Many people enjoy keeping pets at home, and the arrival of summer can facilitate the breeding of fleas. Therefore, many people use insecticides to kill fleas. So, does using insecticides effectively kill fleas?
Ingredients of Insecticides
The active ingredients in insecticides are mainly pyrethroids such as amitraz, which have low toxicity to humans and animals but have certain toxic and fumigant effects on mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches, and other pests. Currently, household insecticides on the market mainly use amitraz, which has a knockdown effect, and chlorpyrifos, carbaryl, and other insecticides with a lethal effect for formulation. These formulations have a relatively fast knockdown effect.
Can Insecticides Kill Fleas?
Fleas are very resilient organisms, and using commercially available mosquito-killing insecticides is generally not enough to kill fleas. It can only temporarily control fleas to a certain extent. Once the odor of the insecticide disappears, fleas will come back and cannot effectively control flea infestations.
How to Kill Fleas
Step 1: The prerequisite for killing fleas is to thoroughly clean the house. All the blankets in the rooms should be washed and then exposed to the sun for a whole day. The bottom of the bed and corners should be thoroughly wet mopped and dried. Then, mothballs and insecticides should be placed in the wardrobe, dressing table, and other places to control fleas.
Step 2: Sprinkle 25% dichlorvos (40 grams per square meter), 5% malathion powder (50 grams per square meter), 1% carbaryl powder (30 grams per square meter), 0.5% chlorpyrifos (40 grams per square meter), and 0.005% cypermethrin powder (25 grams per square meter) on the ground. Alternatively, spray 1% dichlorvos aqueous solution or 1% malathion aqueous solution (100 milliliters per square meter) on the ground. This can effectively kill fleas in the room.
Step 3: If there are pets in the house, it is necessary to eliminate fleas on them. The specific methods are as follows:
1. Wrap 1% deltamethrin, 5% malathion, and 1% carbaryl powder in gauze and rub it against the fur of cats and dogs to kill fleas on their bodies.
2. Alternatively, immerse the whole body of cats or dogs in a 0.5% iodoxyl, 0.25% malathion, 0.1% chlorpyrifos, or 0.0025% cypermethrin aqueous solution for a medicated bath. After 30 minutes, take the pets out, rinse them with clean water, and then blow-dry their fur.
What to Consider When Using Insecticides
1. To avoid long-term exposure to insecticides and poisoning, it is advisable to use insecticides less frequently to kill mosquitoes and insects. Leave immediately after application and return to the room only after thoroughly ventilating it for an hour and a half.
2. Avoid letting infants and children come into contact with insecticides.
3. When using insecticides in the kitchen, avoid spraying them on food to prevent poisoning.
4. It is recommended to take a bath and change clothes after using insecticides.
5. Insecticides are flammable substances, so it is important to keep them away from open flames when using them. Do not use open flames immediately after spraying insecticides.
