How to Get Rid of Roaches, Rats and Other Pests
Detecting if you have fleas
Fleas are annoying, because they'll ride into your home on your cat or dog, bite your pet, bite you (making you itch and giving you ugly rashes), and then lay eggs in your sweatshirt. Yes, there are different kinds of fleas (some only suck pet blood and some only suck people blood), but you shouldn't take any chances; they may pass disease and are incredibly hard to kill (because they're so small, so jumpy and so sturdily-built).
You can usually tell if you have fleas if:
Getting rid of fleas
Fleas infestations are kinda iffy: They might be localized, or they might infest your entire house, and this will affect how you get rid of them. To figure out what your flea problem is like, place a pan full of water and a bit of dish detergent 5 to 6 inches below a light bulb. The fleas will jump toward the light at night, fall into the detergent solution and drown. Pretty nifty, huh?
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Keep them from attacking your pet. Far and away, this is the easiest way to control your flea population. Here's how to handle it:
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Foggers. You can get pressurized insecticides in "bombs" or "cans" that dissipate well over an open area, like a basement, garage or dance parlor. Foggers aren't the best solutions for homes, as they tend not to reach under beds and in areas where your pet might deposit fleas.
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House sprays deliver directed sprays of insecticide to any area you choose. This kind of product might be dangerous to cats or children, so read labels carefully and talk to your vet and/or doctor.
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To find some other information about flea control methods and products, follow the last link in Resources.
So good luck to you. If you get lost or discouraged at any point along this way, maybe you should consider living a Zen lifestyle with your pests. You have enough food and patience for everyone, right? And, if worst comes to worst, you can always move. Wait… pests live everywhere in the world. Drat. Back to square one.
