really need your advice if you have ever had an insect infestation !!!

[MossRoad]

...

So, basically what I am saying is, employees of exterminating companies are not "the brightest bulb on the tree"

Just because you pay for insect treatment, do not expect proper results.
...

We had our yard treated for insects accidentally after the "technician" did our yard instead of the people across the street who ordered it.... TWICE! (all of the mailboxes are on our side of the street, and they got the wrong house). Got the state department of environmental management after them and they found the "technician" was not licensed and needed to be supervised by the owner of the company who was the only one licensed to make those applications. Big fines.

People need to take chemical applications seriously. If one dose per month does it, two is better mentality frequently happens with DIY projects.

 

[kjon]

Ok. Mr. Know-it-all to the rescue!
All kidding aside this works. My best friend rented a house after college and a fellow living there had dogs with fleas. It was so bad rooms looked "foggy" about a foot down.
Here's what she needs: 1) a shallow pan 2) dish detergent 3) a desk lamp. Best is those flexible ones you can adjust, usually halogen.
Pan you get at dollar stores...plastic, aluminum, doesn't matter you want large but shallow (18"+ across, about an inch or two deep).
Place pan in center of room (a pan in each room except bedroom even better). Fill a third full of water. Slowly pour in dish detergent...slowly, no bubbles. Just maybe an ounce or two. This covers water making a film. Desk light positioned over center of pan, about 6 inches light to liquid.
Of course exercise safety, light doesn't get too hot and/or can tip into water.
Now! Turn on light at night. As people go to bed. You want bedroom pitch dark.
Fleas are attracted to light and jump in...but they can't get out.
Report back how it works out!

UV also attracts them

 

[bartjoebob]

I'm posting this here bc you guys have never failed me and I [my daughter] has a huge problem....

My daughter and her 3 roommates [all 1 yr just out of college] have rented an older pier & beam home that had an addition w a solid foundation to make it 4 bedrooms. Because the crawl-space to the pier & beam was not secured, an animal entered and climbed up into the walls of my daughters bathroom closet. She heard it scratching in the walls so she reported it to the landlord.

It was discovered that there was a sm water leak in the wall and the animal was seeking both water and prob shelter. This was the during a drought in austin tx this summer, w 30 days of straight 100+ temps and no rain. Once the wall was opened, the leak was found and fixed. The repair person said to leave the wall open until it dried out. This is when a massive flea infestation took place. If you went into the house, your white socks turned black in a matter of seconds.

I called their landlord and told him the house was uninhabitable and you needed to find a place for them to stay. He begrudgingly ok'ed a rented an ABnB for a week, whicg turned to 3 weeks and 3 diff places. An extermination company came and did 2 diff flea treatments 2 wks apart. After spraying/laying powders, using growth reg hormones, inside and out. Then 2 weeks later, the fleas were still there. My daughter and her roommates came 2-4 times per day to vacuum up any and all eggs, larvae, etc. I am going to skip forward bc this would take too long. They collectively logged over 130 hrs of vacuuming.

After hiring another company bc the first one did not cut it, 82 days later my daughter found another flea on the flea trap in her room. She has not been able to sleep in her room in over 3+ months. The handyman, when trying to work on closing crawlspace and other, was bitten countless times on his back, neck, legs, etc. My daughter had to buy a hazmat suit to go inside the house to vacuum each time, they all did, She's spent over $600 on supplies, recleaning her things, which are all in black plastic bags. This is the second time of cleaning.

In order not to make this a novel, I am seeking advice for anyone that has experienced a really bad flea infestation, what you did to rectify? More so if you were in a rental house or a pier & beam house. It's really taken a toll on her especially, bc her room has had the most and continued issues. Pls let me know what questions you have and sorry for the long post. I thank you in earnest for any & all advice...nothing is more personal than when it comes to your immediate family. thank you very much.

I'd say you both have been fair, reasonable, and patient enough with the situation and the landlord's attempts. But at this point walk away, it's not your monkeys not your circus. She should be able to get her security deposit back. When a tenant and landlord enter into a lease agreement, it is a contract and the landlord is obligated to supply and maintain livable conditions. An infestation such as this is not only not livable but also a health hazard. If the landlord was smart he'd offer his tenants an out, refund security deposits so he doesn't end up getting sued. He can more aggressively go after the issue at that point as well

 

[Robert walker]

I'm posting this here bc you guys have never failed me and I [my daughter] has a huge problem....

My daughter and her 3 roommates [all 1 yr just out of college] have rented an older pier & beam home that had an addition w a solid foundation to make it 4 bedrooms. Because the crawl-space to the pier & beam was not secured, an animal entered and climbed up into the walls of my daughters bathroom closet. She heard it scratching in the walls so she reported it to the landlord.

It was discovered that there was a sm water leak in the wall and the animal was seeking both water and prob shelter. This was the during a drought in austin tx this summer, w 30 days of straight 100+ temps and no rain. Once the wall was opened, the leak was found and fixed. The repair person said to leave the wall open until it dried out. This is when a massive flea infestation took place. If you went into the house, your white socks turned black in a matter of seconds.

I called their landlord and told him the house was uninhabitable and you needed to find a place for them to stay. He begrudgingly ok'ed a rented an ABnB for a week, whicg turned to 3 weeks and 3 diff places. An extermination company came and did 2 diff flea treatments 2 wks apart. After spraying/laying powders, using growth reg hormones, inside and out. Then 2 weeks later, the fleas were still there. My daughter and her roommates came 2-4 times per day to vacuum up any and all eggs, larvae, etc. I am going to skip forward bc this would take too long. They collectively logged over 130 hrs of vacuuming.

After hiring another company bc the first one did not cut it, 82 days later my daughter found another flea on the flea trap in her room. She has not been able to sleep in her room in over 3+ months. The handyman, when trying to work on closing crawlspace and other, was bitten countless times on his back, neck, legs, etc. My daughter had to buy a hazmat suit to go inside the house to vacuum each time, they all did, She's spent over $600 on supplies, recleaning her things, which are all in black plastic bags. This is the second time of cleaning.

In order not to make this a novel, I am seeking advice for anyone that has experienced a really bad flea infestation, what you did to rectify? More so if you were in a rental house or a pier & beam house. It's really taken a toll on her especially, bc her room has had the most and continued issues. Pls let me know what questions you have and sorry for the long post. I thank you in earnest for any & all advice...nothing is more personal than when it comes to your immediate family. thank you very much.

If s she continued having flea issues, they are not finding the origin of fleas. When a house has a bad flea problem, I spray my self down with mosquito spray that has deet so they will always die if they jump in me.

 

[Robert walker]

If s she continued having flea issues, they are not finding the origin of fleas. When a house has a bad flea problem, I spray my self down with mosquito spray that has deet so they will always die if they jump in me

 

[stihlworking]

Diatomaceous earth applied with a hand duster puffer all throughout the house. 50lb bag from feed supply store should be about $30. J&B Feed & Hay south of Austin should have it. How To Use Diatomaceous Earth For Fleas

Need to treat the outside yard area with something as well. Have heard building a large fire works, so if in town maybe a big fire pit. Only kills adults though.

 

[aircommuter]

As others said. Get out. Send the landlord a certified letter with return receipt. Explaining what has gone on and request deposit return and any costs associated with the situation. This makes it official and will definitely make your case in court if needed.

 

[rafternw]

Skip all the chemicals, as noted in previous replys they don't work very well. I had a flea problem just as serious and got rid of all of them in less than a month. Simply get about 10 pounds of Dietomaceous Earth and sprinkle it liberally on all surfaces including carpets and fabrics, hard surfaces, etc. No one has been able to tell me exactly how it kills insects bit it does, and it is non-toxic to humans and animals. I did this and it really worked.
The Flea lifecycle is roughly 30 days so as the eggs hatch the new ones are killed before they can breed. I kept a lamp and water trap as noted above for 2 months to monitor effectiveness and after 3 weeks had no more fleas being caught. I kept the DE for another month just to be sure and then vacumed it all up. The fleas did not come back but I did not have any animals to bring in more.

 

[RammerJammer]

As a former landlord, I sympathize with both sides.

However, the tenants, in this case, have gone well beyond what is reasonable.

Pest problems can be difficult to handle in occupied properties. Many times, the tenants bring the pests with them. But, that does not seem to be the case here. This is one of the many reasons I did not allow pets.

It was time for them to move quite a while ago. Now, the tenants have been exposed to who knows what. So, the "damage" might have been done in that regard.

But, when they do move, I'd be tempted to store their belongings for a while and have them transition into new quarters in stages (hotels?) so that they are certain they aren't bringing the problem with them.

There could be fleas in the yard, as well:

I had a rental house once where the tenant had a dog in the backyard. After she left, I pulled into the backyard driveway from the alley in order to enter the house using the back door. When I returned to the car, which had the doors/windows closed, I noticed three fleas in a white cup of drinking water in the center console. Of course, they were all over my shoes, socks, etc.

Thus, the no pets policy.

 

[NoTrespassing]

I used fairly heavy dose of permethrin several times along with burning an entire couch. Permethrin is toxic to cats I believe.