You have several ways to control fleas depending on where they are and how many you have. This article looks at some of the best flea sprays on the market to help you get rid of these pests before they take over your life.
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How do flea sprays work?
Similar to other pest control sprays, flea sprays act as direct contact killers. Most do not leave residual chemicals, and they tend to come in either aerosol cans or spray bottles (think windex style).
Most sprays use a form of pyrethroids, which are natural insecticides extracts from the chrysanthemum flowers. The more effective sprays also contain an insect growth regulator (IGR) aspect that halts the rate of reproduction.
How To Choose the Best Flea Spray
Before you can choose the best flea spray to suit your situation, you first need to consider what you want to use it for. Some sprays are 100% safe to use in your home and on the skin of your pets, but others have a more potent chemical base designed to treat larger infestations.
For example, Pyrethroids are relatively safe to use on dogs, but can be toxic to cats if they include a residual effect. Cats are also more susceptible to toxicity with permethrins and natural oils.
Always read the label of your product carefully to check how to apply the product in the safest manner possible.
Read Also; What’re the best flea collars for cats?
How To Use a Flea Spray
When using flea sprays you’ll probably end up spraying it into two places:
- Your cat or dog’s fur
- The area where your pet sleeps/lives
It’s important to understand that not all flea sprays can be applied to your pet’s bedding and not all flea sprays can be applied directly on your pet. Flea sprays vary and are labeled for different uses. Please read the label of your spray before application.
If you’re going to apply a flea spray directly, first bathe your pet to get as many fleas off before application.
Next, lightly spritz your pet starting from the head to the tail applying an even coat. Consider also ruffling their fur as your continue lightly spritzing up and down their bodies (again head to tail). Avoid spraying directly into your pet’s face. Instead, spray a cloth and lightly rub their face avoiding their eyes, mouth, and nose.
If you’re going to apply flea spray on your pet’s bedding area make sure to clean up the area as much as possible. Consider throwing out old bedding (infested or not) for best results before applying your flea spray.
When the area is cleaned, apply the spray until the area is visibly wet from the spray. Make sure to check the label of your product to make sure that any chemicals included in the product will not tarnish the surface you’re applying it on. I would hate if you applied spray to a sensitive surface and for it to get ruined!
Wait until the treated area is dry before letting anyone else come back into the space.
Best Way To Make Your Own Flea Spray
As with everything, you also have the option of trying your luck with making something at home. The most popular flea treatment uses vinegar.
How To Make Homemade Vinegar Spray
A very common homemade flea spray uses a solution of half water and half vinegar to spray onto your pets. Fleas hate vinegar and are less likely to jump onto a surface or host that’s covered with it. This means your pets will have fewer bites.
Quick Instructions:
- Fill a small bottle half way up with vinegar and to the top with water.
- Shake and spray onto your pet.
- When it’s dry, spray again to build up a thicker film of vinegar on your pet’s fur.
In my experience, this does work. I sprayed it onto my dog and he had fewer bites over the course of the week. As great as this “natural” solution sounds, it’s not 100% effective.
First, it probably won’t actually kill your fleas. The vinegar deters the fleas from your pets. This means you’re going to have to keep reapplying the spray to your pets.
Second, it might lead you into a false sense of security. You think the fleas are gone, but in reality, the infestation may be insidiously getting larger somewhere else in your home.
Not good…
There are other homemade sprays that you can try, but most concoctions aren’t as effective as vinegar.
Are flea sprays effective?
Yes and no.
How effective a flea spray is depends on the active ingredient, how well it targets adult and baby fleas, and the correct use from the person using the spray.
When fleas are still developing at the pupae stage they tend to be bit harder to kill given their cacoon-like protection. Only 5% of fleas are adults, the other 95% are developing. So, you need to use something that can overcome these obstacles and kill fleas at all stages of their life cycle.
Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as it sounds.
You can’t cover your house and pets in harmful and hazardous chemicals, right? Just remember that sprays are only really useful when you combine them with other preventative measures (pet baths, insect growth regulator, etc).
Top 5 Best Flea Sprays
Now that we’ve covered some of the flea spray basics, let’s take a look at some of the best flea sprays on the market.
- Adams Flea And Tick Home Spray
- Wondercide
- Vibrac Knockout
- Vet’s Best Flea And Tick Yard And Kennel Spray
- PT Alpine Flea And Bed Bug Pressurized Insecticide
Adams Flea And Tick Home Spray
Adams Flea and Tick Home Spray have three different pesticides that destroy fleas, flea larvae, and their eggs: S-methoprene, etofenprox, and piperonyl butoxide. These insecticides attack both the central nervous system and respiratory systems of fleas.
Flea-killing methods can take time to work, therefore, the use of an effective contact-killing spray is handy to have in your arsenal. This spray will kill all flea life stages within five minutes of contact.
Best of all, this spray also has an insect growth regulator (IGR) that renders both larvae and eggs sterile once the spray attaches to these life stages. This can prevent reinfestations for up to 7 months.
One container can treat up to 400 square feet and make sure to spray down all carpets, fabrics, the underside of upholstery, all the places where fleas live, and lay eggs. This product is definitely a multi-ingredient approach for flea control that can actually destroy the entire infestation.
Wondercide
Wondercide’s claim to fame is that they are a safe, non-synthetic alternative to flea control for pet owners. They use natural ingredients (cedar oil, lemongrass oil, and rosemary oil) to kill and repel fleas. The Founder and CEO Stephanie Boone appeared on Shark Tank getting a $500,000 offer to expand their product line.
The oil stops their heart and has a strong repellent action too. You can spray this onto your pet’s fur and on your clothes.
Wondercide uses a mixture of natural ingredients to repel fleas and also reduces the itching on your pet’s skin. There have been some complaints about the powerful odor from their Cedar line, but Lemongrass and Rosemary seem to be more tolerable. Also, I found that they changed up their original formula and some customers have complained that it reduced effectiveness.
Vibrac Knockout
As opposed to the Wondercide above, this product’s main purpose is to spray the surrounding area where your pet lives. It is not something you would spray directly onto your pet.
Permethrin, Pyriproxyfen, and Pyrethrums are the active ingredients of Virbac. This can kill adults and stop nymphs from developing, but it doesn’t impact the eggs (use a dedicated insect growth regulator for that).
When you apply this product, it’s best to leave the room until the spray dries up. This means you and your pets need to be out of the room for a while after you use Virbac.
PT Alpine Flea And Bed Bug Pressurized Insecticide
Let’s face it, some flea infestations will require strong and potent chemicals to destroy the colony.
This pressurized spray is a go-to tool for pest control professionals when treating bed bugs, and it will also kill fleas just as well.
The active ingredient in PT Alpine is prallethrin, which is in the pyrethroid family and attacks the central nervous system of fleas with a lethal toxic effect. This spray has a 30-day residual effect, which is what makes it so powerful for killing bed bugs and fleas.
One 20 ounces can treat up to 2,625 square feet, which is enough to treat a few different rooms inside of your home. Just hold the can and make a sweeping motion against all carpeting and fabrics where fleas and their eggs harbor. The chemical will seep into the fabric and continue killing fleas for a month if the product is not removed.
The standout feature of this spray is the addition of an insect growth regulator (IGR) that will continue to kill and prevent fleas for up to 7 months.
Vet’s Best Flea And Tick Yard And Kennel Spray
Adams Flea and Tick Home Spray have three different pesticides that destroy fleas, flea larvae, and their eggs: S-methoprene, etofenprox, and piperonyl butoxide. These insecticides attack both the central nervous system and respiratory systems of fleas.
Flea-killing methods can take time to work, therefore, the use of an effective contact killing spray is handy to have in your arsenal. This spray will kill all flea life stages within five minutes of contact.
Best of all, this spray also has an insect growth regulator (IGR) that renders both larvae and eggs sterile once the spray attaches to these life stages. This can prevent reinfestations for up to 7 months.
One container can treat up to 400 square feet and make sure to spray down all carpets, fabrics, the underside of upholstery, all the places where fleas live, and lay eggs. This product is definitely a multi-ingredient approach for flea control that can actually destroy the entire infestation.
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