About a month ago I posted a rant about fleas and how DH forked out $600 to treat our house. Yes, the cat was treated before hand. I freaked out at the price and the fact that the exterminator told us to vacuum twice a day for two weeks, which we did religiously.
He also told us to expect a new batch of fleas which were incapable of reproducing.
DH was OK with this while I was not, especially since we were doing all the work for paying $600.
Well, now it's six weeks later and the fleas have seemingly died off, except for two or three, that appeared today.
Well, DH went on a mad vacuuming spree and wants to bug bomb the house again.
I say call back the exterminator and chew him out and bring him back.
Truth is I don't see two or three fleas as a big deal at all. Of course they are biting DH, not me. One did land my daughter but we caught it.
Because of my nonchalant attitude, DH said I'm acting like I don't care!
Well, again, I don't care about two or three fleas. I care that we spent $600 to still have them.
Thoughts? Am I er, "underreacting?"
I'm ready to call the exterminator back because I'm tired of my husband's reaction to a few fleas. Of course I'd demand he finish the job.
@Victoria: Yes, this is what i hope is the end of the new batch.
@Marda: Thank you! I also think DH wanted me to be more upset that flea landed on our daughter!
Just go to walmart and grab some of the carpet flea stuff, that should take care of any live ones you have, even if they can't reproduce.
You have a cat. You can expect to get a few fleas from time to time. The cat has to be treated monthly to keep fleas away but even then you may still get a flea or two. I'm with you. It is no big deal. The fact that you're not upset is an indication that you are realistic in your expectations and has nothing to do with whether or not you care about him.
You can also get fleas from the yard. They jump on you and get carried into the house. I suggest that with the cold weather the outside ones will die off if that's what you have.
I would tell my husband that since he's the one that's upset he needs to be the one who talks with the exterminator. And.....I would not bomb the house. The bombs contain too many toxic chemicals that are much more hazardous than 2-3 fleas.
We've had dogs for years and never had fleas in the house. Then a couple years ago when I'm 9 months pregnant I start seeing fleas on the dogs and in the house. I freaked out because we're about to have a new baby in the house. Because of the baby, I didn't want the house to be sprayed with toxic chemicals, so I just treated all the dogs with Frontline because it says it will not only get rid of the fleas on your dog, but also the fleas in the house because it keeps them from reproducing and there's nothing for them to feed on. It took about a month, but it worked. I also put a powder on the rugs and vacuumed every day. I know someone else mentioned it, but make sure you empty the vacuum bag or canister every time until they're gone. I'd be more afraid of the toxic chemicals than a couple fleas. Maybe keep your cat indoors?
I don't have any advice as to how to handle the exterminator as I've always taken care of flea outbreaks myself by treating the animals with flea medication and vacuuming the house. It takes a while to get rid of them all. I'm just writing to let you know about something you may not have done that could be contributing to your issue.
During the time of flea eradication, it is important to dispose of your vacuum bag every time you clean the house (or use the trick listed in the link below) because fleas can live in the bag, then escape back into the house.
http://www.ehow.com/info_###-###-####_can-fleas-live-vacu...
But really, I think your husband is over-reacting. He's getting bit by fleas that don't know they're already dead. Once they are gone, you shouldn't suffer from another batch. He's getting bit by the "we just hatched and are the last generation because the house has been treated, the animals have been treated and we aren't going to survive to breed" fleas. This was their last hurrah.
I would tell your DH that it isn't because you don't care, it's just that you show it differently.
You don't over-react or get crazy about things.
You're more laid back and take them in stride.
Then you can always put a call into the exterminator to see what he says.
Well, flea bites are terrible. To fork out $600 for getting rid of fleas is also terrible. Unfortunately fleas lay a lot of eggs and you may have killed the parent fleas off completely with the $600 extermination, but those eggs will eventually hatch. So yes you will have to deal with killing those off as well. Keep kitty treated so as to not repeat this experience. Please sympathize with your husband if he is the one getting bit.
As a side note, mint will help detour the fleas from biting you. When I was a kid, my two cats and dog would often end up with fleas from all the wild rabbits we had outside on our property. In fact, we even brought in fleas on us. I always was the one to get bit. Summer would result in me having red legs from scratching so much. Nothing helped. Quite by accident, one day when I was brushing my teeth I discovered that rubbing a caught flea in a ball of toothpaste easily killed the little vampires. I rubbed it on my legs and they stayed off me the rest of that day. They never bit anyone else in my family, and I noticed that I was the only one who didn't eat a lot of mints. After I started eating mints, I had fewer flea bites.
Good luck with the flea battle!
What was the cat treated with? Is it the only pet in the house? Does it go outside?
If you are using a monthly topical from your veterinarian on the cat, you should have no flea problems in the future. The preventive topical makes your cat an unwelcome host and the fleas will have nowhere to feed so they will die off.
The stuff you buy at Walmart and pet stores isn't the same. Make sure you are using a vet-approved treatment.
Don't be rude to the exterminator or chew him out. That's not very nice. Call him up and ask if this is the last batch of fleas that he was talking about. If not, then perhaps he could spray again. But if you're not treating the cat monthly, that won't help.
$600 to get rid of fleas? I didn't pay that much to get rid of mice, and they were a big problem... That rate seems like it is more for bed bugs. For that amount I would make the exterminator come back and fix it. We had cats that went outside a lot growing up, and there were lots of fleas. I remember my mom getting a flea bomb from the grocery store that took care of the problem. I think this guy really took advantage of you, and I sure as heck wouldn't pay another $600! Make sure you get your cats monthly protection against fleas to keep the problem from coming back.
So is this the "new batch"... ?
