide service do his lawn, and his poor dogs were just eaten alive.

When we first moved here, we used borax and equine dandelion spray. Borax in the yard and our doggies smelled like dandelion wine :). Then I started using diatomeceous earth in the yard and human grade DE on the dogs.

Now we use spinosad.

~dianne

Hire a professional bug man - worth his weight in GOLD! He will spray your house interior and yard, but it's up to you to treat your animals, vac. your rugs and wash them once a week (if possible). The bedding for the dogs has to be washed once a week, also.

I had tried every recommended treatment I could get, trying to save money - I finally gave in to my vet's recommendation - CALL THE MAN! Now, for $75 every three months, I don't have to deal with fleas - my groomer uses Advantage on my dogs - I live in Florida, which is known as the FLEA capitol of the world!

We have a flea problem in the yard every winter/spring. I find that raking up all of the dead leaves, and then treating with Bayer Advanced does a pretty good job. It is important to get rid of the dead leaves because that is where the fleas hide. We also use Comfortis pills for the dog and it works great.

John

I read somewhere that they don't like it wet, and to water-down the yard, they like it dry, so sprinkling often helps... I know my cats are suffering and I use the spot-on it seems to last only a week to 10 days, not the month it claims.... something that does work is CAPSTAR, I put it in a pill-pocket, but it just kills the living fleas not the eggs, so has to be used every couple days... and can get expensive if you have several pets to treat...sally

If you use diatamaceous earth remember to use the food grade kind, not pool grade.

When we moved into my house my dog was infested with fleas in one day. We took her to the vet the next day and put her on Comfortis, she was already on Advantix (which stopped working). It was amazing, within one hour we saw the fleas dropping off of her dead. She is a white dog so it was easy to see the fleas surfacing and dropping off.

We also hired a pest control guy who treated both our home and yard for a year. We just stopped using them a couple months ago because I was afraid they were killing all the good bugs. But if the fleas come back I think I will have to hire them again. Our neighbors also treat. Our house used to be the problem as the former owners did nothing for fleas. Now, with all the neighbors treating animals and yards we seem to be good so far this season.

it's great to try and stay organic, but when your "best bud" is getting eaten by fleas, i use chemicals.....even with fronline once a month, we were overtaken last year...sorry, but my dogs come first over bugs. haven't used anything this year so far, "cross your fingers".....

I go to Lesco and treat the yard with their product and it works great, kills the fleas and most ants and grubs. I use the granular not the powder, so it drops to the ground. I still have tons of butterflies --- and lubbers. I think my dog comes first too. :o)

About two months ago my dog, 45 pound female mixed breed, was infested with fleas to the degree she had scratched the hair off the lower sides of her body. The poor dog was scratchiung continuously. I tried various methods, baking soda bath, various sprays from commercial entities, the pills from the vet weren't working so she was still infested. I read on the internet of using garlic three times a week. I crushed the cloves, minced them, added some cooked rice or potato and a chopped tomato and gave the mixture to her. Within ten days the fleas were leaving quickly. After a month the hair was coming back strong and scratching just about gone. Now she gets one clove of garlic three times a week mixed in with her food, a name brand, at evening meal.

Bacause of your puppies being very young I advise checking with your vet before using garlic three times a week.

Last year when we first moved in here we had the worst flea infestation. If we went outside, we had them completely all over our legs etc. We sprayed once and it helped for awhile but soon as it got real hot and rained they all hatched out again.
This year, since I've been letting our chickens and guineas freerange, I haven't had one flea or tick jump on me. There is about 2 acres cleared that they freerange on. They don't go back into the several acres of woods beside and behind us and there are still ticks out there but none around the cleared areas like there was last year. I really hate to use any sprays and have been trying to go more organic on all my plants as well so the chickens and guineas work out good for us.

In order to kill fleas in your yard you MUST spray once a week for 4 weeks. You have to break the cycle. The eggs continue to hatch and if you don't do the repetitive sprays the cycle will continue.
Bayer Advance Carpenter Ant and Termite spray is label for fleas. By the time you reduce it for yard spray it will cover 21,000sf (1/2 an acre)
You need to treat the pets and house at the same time to prevent reinfestation.

I thought I posted last night! Wonder where it went. Anyway, we did use the organic granuals, nothing. Then I bought Spectracide liquid and my son used it in the back yard. Again, nothing. I'm taking Jerry to the vet soon for his shots so will ask about the Comfortis and anything else. I'll try anything! Both of my pup's are 2 years old

If you go to "Do It Yourself Pest Control" (http://store.doyourownpestcontrol.com/Product/Bifen-IT-Bifenthrin-7-9) they have a product called Bifen I/T. It is a wonderful product that is safe for the environment and is pet friendly when dried. It can be used for 75 different pests.
It is marketed mostly for termites, but is is great for fleas, ticks and even mosquitoes. It is a concentrate that you mix 1 once in 1 gallon of water to spray. I have been using it for years and have zero fleas or ticks. I spray all of my foliage and ground covers. Once dried it will resist washing away with rain. I also use it indoors even though the lable doesn't say to, but I talked to the people where I buy it from and they say it is ok. I also spray the "crawl space" above the ceiling. Remember you must treat the yard, the house, and the pets at the same time. I do this every six months. It helps to have a large battery operated sprayer to cover the outdoor portion.

Julia - You are in the right direction, trusting your vet to give you some medicine. My dogs are on Sentinel and I never had any problem with fleas. We have a pest control since we moved to this house and he is only allowed to spray things that will not hurt the dogs and don't touch any of the edibles. And even that they are good, we always have somebody to check on their work when they are here.

Silvia

Bifenthrin is a pyrethroid chemical. All of which are safe for children and pets once they are dry.
It will kill fleas but at this point with an infestation you still need to spray repetitive times or you will not get control.
The Bayer product is also a pyrethroid and since it is so concentrated it only takes a tablespoon to a gallon.

Starryrider you said what I was going to say...nothing out there kills all three stages of a fleas life, so you must repeat regularly. First time you kill the fleas. But tomorrow some larvae will mutate into a flea. So you do it again. But by then an egg will have hatched into a larvae, so you keep doing it until you've broken the cycle.
Lori

Here is a link that might be useful: flea life cycle

Hi
Maybe it's too late to post but i have just found complete guide on Fleas control

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Get Rid of Fleas

I've started planting Fennel around the shed area where we have a huge concentration of fleas last year. (Picture me looking down, freaking out, and running to the pool to soak my legs in!)

the link below also discusses such. Not sure how well it works but anything's worth a try.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fennel as a repellent

1. Cut foliage and trim grass regularly, because fleas love darkness to hide in

2. Water often (to wash away adult flea faeces that larvae feed on), but DON'T over-water the lawn, because water could also provide a habitable environment for fleas.

3. To get rid of fleas in the grass, you can purchase nematodes and release them at dusk or dawn when the temperatures are lower. They do take about one month to make a difference though :/

4. Next year, start with preventive measures for flea control as early as spring! Here's a guide and a source: Fleas in the Grass

I've got over 2 acres it is all shaded and seems to be always damp. Being mostly dirt, leaves and weeds it's a nightmare in many ways. My husband is a carpenter and also has a small business involving wooded Pallets so needless to say it's stacked with any and every stick of lumber known to man! So with that being said I have fleas like no bodies business! They don't get on people they just infest my babies. I've used everything o can. Someone told me to go to local Walmart and get a couple bags of pool shock. They weren't sure of the dilution process, but I was just wondering if any one has been brave (or stupid) ;) enough to try it.

We

Honestly, I always used Sevin liquid and sprayed the whole lawn. It's safe for the animals. Inside, I put borax down in the carpet overnight, locked the cat into a room so she wouldn't walk in it (not good for cats), vacuumed it up in the morning.

If you use a lawn service, the fleas come in on the mowers, but then, so do weeds and every other creature damaging to your lawn. I hate lawns. So glad I don't have one anymore.

I get Comfortis from a place in Australia that doesn't require a prescription .. it saves me money on vet bills every six months. Hoof n Hound. I generally get it within a week and a half from when I order.

Hello
i have found complete guide on Fleas control

Here is a link that might be useful: How to get rid of the fleas and How to Tell the Difference Between Bed Bug Bites vs Flea Bites?

When it comes to keeping your pet or backyard free of these trouble-causing insects and their bites, there are a few steps that you should take to ensure success.

You can try to eliminate fleas from your yard is to treat the area with pesticides.

Another thing that you can do to get rid of fleas in the yard is to spread diatomaceous earth around your home’s perimeter. This natural substance kills bugs by cutting through their exoskeletons and dehydrating them.

The roundworm (nematode) idea is great because it works on contact with larvae and can be purchased online at garden stores like Home Depot.

Here's a source: How to get rid of fleas in the yard.