Fleas infest pet owner's yards like clockwork when the warm seasons begin. Unfortunately, no matter how diligently you treat the fleas on your pets and in your home, if the yard is left untreated the fleas remain. Chemical insecticides may be used to treat yard infestations, but those chemicals may be dangerous for humans, animals and plants. Safer and effective alternatives exist to control your yard's flea problem.
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Clean Up
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The first step in eliminating fleas from your yard safely is to give the yard a good cleaning. Remove any broken or unused lawn furniture that may serve as hideouts for fleas. Also remove old or dead plants, leaves and piles of brush or dirt. Clearing out things that harbor fleas puts them out into the open where your treatments may reach and eliminate them more easily. It also encourages them to go someplace else where they have more opportunities for shelter.
Nematodes
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Add nematodes, a beneficial garden insect, to your yard. Nematodes are small worm-like insects that feed on the larvae and eggs of fleas. Since the nematodes control the young flea population, the older flea population eventually dies out leaving no fleas at all. These insects may be purchased from feed stores or garden supply stores. An added bonus of nematodes is that they also control termites.
Soap Sprays
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Soap sprays created from dish detergent, water, citrus peels and essential oils such as eucalyptus or tea tree oil may be sprayed onto lawns as a means of flea control. These sprays poison and suffocate fleas and their offspring. Soap sprays are completely safe for use around humans and animals, and are safe for lawns and garden plants. Simply mix up a spray and put it in a garden sprayer to apply. Soap sprays also control mosquitoes.
Dusting
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Dusting your yard with diatomaceous earth or borax does not harm humans or animals in the yard, but it is deadly to fleas. These powders poison fleas and their offspring. They also make tiny cuts on the bodies of the fleas. These cuts eventually add up, causing the fleas to die of dehydration. Diatomaceous earth and borax wash off of lawns after rain or watering, so be sure to reapply after the lawn becomes wet for any reason.
Water
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Simply spraying your lawn with water may make it look greener, but does nothing for fleas. However, water can be an effective and safe flea control method when used correctly. During rainy weather, the rain washes away adult fleas and drowns out flea eggs and larvae. During dry weather, you can do the same by flooding your lawn periodically. Flooding your lawn also creates an environment much to damp for fleas to breed.
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