There’s an array of flea traps and baits options available for you to choose from and deal with your flea problem at home. Though they do not all rely on the same technique to catch and get rid of fleas, they can be very useful during an infestation.
Fleas are not known to transmit any disease to humans.
But their bites can lead to prolonged itching which can automatically result in an infection. Having them around the house can be quite a problem, both for us as humans and our pets- dogs and cats especially.
Of all the methods you can employ to eliminate them from the house, the use of traps and baits is one of the cheapest and simplest.
With the right information, you can make a very effective flea trap at home at a far lesser cost than the commercial type.
Does A Flea Trap Work?
Yes, it does. If carefully made and positioned in the right places around the house, you can effectively use flea traps and baits to manage the pest at home.
There are different types of traps you can either make or buy. Their effectiveness against fleas varies.
Some types of flea traps are only effective against adult fleas. You can’t use them to get rid of the eggs or the larvae, the juvenile fleas. And without getting rid of those two (the eggs and larvae), you can have the fleas back in your house in no time.
To deal with flea infestations completely, some persons combine two or more different types of flea traps at a time.
That way the adult fleas, the juvenile fleas, and the eggs are all wiped out at the same time. Making the home safe again for dogs, cats, and people of all ages.
Do flea traps work during the day? Lamp traps use bright bulbs, and in conjunction with a bowl of soapy water, can be used to catch fleas.
Due to their natures, it’s best to set them up in strategic places only at night.
Different Types Of Flea Traps And How They Work
There are different types of flea traps that can be used to manage flea infestations at home. Each of these works in a very unique way.
To help you learn about them properly, we have grouped them into two major categories.
You will find them below:
Electric Flea Traps
Fleas are known to be attracted to two major things: light and heat. They can sense these two things even from a distance. That is how they trace humans and other mammals to bite or feed on.
Electric flea traps are designed to take advantage of this trait to catch and kill them. The traps are usually built in such a way that they give out either heat or light. Some do both.
The moment the electric flea traps are set up around the house and activated, fleas would be attracted to them. Assuming the light or heat to be coming from humans, the fleas would jump on them, only to land inside the trap.
Once that happens, they will get glued and remain there no matter how much they struggle to escape.
Most electric flea traps are battery-powered. You only need to put in or two pairs of small batteries to get them working. This type can be easily placed anywhere around the house.
The other type of electric flea trap requires you to plug them into a power source before you can use them. Though this type is also very effective, the challenge with them is that you can only use them at selected places.
You have to fix them close to a power source, always. Else you cannot use them.
Adhesive Flea Traps
Like the name sounds, this type of flea trap depends on the use of adhesive tapes or glue to trap fleas. Though this type of flea trap does not kill them immediately, after a few days the fleas would die from dehydration and starvation.
This type is easy to make and can be done in just a few minutes. You can also buy it online if you don’t have the time.
Talking about effectiveness, adhesive flea traps are effective. The only challenge with them is that you can’t use them to kill flea eggs or larvae. And without doing that, it won’t be long before they hatch and grow into adults.
Also in case of heavy infestations, adhesive glue traps may not be of much help. The time alone they take to work will allow the fleas to breed and take over the entire house.
However, if the traps are properly made and placed in the right places around the house, they can help curtail the number of fleas that make it into the house. You will find how to do this as you read on.
Homemade Flea Traps And Baits: How To Make Them
The good thing about homemade flea traps and baits is that they don’t require much to make. You can set them up in just a few minutes, using simple materials easily found at home.
Here are different types of flea traps you can make at home and step-by-step guides on how to do them. Check them out below.
Dish Soap + Water + Light
Fill a dish with water, preferably a shallow dish. Add some drops of dish soap to it. Enough to make the water foam.
After that, supply light to the dish by fixing the candlelight at the center of the dish.
To avoid the risk of the candle starting a fire in your house, ensure it is not placed in such a way that the fire can get to the dish. Another easy alternative is to shine a lamp down directly on the water surface.
The idea behind this simple flea trap is that the light serves as bait to attract the fleas. The dish soap makes it easier for them to drown in the water once they’ve jumped on it assuming the light and heat to be coming from a mammal.
Once the above flea trap is properly positioned around the house where you suspect that there are fleas, by the next morning you will be seeing a few of them dead in the water. It is so simple to do but very effective.
Water + Vinegar + Nightlight
Fill a bowl with water. Add enough vinegar to the water and mix. Plug the nightlight into a power source and then place the bowl with the water and vinegar under it.
The idea behind this type of flea trap is that vinegar will work as an insecticide to kill the fleas. Once they are attracted by the nightlight, they will try jumping on it and fall inside the water mixed with vinegar.
There they will meet their end.
Sticky Pad/Tape + Nightlight
Using double-sided tape, create a perimeter under the light. This should be in an area where fleas are suspected to be much. You can also use a sticky tile or pad for this.
The fleas would be attracted by the light and heat. Once they try coming close to it, they would be trapped by the sticky pad or tape.
Placing The Flea Traps: What You Should know
It doesn’t matter the type of flea trap you intend to use to put an end to the infestation. If it is not rightly positioned, it will achieve very little or no results.
You need to set up the flea traps at very strategic places around the house or room. You can also set it up under the bed where you lie and see the results by morning.
Due to the nature of the traps, it is best to set them up at night. Not that they can’t work during the day. They can. You don’t just want your kids and pets ruining your whole efforts. That is why setting them up at night when the kids are sleeping is better.
Why The Homemade Flea Trap is A Great Option For Managing Infestations.
The homemade flea trap is a great option for so many reasons. Below are just a few of them.
It Is Cost-effective
Homemade flea traps are mostly made from natural elements. Things that can be easily found at home. Water, vinegar, etc. These things make it easier for you to set them up without spending so much money.
It Takes Lesser Time
You can set up the homemade flea trap in minutes. In case of an infestation, you don’t have to wait till you’ve gone out and got one from a shop. You can deal with an infestation right away.
It Can Be Used For Detection Purposes
Sometimes you can have an infestation without realizing it. Homemade flea traps can help you detect it easily.
All you have to do is set up the traps around the house and you will be able to know when and where the infestation is more.
It is Non-toxic And Safe To Use At Home
Unlike several other methods of eradicating fleas from the house, homemade flea traps are non-toxic and safe to use at home. You can comfortably use them without having to worry about the health of your kids and pets.
Conclusion
Fleas are a nuisance around the house. The saliva from their bite can cause our dogs some kind of allergies. In this article, we have discussed the best flea traps and baits you can develop at home to effectively manage pest infestation.
I hope you find this useful.