Flea Control: Outdoor Problems, Spraying Get Rid of Fleas

YOU WILL SEE FLEAS HATCHING ON DAYS FOLLOWING SPRAY TREATMENT.
One of the most common complaints comes from people who have just sprayed their lawn for fleas or had the lawn treated by a pest control service. Many people expect to never see another flea, as soon as their lawn has been sprayed. It does not matter whether they sprayed their own lawn or hired a professional for the flea treatment, they still expect to see miracles immediately after the spray treatment.
Seeing fleas after treatment is quite normal and does not mean that your flea control products not working. Adult fleas and a few flea larvae are killed by coming into contact with your insecticide, usually within a couple of hours after coming into contact with the flea spray. Flea pupae are water-tight and are not affected by your spray. Expect to see fleas after you spray – this is normal!!
In areas where fleas are always a problem (due to stray cats, squirrels, rodents or other wildlife) an IGR that contains Nylar can help long term control of flea eggs and flea larvae.
Insecticides kill adult fleas; IGR controls eggs and larvae; nothing kills flea pupae!
Imagine that there are thousands of water-tight cocoons (larvae) scattered over your lawn. Inside of these cocoons are fleas, in different stages of their development. While some of the cocoons contain flea larvae that have just recently built their cocoon, others have grown into fully developed adult fleas. As these fully developed fleas feel the heat, humidity, vibrations and other signals that a possible host is nearby, they will hatch out of their protected pupa casing to locate a blood meal. If the lawn has been properly sprayed, these newly emerged fleas will eventually move through the pesticide material where they will accumulate a lethal dose of the insecticide.
NOT ALL FLEAS WILL EMERGE FROM THEIR PUPAE AT THE SAME TIME. Many people think that all the fleas in their lawn will go through a cycle that has the fleas emerging at the same time. It is true that all fleas go through this cycle - but not all at the same time.
There are hundreds or thousands of female fleas in your lawn that have mated and had the necessary blood meals to reproduce. Each mated female flea will lay a few eggs every day, eventually laying 200 to 500 eggs in her life span! It is not rational to believe that two pesticide applications spaced 14 days apart will catch the flea life cycle and immediately exterminate the flea population. The flea life cycle is going on in your lawn literally every few seconds!
After spraying their lawn for fleas, most people report a sudden increase in biting fleas approximately 2 weeks after the pesticide application. This is not due to the life cycle of the flea. It is, however, due to the pesticide beginning to break down to the point where it is no longer showing its best knock-down power. This is why a second spray is often needed, about 14 days from the initial application.

Flea Spray Instructions

Remove toys, pet food and water dishes or other such items before treatment. If area needs to be mowed or raked, do so before spraying.

To spray your lawn you will need a garden hose, a hose end sprayer and a professional strength insecticide that is labeled for killing fleas.
DO NOT USE A PUMP TYPE SPRAYER FOR OUTDOOR FLEA INFESTATIONS!
When flea control products are not applied correctly, proper coverage is not achieved, pesticides tend to rest on vegetation instead of targeted soil and sunlight will destroy your products.
ALWAYS USE A HOSE END SPRAYER TO TREAT YOUR LAWN FOR FLEAS OR TICKS! Use either a 20 gallon hose end sprayer or an approved dial sprayer. Avoid using No-Clog type sprayers as they tend to be too inaccurate for applying pesticides safely. Hose end sprayers designed for water soluble fertilizers do not usually provide an even, accurate spray solution for pesticide application.
A good dial-mix sprayer requires no mixing. A 20 gallon hose end sprayer requires very little mixing. Both will do a good job when killing fleas in your lawn.
When using Dragnet or Permethrin Pro, you will need about 1 ounce of concentrate for each 1,000 square feet of lawn. An average size yard (front or back) is about 5,000 square feet. The following instructions are for flea infested lawns that are about 5,000 square feet in size, using either a Dial Sprayer or 20 Gallon Hose End Sprayer.

DIAL SPRAYER APPLICATION:

Pour 5 ounces of Dragnet or Permethrin SFR into hose end sprayer.
(Permethrin SFR costs less than Dragnet; same strength of Permethrin)
If using an IGR, add 4 to 6 ounces of Nylar. Do not use an IGR such as Precor since its active ingredient (Methoprene) will not hold up to direct sunlight. Precor is great for indoor use but should not be used outdoors.

Set dial on 6 teaspoons (1 ounce) or less (less is better for outdoor use).

In sweeping motions, equally distribute spray solution on lawn.

Keep people and pets off all treated surfaces until dry.

Repeat pesticide application about 14 days after initial application if necessary. A second application of Nylar is not usually necessary; an IGR can last about 1 month outdoors.

20 GALLON HOSE END SPRAYER APPLICATION

Pour 5 ounces of Dragnet (Permethrin Pro) into hose end sprayer. If using an IGR, add 4 to 6 ounces of an insect growth regulator that contains Nylar. Do not use an IGR such as Precor since its active ingredient (Methoprene) will not hold up to direct sunlight. Precor is great for indoor use but should not be used outdoors.

Fill sprayer with water and gently stir contents.

In sweeping motions, equally spray solution on lawn.

Keep people and pets off all treated surfaces until dry.

For heavy or stubborn infestations, re-apply insecticide solution 10 to 14 days after initial application. Nylar IGR does not need to be used for this follow-up application.

Summary: Problems in Flea Control

Fleas do not just disappear immediately after treatment. Expect to see a hatching for several days after treatment begins. Severe infestations can take as long as six to eight weeks to bring under control, due to huge numbers of flea pupae in the area.

An IGR (insect growth regulator) can be used outdoors to aid stubborn problems. Precor is an excellent indoor IGR but will not work outdoors. Direct sunlight usually breaks down Precor in an hour or two. If you want or need an outdoor IGR added to your insecticide, use one that contains Nylar. Archer, Flea Fix and IG Regulator are brands that contain Nylar. Use at least one ounce of Nylar per 1,000 square feet of area to be treated. Nylar usually provides about 4 weeks of residual action outdoors. Cases of the IGR working for over three months have been documented but most customers report about one month of control over flea larvae when using Nylar with their insecticide application.

Always use a hose end sprayer instead of a pump type garden sprayer when treating for fleas. At least 3 gallons of solution per 1,000 square feet is needed to properly treat outdoors. You cannot get proper coverage by walking around your yard with a pump type sprayer.

There are many types, styles and brands of hose end sprayers available. Avoid using no-clog type sprayers that are meant for use when applying water soluble fertilizers. These sprayers work fine for fertilizers but are not accurate enough to thoroughly and safely apply pesticides to your lawn.
Use a hose end sprayer that has a siphon tube. A Gilmour Dial-A-Mix or a 20 gallon hose end sprayer will work.

Spraying every day will not kill fleas “deader” or faster. The fleas seen hatching out immediately after your spray treatment will die. You should always wait at least 14 days between treatments. Many professionals guarantee flea jobs for 30 days but will not repeat their flea killing treatment for at least 14 days.

Insecticides used outdoors can last for up to a month, killing ants and other easily controlled pests but these same insecticides will hold up (on average) about 10 to 14 days for existing flea problems.

Outdoor Flea Problems

Flea Spray Instructions

Summary: Problems in Flea Control