Fleas are KILLING us... Help!
Mizztona H.
8 years ago
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Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Flea, fleas & more fleas! Help!
Comments (6)I'd be very surprised if these are actual fleas just hanging out in the garden and not flea beetles. Real fleas want to be on something warm-blooded, not garden soil. Flea beetles really look and move like animal fleas. It's a little creepy. Mustard also is said to work as a trap crop for flea beetles, especially if it is planted sparsely in a dry, hot, open place. Certainly seems to be looking like the Year of the Flea Beetle! Several local people that I've talked to are having really bad problems this year. The flea beetles are actually doing significant damage on young plants, rather than light damage on their normal victims (eggplant, peppers, etc). They also seem to be the dusk feeding variety around here. It makes me wonder if the dusk-feeding subspecies from Kenya has just arrived in the USA. Wish I could find more information about it. Well, Steve, hope your plants recover! Bellatrix...See MoreHelp me kill the Flea Beetles eating my Eggplants!
Comments (35)I don't know what some of these post are talking about. A flea beetle is the size of a pin head, and they do not fly. However a can jump quite a distance for there size. Make sure there is no weeds or other vegetation around the plant. If you put down black plastic in a row and plant the eggplant through the plastic, that will help. One thing you can try is the sticky goo I use for the apple maggot fly. Use a piece of bright yellow plastic card covered with the goo. They are attracted to the color and will get stuck in the in the goo. Depending on the number of beetle, you might have to replace the card or clean it. Vegetable oil is use as a solvent for the goo and then some soap and water. reapply the goo. I would use a piece a card 4" x 6" at each plant....See MoreHelp with canine flea protection
Comments (10)We have a dog along with up to 4 cats who spend a good part of their days inside and nights in our bedroom! As we are in a rural area that has gone through a long drought, fleas and ticks have been bad; now with rains, we have a huge mozzie problem. Even the chickens have been suffering from fleas on their combs! We use Frontline Plus on all our cats and dogs 12 months of the year due to our mild winters. There will be a greasy looking spot for a couple of days but that is well worth the protection they receive. As we don't have a credit card [and don't want one thank you!], we buy online from healthypets.com who are far cheaper than any local vet office or companies such as Tractor Supply that now sells it. There is a shipping charge but if you order over $100 worth, it's free. The difference between the US and imported Frontline is the US marketed packaged do not have an expiry date. If you have any query re the product, you can call the manufacturer at their 1-800 number. Sprinkle a borox product such as Twenty Mule Team on your carpets to kill flea lavea etc. As for heartworm product, we use one from our vets which is only available by prescription. They are now only selling Interceptor. As it is a prescription product, any purchase from online sources would require them to telephone your vet for a prescription. If you import it, you could find it being confiscated upon arrival by Customs! Do NOT stop heartworm preventative treatment during the winter months. Irrespective of your climate, it needs to be given 12 months of the year. Be aware that animals still can contract tapeworm. We buy Droncit for the cats via healthypets though Tractor Supply are now stocking it at a competitive price - in both cases far cheaper for the same product than we can buy from any vet; the dog tabs we obtain via the vet at this stage but will be switching over to online buying in the near future. Be careful with one particular brand of tapeworm treatment in dogs - read the label carefully as the one I looked at in a store today, but cannot remember the name of, requires no-food for approx 12 hrs before and X number of hours after the drug being administered; also can cause vomiting and diarohea. There's safer alternatives!...See MoreKilling flea beetles organically
Comments (2)Spinosad is known to be very harmful to bees and is not rated for Flea Beetles, and pyrethjrins are very broad spectrum poisons that will kill many beneficials if applied at the wrong time. "All Natural 3-in-1 Garden Insect Spray is a special mix of miticidal/insecticidal/fungicidal compounds blended to provide a broad-spectrum anti-respiration solution for total insect, mite and disease control." Broad spectrum means it kills many insects and mites including beneficials. Insecticidal soaps must contact the target insect and are not very effective against Flea Beetles anyway. Potassium Bicarbonate is a fungicide, not an insecticide. Neem products have an adverse affect on bees and is rated as a moderate, or category III, pesticide for bees and should only be applied early in the morning or evening when the bees are not active. Since Flea Beetles are not too fond of wet environments, they prefer dry, spraying plants mid day might be of some help. Garlic sprays are known to repel them as are hot pepper sprays. Start with the least toxic pesticide that will offer some control of your target pest, keeping in mind that not all will work against every pest and most all can be harmful to beneficials if not used with due care....See Moresocks
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