Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Should I do something about fleas?

59 replies

Isittoolate1 · 18/07/2023 23:17

I looked at my arm earlier and there was a flea there, sucking my blood like it's no big deal.

I did also get a bite on my ankle while walking downstairs yesterday now I think of it.

DD has also had about 3 or 4 tiny red bites on her over the last month, maybe around one a week? They fade after a day and she doesn't scratch them. Nothing on DS or DH.

I thought you either had (loads of) fleas and had to treat or you didn't, I didn't realise you could just get the odd one (no pets).

Would you treat the house? Are the products toxic? Or should I just take my hoovering routing up a notch for a few days?

I found a flea on my arm around the same time last year while sitting on the sofa and never had another.

But i don't want to just ignore it if it could potentially become a problem. Any advice welcome!

OP posts:
Original poster
Isittoolate1 · 19/07/2023 07:31

Yes @bert3400 I'm so sure it's from the garden. Last year DD was getting bitten when sat on the grass. So annoying. I will check if there is something that can be used for the lawn, it would be good to sort out the source of the problem.

OP posts:
Blinkinbloodyhayfever · 19/07/2023 07:35

We had fleas once in our works carpet. No idea how they got there as no pets as work, and the office was upstairs, but they had to get the carpets treated.

newnamethanks · 19/07/2023 07:38

If you've found one then all their mates will be along shortly when the temperature rises and they hatch out, hungry and looking for dinner. Get your house treated, nothing else will work.

TimeSlipMushroom · 19/07/2023 07:39

We had a whole house flea infestation without having any pets. Pretty sure it came from an overnight visitor who's cat at home has fleas.

Managed to get on top if it with copious hoovering, sprays and washing all bedding a lot

Original poster
Isittoolate1 · 19/07/2023 07:48

What a nightmare @TimeSlipMushroom . Can I check when you say infestation how bad it got so I can be on the look out? Could you see multiple fleas, get bitten every day? Would I be able to spot things like eggs?

OP posts:
Maddy70 · 19/07/2023 07:50

There are more less than you think... You need to fumigate your house and treat your pets

Original poster
Isittoolate1 · 19/07/2023 07:52

Just to reiterate, we have NO PETS 😊

OP posts:
Lizzt2007 · 19/07/2023 08:28

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 18/07/2023 23:21

You have loads of fleas. Treat your animals with spot on and get Indorex spray for the house and then do it again in a couple of weeks.

She doesn't have any animals to treat !

TimeSlipMushroom · 19/07/2023 08:30

Isittoolate1 · 19/07/2023 07:48

What a nightmare @TimeSlipMushroom . Can I check when you say infestation how bad it got so I can be on the look out? Could you see multiple fleas, get bitten every day? Would I be able to spot things like eggs?

Yes, could see fleas jumping about and on me. Thought I would never be rid of them but it was relatively quick

C8H10N4O2 · 19/07/2023 08:33

Isittoolate1 · 19/07/2023 07:52

Just to reiterate, we have NO PETS 😊

How long have you lived in the house? Fleas/eggs can lie dormant for years, particularly in carpets/textiles and then become active after a bout of hot or humid weather.

Indorex is good but you might also want to steam clean any carpets if you have only been in the house a few years and the previous owners kept pets.

Original poster
Isittoolate1 · 19/07/2023 08:47

@C8H10N4O2 the previous owners did have cats but we've been here for 6 years and also have no carpets anywhere (they're the first thing we got rid of when we moved in). Hopefully that should make it a bit easier to keep things under control, and points to stray fleas coming in from the garden.

I'm definitely going to set up little traps to keep track though and will also wear shorts today (I work from home) so I can serve as bait and see!

@TimeSlipMushroom that's reassuring

OP posts:
User68253 · 19/07/2023 09:35

The chances are you have had a flea infestation the whole time, but none of you are allergic so you don't react to the bites. You may be starting to react now because there are so many. Seeing more than one a day suggests a large infestation.

I am allergic to flea bites, and I've been to families houses and been covered in bites by the time I leave and they have said they don't get bitten so don't believe me. I have had several flea infestations myself, and my partner and two of my children never get any visible bites even when I am covered head to toe. One of my children sometimes reacts but not every time they are bitten, I think it in their case it depends how long the flea is feeding for. It sounds the same for you and yours.

If you don't want to bother getting rid of them, don't invite any guests into your home without warning them. Bites are miserable when you are reactive to them.

User68253 · 19/07/2023 09:39

Have you been in the loft or attic recently? We always used to release dormant fleas when getting things out the loft in summer. Also yes to them living in the garden, it's very common when cats are in the area.

Mummysalwaysright · 19/07/2023 10:29

If you catch one (dead!), you can send them off somewhere and they will identify what type it is - e.g. if it's a cat flea, human flea etc. That might help identify where they have come from.

Buy some flea spray from the pet shop. Wash your bed covers and do the vacuuming all on the same day. And if you have long grass near the house it might help to get it mown.

Original poster
Isittoolate1 · 19/07/2023 10:56

@User68253 yes that's annoying I seem to only react occasionally. Even when I did see a bite it only itched for a few minutes and completely disappeared within an hour. So if I got bitten at night I'd have no mark by the morning.

I have so far only seen one flea, which is now dead, I am not seeing them daily thank god.

@Mummysalwaysright human fleas! Oh god i didn't know they existed!

We have cats who visit our garden so I'm going to go with that theory !

Vacuuming and washing bed covers has all been done this morning.

OP posts:
EilonwyWithRedGoldHair · 19/07/2023 11:54

Spray and keep hoovering.

We had an infestation once (three cats, bought the wrong treatment - the 'mildly discourage fleas' drops rather than the 'kill them dead' drops). It was absolutely horrendous. Sprayed the house three times, combed all three cats every evening with a comb that electrocutes the fleas and was getting 12-16 off each cat every day. I was even crawling on the floor looking for the larvae to squish them.

Anyway, you don't have pets so hopefully one spray and lots of hoovering will do - we also put a flea collar in our vaccum cleaner, to kill any that got hoovered up.

Mummysalwaysright · 19/07/2023 13:13

@EilonwyWithRedGoldHair "we also put a flea collar in our vaccum cleaner, to kill any that got hoovered up"

That's such a good idea! Thanks for that.

CriticalAlert · 19/07/2023 14:24

Isittoolate1 · 18/07/2023 23:41

Indorex ordered. Will hoover first thing in the morning then apply indorex when it gets delivered.

I'm wondering whether to set up traps overnight just to reassure myself that we don't have millions.

Don't buy flea traps. Complete waste of money. Use the indirect and hoover. Ensure all your bedding and soft covers and clothes are super clean. Ensure that you clean the hoover after hoovering . Fleas are a bastard to get rid of. These must be human fleas if you don't have pets. I don't think you've been lackadaisical. I just don't think that you realise these are a nasty parasite and you'll have an infestation pretty soon.

Original poster
Isittoolate1 · 19/07/2023 16:26

Thank you @CriticalAlert . It's funny because I have a lot of anxiety around bugs and parasites, which rules my life on a daily basis (no exaggeration sadly) but somehow this seems to be limited to mainly scabies, threadworms and bed bugs, whereas fleas don't trigger me (yet).

Probably because I know nothing about them and haven't done the hours of googling to find every possible horror story (yet).

As I found 2 in the house last year and never had another until now, they seemed nothing more to me than a tiny bug that found its way into the house from the garden. No different to a fly for example. Of course I'd get rid of a fly but I wouldn't spray insecticide over the whole house and boil wash everything after seeing one.

But I digress! I am now educated and grateful for the advice.

OP posts:
CriticalAlert · 19/07/2023 16:45

Isittoolate1 · 19/07/2023 16:26

Thank you @CriticalAlert . It's funny because I have a lot of anxiety around bugs and parasites, which rules my life on a daily basis (no exaggeration sadly) but somehow this seems to be limited to mainly scabies, threadworms and bed bugs, whereas fleas don't trigger me (yet).

Probably because I know nothing about them and haven't done the hours of googling to find every possible horror story (yet).

As I found 2 in the house last year and never had another until now, they seemed nothing more to me than a tiny bug that found its way into the house from the garden. No different to a fly for example. Of course I'd get rid of a fly but I wouldn't spray insecticide over the whole house and boil wash everything after seeing one.

But I digress! I am now educated and grateful for the advice.

No problem. I once had a cat with fleas. I didn't take a lot of notice, through ignorance more than anything. We once went away in holiday and put the cat in a cattery. When we returned home (cat wasn't with us as we hadn't collected her) I was literally COVERED in fleas. It was f***g horrible. They were after blood. I then realised what foul things they were and what our poor cat had been going through.
So get them out of your house before they get a grip. But don't get the flea traps - totally useless. Good luck!!

EilonwyWithRedGoldHair · 19/07/2023 17:08

CriticalAlert · 19/07/2023 14:24

Don't buy flea traps. Complete waste of money. Use the indirect and hoover. Ensure all your bedding and soft covers and clothes are super clean. Ensure that you clean the hoover after hoovering . Fleas are a bastard to get rid of. These must be human fleas if you don't have pets. I don't think you've been lackadaisical. I just don't think that you realise these are a nasty parasite and you'll have an infestation pretty soon.

Show quote history

You can put out a bowl of warm water with some washing up liquid in, ideally stick a lamp over it. The warmth will attract fleas the washing up liquid will break the surface tension so they drown.

CriticalAlert · 19/07/2023 17:11

EilonwyWithRedGoldHair · 19/07/2023 17:08

You can put out a bowl of warm water with some washing up liquid in, ideally stick a lamp over it. The warmth will attract fleas the washing up liquid will break the surface tension so they drown.

Show quote history

Sounds like a good idea..... but it won't work. Fleas won't drown, they'll just jump off the water surface tension.

GiraffeDoor · 19/07/2023 17:17

I don't think fleas can reproduce on just human blood? Even cat fleas can't live on dogs. I've never heard of human fleas... 😕

Anyway, we do have pets. Every so often a couple of us will notice a couple of bites, so then I usually just treat the pets and that's that. I've never had to fumigate the whole house, and I have actual pets who live in my house full time!

skyeisthelimit · 19/07/2023 17:20

I use Indorex. They come back every year in the bathroom and the living room, but the treatment will mostly stop them

EilonwyWithRedGoldHair · 19/07/2023 21:50

CriticalAlert · 19/07/2023 17:11

Sounds like a good idea..... but it won't work. Fleas won't drown, they'll just jump off the water surface tension.

Show quote history

That's what the washing up liquid is for, to break the surface tension.