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Pro tips to catch fleas from a pest control expert
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Fleas can be a real pain, especially when they start infesting an area of your home. Thankfully, there are many ways to get rid of fleas. We spoke to pest control specialist Scott McCombe to bring you the best advice on how to make a flea trap. All you need to make your DIY trap is a shallow dish, some water, and a little bit of dish soap. With these tips, you’ll be saying goodbye to your flea problem!
Keep in mind that while flea traps are useful for killing fleas in a localized area, they have to be used in conjunction with other flea-control methods to be truly effective.
Making a DIY Flea Trap
- Fill a shallow dish or plastic lid with water.
- Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 mL) of dish soap into the water.
- Mix the soap into the water.
- Place the trap where fleas have been spotted and leave overnight.
- Attract fleas to the trap with a lamp, small candle, or indoor plant.
Steps
Section 1 of 4:
Making a Dish Soap Trap
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Fill a large, shallow dish with water. Ideal containers for a dish soap flea trap include cookie sheets, rubber tote lids, plates, and pie plates. You want a container with a large surface area and short sides. [1] X Research source
- A shallow dish helps you catch as many fleas as possible because the short sides won’t act as a barrier for jumping fleas that might land in the trap.
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Add 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 mL) of dish soap. Squirt 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 mL) of liquid dish soap into the water. Swish the water around with a spoon or your finger to distribute the soap throughout the water.
- Fleas don’t drown in plain water because they aren't heavy enough to break the water’s surface tension. Adding liquid dish soap to the water reduces the surface tension. When the fleas jump into the trap, they sink and drown. [2] X Research source
- McCombe also recommends adding some Alka Seltzer
to the water to make the trap more effective. [3]
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Expert Source
Scott McCombe
Pest Control Specialist Expert Interview. 19 November 2019.
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Place the trap where fleas have been. A homemade flea trap doesn’t have the power to attract fleas, so it’s best to put it somewhere that fleas have already been in your house. Place a towel on the floor to catch spills, and lay the trap on top of the towel on the floor. Make multiple flea traps for different rooms if necessary. McCombe recommends placing the traps: [4] X Expert Source Scott McCombe
Pest Control Specialist Expert Interview. 19 November 2019.- On carpets and rugs.
- Near pet bedding.
- Near windows, doors, and food.
- Around pillows and furniture.
- Around pet bowls.
- Near drapes and curtains.
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Leave the trap overnight. Fleas become active a couple of hours before sunset and stay active all night long, so the best time to catch them is overnight. [5] X Research source Once you lay the trap, try to leave it undisturbed for the rest of the night. When possible, close the door to the room to keep pets and kids out.
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Empty and refill the trap each morning. In the morning, check the trap for dead fleas. If you catch any, dump the soapy water and rinse the dish. Fill the dish with fresh water, add more dish soap, and lay the trap out again on the towel for the next night. [6] X Trustworthy Source EDIS Electronic database of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences's peer-reviewed articles Go to source
- Repeat each night until you stop catching fleas.
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Join the Discussion...
I'm mortified to be here asking this but I'm desperate at this point: I have fleas in my house and I dont' know how to get rid of them. They seem to really like my dog (mostly indoor dog but we use flea and tick meds) and the couch. I wouldn't say it's an infestation just yet, but it's been like this for months and nothing I do is keeping them away! What should I do/what am I doing wrong?
I highly recommend taking your pet to the vet if you suspect fleas in the home. That's always the first step. The next step is to wash all of the pet's bedding and make sure you're using high heat for at least an hour on a dry cycle to get rid of any eggs or larva that might still be in there. Vacuum your home frequently, as well.
Make sure you're using the right flea medication for your dog's breed and size first to kill all live fleas and eggs. Then, use a flea comb to remove the fleas and eggs from their fur. If you don't do the treatment first, the flea just jumps off the comb and lands somewhere else, so combing alone won't be effective.
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References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79giyJSFEt0
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63kWWe1XB7k
- ↑ Scott McCombe. Pest Control Specialist. Expert Interview. 19 November 2019.
- ↑ Scott McCombe. Pest Control Specialist. Expert Interview. 19 November 2019.
- ↑ https://www.ampest.com/blog/2021/august/how-do-you-know-if-you-have-fleas-in-your-yard-a/
- ↑ https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1103
- ↑ Scott McCombe. Pest Control Specialist. Expert Interview. 19 November 2019.
- ↑ http://fleascience.com/flea-encyclopedia/life-cycle-of-fleas/adult-fleas/what-attracts-fleas/
- ↑ https://www.rapidhomeremedies.com/remedies-to-get-rid-of-fleas.html
- ↑ http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=826
- ↑ https://www.cuteness.com/article/what-attracts-fleas
- ↑ Chris Parker. Founder, Parker Eco Pest Control. Expert Interview. 18 February 2021.
- ↑ https://fleascience.com/flea-control/flea-control-for-homes/best-flea-traps/
- ↑ https://todayshomeowner.com/pest-control/reviews/flea-traps/
- ↑ https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef602
- ↑ https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef602
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABA3kIAd8nI
About This Article
Article Summary
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To make a flea trap, begin by filling a shallow dish with water, then stirring in 1 tablespoon of dish soap. Next, put the dish in a place where you’ve seen fleas and let it sit overnight. In the morning, empty the dish with the dead fleas and refill it with more soapy water. Then, repeat this process until the fleas are gone. If the dish isn’t attracting enough of the fleas, try placing it under a lamp or near a candle, since fleas will be drawn to the warmth and light. For tips on keeping fleas out of your house in the first place, read on!
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Reader Success Stories
- "The article educated me on the many ways to attack the flea problem. In retrospect, I should've been more proactive in prevention to avoid an infestation. I've never had a flea problem, but after this I'll be using flea preventive products on my cats from now on. " ..." more
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"The article educated me on the many ways to attack the flea problem. In retrospect, I should've been more proactive in prevention to avoid an infestation. I've never had a flea problem, but after this I'll be using flea preventive products on my cats from now on. "
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"I had read, or perhaps heard about the pan of dish soap and water as a flea death trap. What was new for me was the all the rest. The green-yellow light bulb, the carbon dioxide, the night time activity. Thank you for such a great article!"
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"Thank you. I wasn't aware of the lamp trap or the TV trap, or that light or heat were things that fleas are drawn to. The soap to water ratio also helped, and that fleas could survive the water and soap mixture, if not using enough soap."
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"We've tried the soapy water to find out if there are fleas in the house & it does work. But the Borax method is a waste of Borax & time as the fleas can breed elsewhere faster than you can remove them. They don't all live in the carpet."
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"This article gave doable, simple to follow instructions for getting rid of fleas in my home. They were also ways that were affordable, which is very important since so many flea products are expensive. This was a very good article."
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