Fleas in house - no pets

[sidneykitty]

We have fleas in our home, which are biting me. We do not currently have any pets.

The first week of October, we temporarily (4 days) took in a semi-feral/stray cat who someone we knew was feeding/caring for. She was totally terrified, didn't eat the entire time, and hid under our futon or bed or couch most of the time. I suspect this is where they came from. I was under the false impression the cat had been treated for fleas.

Since early November-ish (I don't recall exactly), I started noticing itchy bites on my ankles, along my shorts hem line, and pants waistline. I first (fearfully) checked for bed bugs. Nothing. Last Wednesday, I found a flea on my arm and confirmed what I was beginning to suspect.

Only I have been getting bitten, not my partner (or he hasn't noticed). We have NO pets in the house right now and haven't had any since early October. I'm hoping? this means it might be easier to get rid of them??

I haven't even definitively seen/found any eggs or flea dirt. (which is confusing me - and how can I tell between fuzz and eggs?)

What we have done so far:
1) we bought a new better vacuum last Wednesday night and did the whole house
2) the next day I bought PetArmor home Flea & Tick Household Spray (contains pesticide for adults and IGR), sprayed the upstairs and ran out of spray
3) Saturday, bought Zodiac Carpet and Upholstry Aerosol spray (contains pesticide for adults and IGR) and sprayed the entire downstairs

also -
- vacuuming every other day. The carpet (our place has almost wall to wall carpet unfortunately), the cracks, couch, mattress, office chair, cat trees, etc.
- Washed all laundry/bedding/pet blankets and beds, most clothes on hot and in dryer at laundromat (except wool which went in the freezer and are being stored in ziploc bags til this is over) and I ruined my curtains washing them on hot because the thermal backing melted oops
- Threw out all rugs/mats, anything I couldn't deal with cleaning because I hit a wall of tolerance/effort

Alternate possible sources include (but not as important to determine as getting rid of them!!!):
1) an outdoor cat I pet on the sidewalk while on a walk on Oct 31
2) our dryer vent cover came off the wall (we don't have/use a dryer so it just sits uselessly ignored)
3) on our pants/ankles/shoes/ after a hike

I plan to re-apply the sprays 14 days after the first application (is that the right thing to do?), continue to vacuum, continue to do hot laundry, etc. Are we doing everything right? I'm exhausted from the constant vacuuming and laundry already, the mental exhaustion and disgustingness of having things biting me and reproducing and the anxiety it's triggering in me, feeling constantly itchy and like things are crawling all over me. I just got new bites yesterday despite wearing tall socks tucked into my pants, having laundered/vaccumed/sprayed everything, and it's exhausting. I've read horror stories of this going on for months and months and it terrifies me. Can anyone offer some hope/advice/tips - this will end, right?? How long will it take??

I've read tons of conflicting info online - if eggs don't hatch after 3 days, they won't or that eggs CAN hatch up to 10 days later, and that it can take 3 months to clear, and that fleas do or do not live on clothes (Something that I've been paranoid about), or that they can lie dormant for up to a YEAR? (that is terrifying) or that fleas can only survive up to 14 days or 100 days without a host and it's all been frustrating.

And -How do I clean/sanitize my shoes?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I think the fleas will be easier to get rid of with you not having any pets in the home, but you still can continually bring them in on your clothes anyway, So, you should consider using a pesticide on your yard and around the house. Eggs/larvae can remain dormant for quite a well - they need activity and a heat source to 're-activate' them, Shoe sanitation could be done with food grade Diatomaceous earth (D.E.) - a shallow tray of it to set your shoes in before you enter the home, but you could probably just as easily spray them with one of the products you are using on the house before you enter.

This web site has a lot of information about flea life span/cycles and products/actions you can take to help eradicate them, and I found it very informative.
FleaScience

 

[Alldara]

A clothing steamer is super helpful for cleaning cracks of furniture and things like shoes. Make sure to get one that certified to kill bed bugs, as it should be hot enough to kill fleas.

And on that note, I'll suggest that you have someone come in to do a free consultation for pests in your home. They may have some tips.

 

[sidneykitty]

thanks FeebysOwner ! I read through the flea science site before, it's full of good info! I'm hesitant to spray the insides of my shoes with pesticide, but I sprayed them with a Eugenol + cedarwood oil spray. I might try putting them in boiling water. I'm not quite sure what I would use outside...I only have a very small garden plot and paved area, not a proper yard. I trimmed some plants that were reaching over the path to the front door yesterday. Anything you'd recommend?

A Alldara - thanks! I think we decided a steam cleaner was going to be the next thing to get and try if we didn't get rid of them with what we're doing now. I did call a company and talk with them and they were very helpful.

I've put out sticky bug traps under lights the last 2 consecutive nights and caught nothing. My old soapy water buckets I was using before caught 1 in 1 room and nothing in the other rooms. I'm not sure what to think but I'll keep at it.

Initially, I think part of the problem was I workout at home and so I was on the floor (on a mat) and likely getting bit a lot from that.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I only have a very small garden plot and paved area, not a proper yard. I trimmed some plants that were reaching over the path to the front door yesterday. Anything you'd recommend?

For my screen enclosed patio, I use the same thing as I use inside the house - Precor 2000. For plant areas, you could use what I use around the outside perimeter of my patio - Bayer Complete Insect Killer.

 

[iPappy]

Hi,
Would setting off a bug bomb be doable? It should clear everything in your house so you can start from scratch, and you'll be able to be sure if there are fleas coming in or if they were leftover in the environment from the feral you housed. I've done this in the past and it's a pain to prepare for, but it really works if the situation gets bad enough. Just make sure to follow the instructions carefully.

 

[daftcat75]

Don't forget to treat your cars (automobiles) as any fleas in your home can hitch a ride on you or your socks into your car and take up residence there too. Treat your car like an extension of your home that also needs to be treated.

Keeping up with laundry and vacuuming is going to help you keep up with the flea lifecycle. So the first round of spraying and treatment kills the adults and it should inhibit the eggs and larvae from maturing. Heat and motion can stir fleas into action. You'll want the vacuum to be the bait rather than you. Let them awake inside the vacuum bag. Rather than on your legs.

I've had good luck using Flea Busters powder to treat the home. It can make quite a cloud of irritating airborne powder, though. You'll want to read the directions, use eyewear and a mask, and keep other humans and animals out of the room while applying it. Once the dust settles, it's safe for people and animals. You can even hire someone to apply it for you and it comes with a guarantee if they have to come back and reapply.
Home - Fleabusters

 

[BeccaCat]

I hate to ask this, but are you positive it’s fleas? I had weird itchy bumps all over me like 20 years ago and it was driving me nuts. After a long time of trying to get rid of whatever it was, with nothing working, it turned out I was allergic to the clumping litter.

I didn’t think fleas could live for long in a pet free home. I could be very wrong. I hope it clears up quickly.

 

[sidneykitty]

I am not sure I want to do a bug bomb but I have vacuumed the car.

B BeccaCat - I did initially think it was something else like a contact dermatitis (recently changed my body soap but I changed it back and still got spots) or eczema or some other allergy. But the spots/bites look just like flea bites on the internet. They burn under hot water, which I read was characteristic of flea bites and the fact that I found one on me indicates that's what it is... I have a derm appointment (incidentally for something else) in a couple weeks I may ask though they may not have an answer. thanks! I hope so, too. I've read varying info on how long fleas can live without a suitable animal host. One big worry is if I bring home a foster cat (I've been fostering for the last couple of years) that some dormant eggs/larvae will survive, hatch, and start it all over again.

the stray cat seems the most likely but we also stayed at a pet-friendly vacation rental mid-October, which I suppose could also have been a potential source.

 

[daftcat75]

So I can tell you that fleas can survive a long time (remain dormant/inactive) even in a pet-free home. I got a flea resurgence a year after Krista passed. Although it’s possible that the creek trail I run or any number of dogs I interact with at the tap room is how I brought them home in the first place. But then I would have expected them the last two years and thankfully I appear to be done with them.

 

[sidneykitty]

oh no! that's awful daftcat75 but reassuring you eventually cleared them out? Do you remember how long it took?

I'm also encouraged by the fact that it seems to have improved since we sprayed and started all the cleaning. I found some dead fleas shortly after spraying. so here's hoping that trend continues.....
I don't know if I could keep this up for 3 months!!

 

[daftcat75]

oh no! that's awful daftcat75 but reassuring you eventually cleared them out? Do you remember how long it took?

I'm also encouraged by the fact that it seems to have improved since we sprayed and started all the cleaning. I found some dead fleas shortly after spraying. so here's hoping that trend continues.....
I don't know if I could keep this up for 3 months!!

After you have done laundry and treated premises, I would keep up with the vacuuming on a daily or near daily basis to make sure any leftover eggs/larvae are awakening in your vacuum rather than the next warm body that passes by. I would plan on doing the vacuuming for at least two or three months even if you aren't also doing the laundry that often. I don't remember how long it takes. Multiple months, at least.

 

[sidneykitty]

vacuuming everything like this every other day for 3 months? oh gosh. that's a lot. moving all the furniture, doing the baseboards, inside the reclining couch cushions/mechanisms as much as possible, etc. it takes 2 people 1-2 hours to finish and the laundry is $8-9 per hot load plus drying. it's adding up.



GROSS picture of a bug incoming - but I am 99.9% sure this is flea, yes? I caught this one, killed it, and preserved it as proof. I mean look at those gigantic legs. EW.

 

[daftcat75]

That certainly looks like a flea.

I would say once you have done a thorough vacuum, laundry, and premise treatment, then you want to keep up the vacuuming to make sure that any remaining fleas are activating in the vacuum bag rather than the next warm body that passes by. I think it's the larvae that are awaken by heat and vibration. Since you don't have a cat getting into and under everything, you probably don't have to keep moving furniture. Just vacuum your high traffic areas as your trafficking through those areas is flea bait. Make the vacuum flea bait instead.

 

[BeccaCat]

I was gonna say the same. I’d do the deep vacuuming once and maybe again once every week or two; and then the high traffic areas daily as well as what I could move with ease.

 

[sidneykitty]

hmm ok! My worry about not doing frequent thorough vacuuming means that somehow an egg or flea or larvae will somehow escape my efforts since the cat did go under a lot of furniture and that they are still somehow lurking there. but maybe I've covered those areas enough already. doing just the main areas is definitely much more do-able.

I'm just starting to feel possibly courageous to take up my workouts on the mat on the floor again without fearing being eaten alive and providing meals for them....! I did some short stretches on my mat yesterday (in long pants and tall socks) and came away ok. on top of the floor fear, we've been so busy cleaning/laundering that I haven't had time to do any exercise at home on top of additional tasks and the lack of keeping up my workouts is definitely wearing on me mentally and physically so getting back to it is important. beginning to feel like I can have some of my life back now that the initial panic subsided!

to my knowledge, I have not been bitten since Thursday. now let's hope I didn't jinx myself!!

 

[BeccaCat]

This is gonna sound kinda gross, but I had pets growing up and my mom wasn’t the best housekeeper. I came home from college once and slept in my bed (where the cat had been sleeping as well) and I woke up with flea bites all over my legs. I washed my own sheets, and I honestly don’t know if my mom treated the cat, I’d have to ask her. But that was pretty much it, and I never got any more bites.
I tell you this because while I completely understand fleas are gross and I would not like the thought of them in my home either, I think you might be driving yourself a bit crazy.
I say that in kindness, not judgement. I myself have a tendency to go overboard. I think you’re doing everything you can. For your own emotional health, I’d say go back to your normal routine, vacuum when you can, and just keep an eye on things. I think you hopped on this well before it became an infestation.

 

[sidneykitty]

B BeccaCat - thank you for sharing. I appreciate your words very much. I think you are right - I am aware I am overthinking/over-analyzing/overdoing it and trying to get back to things again. I have anxiety and things can quickly run away with me! I have also asked my partner to help me scale back if I start overdoing it and he's been very helpful with that, too.

 

[iPappy]

B BeccaCat - thank you for sharing. I appreciate your words very much. I think you are right - I am aware I am overthinking/over-analyzing/overdoing it and trying to get back to things again. I have anxiety and things can quickly run away with me! I have also asked my partner to help me scale back if I start overdoing it and he's been very helpful with that, too.

At one time, I had 3 cats and 2 dogs and had a flea outbreak. (Both dogs were having health issues, meaning multiple trips to the vet, and I had just found a sickly kitten which I'm sure didn't help). I didn't do a "deep vacuum" daily, but I'd do that twice a week or so. I did vacuum daily, but I hit any carpeted areas, rugs, etc., and kept bedding (theirs and mind) washed well. It took care of the problem. With having no pets in the house, this shouldn't be as big of a deal as it would be if you had a cat or several.

 

[sidneykitty]

Yikes! that sounds stressful. thanks for sharing your experience, I appreciate it! It seems better already so I'm hopeful we'll be in the clear relatively soon and while I really miss having a cat at home, I'm thankful we don't have to worry about having to treat as well.