Getting Rid of Fleas in the Yard

Fleas are bloodsucking parasitic insects which tend to thrive on the blood of humans as well as animals. These tiny pests breed in humid, shady, and moist areas with organic environment. Many people undertake pest control to get rid of fleas in the house, but they fail to understand that pest control in the house is of no use, if you have fleas in your yard wherein you pets frequent now and then. Fleas present in your yard are bound to use your pets as carriers to encroach upon your house sooner or later, and hence it is wise to get rid of them at the earliest.

Use of Chemicals to Get Rid of Fleas

If you see any symptoms of flea infestation around your house, it's wiser to opt for pest control as soon as possible. Presence of fleas around the house, especially in the lawn, means your house is vulnerable to flea infestation. If you own a pet, the chances of infestation are more as the pets acts as carriers and bring these fleas home every time they go out. Use of pesticide or insecticide is the best way to get rid of fleas in your yard. You need to ensure that you use environment friendly pesticides, or else your pets and plants will have to bear the harmful effects of the chemicals.

If you feel that using pesticide over the entire property would be a bit expensive, you can just identify some pockets wherein these fleas can thrive and use pesticides in these pockets. Fleas are most often observed around the dog house, under the porch, around the garage, over lawn furniture, etc. However, it is beneficial to do pest control over your entire yard as your pets are bound to frequent this places and carry fleas back indoors.

How to Get Rid of Fleas in the Yard Naturally?

If you are not comfortable with the aforementioned methods, i.e. if you are against the use of chemicals as they can harm your pets, here are some natural methods which can help you get rid of these pests in your yard. These natural methods are non-toxic, which means they are safe for your pets as well as your plants.

Diatomaceous Earth for Flea Extermination
One of the most popular natural method is to use diatomaceous earth. The small particles of the diatomaceous earth assume a sharp shape when they become dry. When this earth is spread in fleas infested yard, these particles tend to cover the fleas. Being sharp it easily cuts these parasitic insects and dehydrates them to death. Although one of the safest way of flea control, use of diatomaceous earth has some problems as well. It doesn't break down when it enters the respiratory system. It may not be harmful for humans, but it can turn out to be harmful for your pets. More importantly, it tends to stick to the earth surface and causes irritation problems when it comes in contact with skin.

Eucalyptus Leaves for Flea Control
Some suggest that eucalyptus leaves are the safest among the various measures of natural flea control. The fleas can't bear the pungent smell of the eucalyptus leaves and hence prefer to stay away from them. More importantly, these leaves are non-toxic and hence your pets are not threatened by any adverse effects of the same.

Borax for Flea Control
Borax, a boron ore consisting of hydrated sodium borate, often used as a cleansing agent, can turn out to be helpful in your crusade against these parasitic pests. You will have to spread it in the yard for a few days, after which you can vacuum it and eliminate fleas from your yard. This can also work as a preventive measure to curb flea infestation. Like eucalyptus leaves, borax is also non-toxic and hence safe for your pets.

Though it is possible to get rid of fleas by natural means, at times the problem is so serious that you are left with no option but to use chemicals to exterminate them. However, you may have to take some precautions when you use chemicals in your surroundings. If the problem still persists, you can take help from some pest control specialists, who are well armed with the various methods to exterminate fleas. When it comes to flea infestation, which method you use is not important, as long as you can wipe them off your yard and out of your life.