Will cornstarch kill fleas? Can it repel them? Here is all you should know before setting out.
One of the most common pest problems faced by pet owners is fleas. These parasitic insects feed on blood. While pets are the prime targets for these pests, they won’t pass over a chance to feed on human blood.
Fleas are excellent jumpers that easily hop on the nearest host of meal sources.
In seeking to get rid of them, a wide range of flea extermination options are available. Control methods used can be categorized into two; natural and non-natural treatments.
Natural treatments include everyday items like dish soap, herbal flea sprays, baking soda, and salt.
Natural treatments include diatomaceous earth, lemon spray, flea-repellent plants, and rosemary. Non-natural therapies, on the other hand, mostly require chemical pesticides.
We’re more interested in natural treatments.
Does Cornstarch Baby Powder Kill Fleas?
Most people have seen or used cornstarch.
As such, it isn’t a product that requires much introduction. Also called cornflour, this fine powdery flour is made from corn and is mainly used for food.
It also serves as a thickening agent. It contains protein and fiber and is a standard food product found in many kitchens.
So, how is this food product associated with pest control?
Like many natural pest remedies, items have a wide range of uses. In other words, cornstarch can serve as food and for pest control benefits.
Types of Pests Repelled by Cornstarch
Cornstarch is helpful for various pest issues ranging from mosquito control, stinkbugs, hornworms, ants, and others.
With cornstarch, you want a situation where pests are killed with a natural product that doesn’t have any side effects. This is in addition to it being environmentally friendly.
With this said, will cornstarch help in ridding your yard and surroundings of fleas? That’s a great question when faced with a difficult flea problem.
You want to use any safe and reliable treatment to overcome the problem.
Cornstarch Vs. Fleas
Cornstarch has proven to be reasonably reliable for flea treatment.
When faced with a flea problem, cornstarch can come to the rescue. All you have to do is have this white or yellow flour applied appropriately.
There are several methods of cornstarch application for flea control.
The best part is that your pets are safe, as this won’t harm them. You can use cornstarch on pets and around areas fleas hang around, such as pet bedding, garden area, lawn, etc.
Cornstarch’s use is pretty much straightforward. You only need to have your pets sprayed with this powder and allow it to sit for a few minutes (about 30 minutes) before brushing it off. That’s all you have to do.
For targeted areas, sprinkle cornstarch and allow sufficient time before vacuuming.
The same treatment can be applied to carpets, among other areas. Vacuuming picks up flea eggs, larvae, and adult fleas and clears up the surface cornflour.
There’s a Catch!
Comprehensive flea extermination or control isn’t possible with cornstarch-only treatments. You’ll need to adopt other measures to have these parasitic pests exterminated once and for all.
There are options when it comes to pest control. You can choose from the many natural treatment remedies available.
A few of them have been mentioned above.
Combining different treatments with cornstarch gives you the punch necessary to eliminate fleas.
Professional Flea Control is More Reliable
To rid your home of fleas, you’ll likely adopt several treatments with little results.
Even when specific treatments like cornstarch use kill fleas, there are no guarantees you’ll achieve total elimination of these pests.
The easiest and most reliable method is to have a pest control company come to check and carry out treatments for your pest problem. Reputable pest management services have trained and experienced technicians that understand flea behavior.
As such, a more detailed and result-oriented treatment is offered.
Also, professional pest management companies offer guarantees of total flea elimination. Repeat treatment is provided free of charge for issues that persist.
What more?
You have the assurance of the problem being tackled once and for all.
The Best Approach
Rather than relying on cornstarch or other flea treatments, it’s best to prevent the problem from developing in the first place. This saves you from a lot of stress.
Your pets can bring in fleas whenever they step out.
Such fleas may be gotten from other animals or brought to your yard by pests such as rodents. One of the ways to avoid the problem is by growing flea-repellent plants.
There are different types of plants with flea repellent properties. They include pennyroyal, spearmint, chrysanthemums, and lavender.
The best part of growing these plants is repelling other types of pests, such as mosquitoes.
Never Stick to One Method of Treatment
When dealing with a flea problem, it’s best to adopt a more liberal approach to treatment. In other words, you should consider adopting all-natural options available to you.
The goal is to have these pests killed or repelled and to keep your pets safe.
So, you may consider combining cornstarch treatments with others such as diatomaceous earth, the use of lemon spray, as well as baking soda and salt.
Doing so goes a long way in giving you fast and more reliable results.
Safety Matters
The use of cornstarch as a flea repellent is considered generally safe. However, there are times when pets may have allergic responses to corn flour treatments.
During such times, it’s best to discontinue its use immediately and seek the help of a veterinarian.
You should carefully test any other natural remedy you use to ensure it won’t cause any adverse reaction on pets. Cornstarch and many different home remedies won’t pose problems to kids.
Nevertheless, it’s still necessary to keep such out of their reach.
We’ve seen that cornstarch will kill fleas when properly applied. However, it has to be used or applied correctly for the best results.