We didn't get much of a winter, so fleas and ticks will be bad this year.
By NailTech
@NailTech (6874)
United States
March 13, 2012 8:33pm CST
I am referring mostly to our cats and dogs, there was hardly any snow and it was not very cold, this winter. I for one, know this means the bugs won't be killed off like when we have a colder winter. Are you prepared for it if you have had the same or does it not matter to you (if you have no pets etc.)? Please check your pets for ticks too as they can get inside the animal's ears.
1 response
@Loverbear (4918)
• United States
14 Mar 12
We didn't freeze much where I live in California. We also didn't get the huge amounts of rain either. It's been warm and I have already seen 6 snakes out (usually they don't come out until Mid April) so we're going to have a bad year for snakes too. The bugs are going to be awful too.
My cats don't go outside so there is little problem with fleas for them. If they do happen to get them I get a natural flea remedy. I almost had a cat die when I used a chemical based flea spray on her, so now I won't use anything chemical on them. I also plant tons of marigolds around the house. Marigolds are a natural flea repellant, so I always make sure that I plant a border around the house each year. Now if it could control the ants! 
I also get Eucalyptus leaves and ball thingies. I crush the leaves and put them in the beds of the dogs and cats and if the fleas get really bad I string the pods and put them around the critter's necks. I also will use a few drops of Eucalyptus oil in the vacuum cleaner bags to kill the fleas. After I vacuum I always toss the bag and put in a new one. When you vacuum you suck up the eggs from the fleas. If you leave the bag from vacuuming in the vacuum the eggs will hatch and will re-infest the house.
Also check for ticks because they can pass disease on to humans. Sorry to gross you out but ticks also like to reside in cow poop, deer droppings and anything else that is so totally gross. So you can imagine what ticks can pass on to humans. My father got bitten by a tick and spent 6 weeks in the hospital. They didn't expect him to live he was so sick. His average temperature during the four weeks he was in the hospital was 104.5. So, always check not only your critters for ticks but also your children and even yourself for them too.
I also get Eucalyptus leaves and ball thingies. I crush the leaves and put them in the beds of the dogs and cats and if the fleas get really bad I string the pods and put them around the critter's necks. I also will use a few drops of Eucalyptus oil in the vacuum cleaner bags to kill the fleas. After I vacuum I always toss the bag and put in a new one. When you vacuum you suck up the eggs from the fleas. If you leave the bag from vacuuming in the vacuum the eggs will hatch and will re-infest the house.
Also check for ticks because they can pass disease on to humans. Sorry to gross you out but ticks also like to reside in cow poop, deer droppings and anything else that is so totally gross. So you can imagine what ticks can pass on to humans. My father got bitten by a tick and spent 6 weeks in the hospital. They didn't expect him to live he was so sick. His average temperature during the four weeks he was in the hospital was 104.5. So, always check not only your critters for ticks but also your children and even yourself for them too.@NailTech (6874)
• United States
14 Mar 12
Maybe there is some kind of animal that will eat the snakes and/or the snakes will eat the bugs. The cycle of life, sigh. Meanwhile the people get chewed up by the skeeters and the pets by the fleas/ticks. You can't win. Sigh. 
Yea, I try to get the most natural flea remedies that will work nowadays cause some of those store bought flea remedies are for the birds, so to speak. Hartz is one brand I won't ever use again, as it almost killed one of my cats long ago. I'm going to have to plant a border of marigolds too, but we have so many snails here , they eat those when they are still small, it gets hard to keep them away too ( the snails that is). I do try my best. I grew some later on in the summer with no problem here and there.
Oh ants, they are nasty too sometimes. Did you know that ants hate cucumber peels and especially cinnamon? Sprinkle some cinnamon around and you'll see them gone. Who would have guessed that Eucalyptus gets rid of anything, I know skeeters hate the smell of that though, too.
Yea, ticks are quite nasty and nothing much grosses me out anymore at my age, I mean I know it's disgusting but I have heard just about "everything" by now. 
I wil check myself for them and remind others here too as well, thanks for the heads up on it. I once had to remove a tick inside one of my cats ears, in the yard. I was so scared, I took a tweezer and plucked it right out not knowing if it was gonna cause some massive bleeding or not ( this was something that went through my mind at the time, ha!) Argh. I accidentally didn't kill it though and let it go which was a big no-no, I should have smashed the tick so it wouldn't redirect itself on any living thing. :P I panicked though and got "rid" of it the fastest way. 
Yea, I try to get the most natural flea remedies that will work nowadays cause some of those store bought flea remedies are for the birds, so to speak. Hartz is one brand I won't ever use again, as it almost killed one of my cats long ago. I'm going to have to plant a border of marigolds too, but we have so many snails here , they eat those when they are still small, it gets hard to keep them away too ( the snails that is). I do try my best. I grew some later on in the summer with no problem here and there.
Oh ants, they are nasty too sometimes. Did you know that ants hate cucumber peels and especially cinnamon? Sprinkle some cinnamon around and you'll see them gone. Who would have guessed that Eucalyptus gets rid of anything, I know skeeters hate the smell of that though, too.
Yea, ticks are quite nasty and nothing much grosses me out anymore at my age, I mean I know it's disgusting but I have heard just about "everything" by now. I wil check myself for them and remind others here too as well, thanks for the heads up on it. I once had to remove a tick inside one of my cats ears, in the yard. I was so scared, I took a tweezer and plucked it right out not knowing if it was gonna cause some massive bleeding or not ( this was something that went through my mind at the time, ha!) Argh. I accidentally didn't kill it though and let it go which was a big no-no, I should have smashed the tick so it wouldn't redirect itself on any living thing. :P I panicked though and got "rid" of it the fastest way. @Loverbear (4918)
• United States
3 Aug 12
The eucalyptus balls are easy to find, they usually are laying lose around the base of the tree. I find the trees and scarf up on a bag of the "balls" or seed pods or whatever the things are called. They're great for stringing for around the critters necks, plus if they lose them it isn't big money that you laid out for a flea collar. It is so much better than using flea collars...which contain the poison in the plastic collar. I won't use them because I don't like having something poisonous around my animals necks. Plus we had a dog that got cancer from wearing a flea collar...
I also use borax on the carpet to kill off the fleas. I sprinkle it on the carpet and sweep it into the pile and allow it to be mooshed into the carpet by the people walking through the house. It works great at killing the fleas and also it dries out the eggs so they never hatch.
