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 Post subject: Fleas in Office
PostPosted: Tue Jul 08, 2003 11:50 am 
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Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2003 11:48 am
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One of my large offices has a flea infestation. Apparently this is not the first time. What would you guys recommend we tell maintenance to do that would be an organic solution?

Of course, I would prefer something that doesn't require the office to shut down overnight (it is a 24x7 operation).


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 08, 2003 10:05 pm 
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Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 10:59 am
Posts: 277
I assume you have yards of carpet and some computers around. If you can, I would hot water/steam clean the carpet (and anything fabric that you can do it to) and then go double duty on the vacuuming. If that's too awkward/expensive, you might consider vacuuming it well, then putting down a carpet treatment of some sort, depending on how close the employees are and how easy it is to move them out for a few minutes. One treatment that has been mentioned here is a light misting of a d-limonene (citrus oil extract) solution on the carpet. That should work fast, but don't drench the carpet. To be safe, you probably should move the employees out of the area while and immediately after you do it, and be aware of anyone with asthma. The stuff ordinarily isn't dangerous, but who knows who might be extra sensitive or how aggressive your maintenance people might be in applying it? Avoid spraying it on acrylic surfaces like plexiglass panes.

Another that I've seen good reviews of elsewhere was/is a diatomaceous earth/borate/d-limonene powder product called "DeLime'Inator" by Hansen's Pets. I haven't seen it around lately, so I can't say for sure that it's still available, but it's worth looking for. The d-limonene and DE kills the adults, the borate kills the larvae. Because of the DE, it is abrasive, so if you use it, be careful around the computers. The borate/boric acid-only products seem to work pretty well, but they will take a bit of time -- they kill larvae fairly fast, but seem to take from a few to maybe 14 days to kill adults. The powder carpet treatments generally will last until you clean the carpets with a liquid medium. You also might try thorough vacuuming maybe 1-3 times a day for awhile and see if that helps. When you finish vacuuming, vaccum up a little corn starch to suffocate the adults that the vacuum picks up (or empty the bag). A company that does flea treatments for floors and other areas is Fleabusters (www.fleabuster.com), but I don't have personal experience with them. They also sell the dry carpet product, Rx For Fleas, (presumably a borate product?) that they apply.

If, on the other hand, you have hard surfaced floor instead of carpetiing, then a spray down with a mild d-limonene solution should go a long way to solve the problem (spot test it to be sure it doesn't affect the finish). Even a soapy water spray should get many of the adults.

There are some other flea threads on the forum that you might check, but most of them involve animals, which I assume you don't have. If animals are involved in the office, that's an added dimension. The fleas came from somewhere, but you probably have sidewalks into/out of the building. Unless your employees track around on the grass before coming into the office, I doubt the immediate outdoors is the source. If it is, apply beneficial nematodes to the grounds to control the larvae. There are other strategies that perhaps others will post, but those are a few ideas.

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In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice, they aren't -- lament of the synthetic lifestyle.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 9:11 am 
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Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:10 am
Posts: 52
Location: Salado
Get something besides carpet. Nothing worked in my house until we got rid of all the carpet. The mats under the carpet are hard to reach with any powder or steam cleaner. It is an expensive but long term solution.


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 22, 2003 7:15 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2003 9:50 pm
Posts: 59
Location: DFW
I second the carpet problem. Those little critters and their eggs get way down in the carpet and the junk underneath the carpet.

Less exspensive to just get it all out of there! Or you can keep paying to have it treated. :roll:

Also found these tips:
For fleas...
To break the reproductive cycle of fleas, have your carpet thoroughly steam-cleaned twice a year. Have your carpet annually treated with sodium polyborate (boric acid) or fenoxycarb (an insect growth regulator in the form of a synthetic hormone).

Or simply salt your carpet with common table salt, resalting after vacuuming. The salt acts as a desiccant when it comes in contact with flea eggs or larvae, much like the reaction of a slug or snail when sprinkled with salt.

Vacuum daily, or at least every other day.

This may be an option for you too:
http://www.fleabuster.com/
It is an alternative to liquid pesticides and foggers. They say a year guarantee too. Don't fuss at me if it doesn't work though. :lol:


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