Natural Flea Control

The best natural flea control is without question, cleanliness. Nothing beats regular vacuuming and dusting of your home, especially in the areas where your pet spends his “downtime.” Weekly vacuuming of your pets’ beds, followed by laundering in hot water, will keep fleas at bay and kill the little buggers if there is an existing infestation.

Weekly flea combing is another preventative, and if there is an infestation, flea combing should become a daily ritual. Non-toxic, natural flea control powders are also helpful following a good combing. These powders are available in health food or natural food stores, or you can try an effective homemade version by combining powdered forms of dried rosemary, eucalyptus and fennel in a shaker-top container.

As to flea collars, the old-fashioned pesticide-laden brand is downright dangerous to your pet. A safe, natural alternative is to purchase a nylon collar and add a drop of eucalyptus, rosemary or citronella (dogs only) oil to the collar and wait for the oil to absorb into the material. A pure essential oil will effectively repel fleas, so purchase the best you can afford from a health food or natural food store. You may even add a drop or two more if you discover your pet tolerates the collar well. Be sure to replenish weekly to maintain the oil’s efficacy.

For a natural flea control bath, add a drop or two (depending on the size of your pet) of essential oil of rosemary to castile soap, shampoo, rinse well and repeat. For a nice little touch of “spa treatment”, make a tea of dried rosemary and nettle leaves (2 tablespoons each of leaves, 2 cups of boiling water; steep and cool). Use this tea as a rinse, massaging it into the coat for healthy skin and shiny coat. No need to rinse again-the rosemary acts as an effective flea repellent.

It may surprise you, too, that there are nutritional measures that can be taken to prevent flea infestation. Some experts believe that the addition of roasted/cooked/granulated garlic in small quantities or brewer’s yeast to your pets’ food acts as an effective natural flea control. The jury is out on this tactic scientifically, but if your adult pet is overall healthy, the additions of these certainly can’t hurt and may even help.

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