There's some nasty insects out this year

Flanging_Fred

I keep getting bitten as well. Despite using the safe word, Mrs Fred wont bloody stop.

axisus

Hertz32 said:

Tried homemade flea traps too. Not a single one... 

FarleyUK

One of our cats was covered in bites and welts and was getting really lethargic - took him to the vets for scans and skin samples, and he was covered in bites from harvest mites.

The vet gave us frontline spray to use on him and the other 2 cats every week, and (fingers crossed) they've not been biting them since.

We also had to use Indorex flea spray all over the house to kill any of the little bastards that might have been left!

thermionic

If you think you have fleas in the house, place a small bowl or saucer of warm-to-hot water in the middle of your carpet. The fleas will detect the heat, think it's a warm-blooded mammal and start launching themselves into the bowl. Can be quite spectacular.

dogload

thermionic said:

If you think you have fleas in the house, place a small bowl or saucer of warm-to-hot water in the middle of your carpet. The fleas will detect the heat, think it's a warm-blooded mammal and start launching themselves into the bowl. Can be quite spectacular.

I once lived in a house that had a bit of a flea issue which I only discovered when I put a large mug of tea on the floor next to my mattress-on-the-floor bed. I thought the teabag had burst until I took a closer look at the floaters!

Teetonetal said:

The bites seems a lot more itchy

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/CDC-Gathany-Aedes-albopictus-1.jpg

They certainly do!

axisus

Damn! another nasty bite! I was in the kitchen yesterday evening and felt a tiny sting of pain on my lower leg (don't usually feel mozzies). Looking without glasses something about the size of a black ant was on my leg. I flicked it off in a way that probably killed it. 15 minutes later and it was itching like mad. Today, I have a patch of skin about 4 inches x 2 inches that is red and feels hot and uncomfortable, and aches when I walk. I swear this is the worst year ever for insects

gusman2x

RE Fleas:

Stronghold flea treatment from the vets for the animal, and Vibrac Spray for the environment (also from the vets). Both animal and environment need to be treated. Don't get the shit from the supermarket (Bob Martin junk) as it doesn't work

fields5069

Iamnobody said:

I remember in the old days when flea treatment was reactive - your cat got fleas and you sorted it after.

Nowadays it's all about preventative treatments and it's big business. Are the treatments really that ineffective?

I've got to admit I've let ours lapse on both the cats and dog and
touch wood they haven't got them. For example if the treatment says it lasts 4 weeks I'll spin it out for 6 on the basis that they've included a factor of safety and want to generate profits with more frequent treatments.

We also forgot during the upheaval of a new baby and house move last year - probably for months without consequence.

I let my dog's flea and tick treatment lapse because he hates it, I guess it really burns but he goes nuts. He's quite fluffy though, and a trip to the groomer exposed a few bare patches and he had to have a course of antibiotics. It's £120 a year for the treatments and check-ups at our vet, probably as much as 3 courses of antibiotics, so no real difference in terms of money and he seems to be well protected if we keep up the treatment.