Plants for Flea control

[k9paws]

Hi,
Does anyone know of any plants or herbs that can be planted in the yard around the fence and so forth that will help control fleas. It has to be something that is dangerous to pets.
Thanks

[webmaster]

Seems like what might work are predators like ants and spiders that will eat the larvae. There is a question about whether Nematodes are an effective manner of dealing with fleas in the soil. But it may be worth a shot.

[k9paws]

Appreciate that info, but fire ants we have plenty of and they don' seem to effect the fleas. Also I tried the Nematodes and they didn't work. Also sprayed the yard several times, which I prefer not to do, but this only seem to tick the fleas off. Seems they adjust to the various treatments including the ones put on the dogs. I was hoping for a good hard 3 or 4 day freeze this winter to kill them off, but doesn't look like that is going to happen either.

[applestar]

I *was* going to mention the nematodes -- not that I've tried them, but that I've seen them advertised. So thanks for that article webmaster!

I did a pretty thorough internet search for natural bug repellents a couple of years ago, and one recipe that kept coming up that many people claimed worked well for fleas was the lemon and rosemary spray -- don't have it on hand right now, but it went something like slice up a whole lemon, pour boiling water over it and steep overnight, then add sprig of rosemary or few drops of rosemary essential oil. Anyway, if this is true, and esp in your Texas location, maybe rosemary plus one of the many plants with limonene oil -- I'm thinking lemon thyme, lemon grass, lemon geranium, etc. type of plants (or even citrus trees) would help? Another combo that is supposed to be effective against mosquitoes (not sure about fleas) is lemon and eucalyptus.

Let us know if you find something that is effective.

[webmaster]

Might not want to plant a eucalyptus tree though. Their leaves and bark when they fall off keep other native plants from growing and tend to create fire hazards because they are quite flammable. We're infested with Eucalyptus trees out here ever since some wise guys imported them from Australia a hundred or so years ago.

[applestar]

Ah. Good point. I wonder if something else has the same kind of essential oil as eucalyptus....?

[Kisal]

I've heard that oil of peppermint is effective against fleas. Maybe if you grew peppermint?

I have not tried it, but I have friends who swear by oil of peppermint as a flea repellent.

[lahondaknitter]

I have a eucalyptus tree in the back yard of the house we are renting and I wouldn't recommend planting one. The pods are good as a natural flea repellant.

Also, I have used Pennyroyal, a type of mint for flea control. One thing to be aware of, any mint can be very invasive and you should certainly think twice about where it would fit in the garden.

[cynthia_h]

Even in northern California, the recommendations are to purchase the essential oils of whichever plant(s) you want to use: eucalyptus, pennyroyal, etc., and mix/dilute them with whichever recipe you prefer for flea control.

For years and years I resisted the chemical spot-ons for my dogs, trying to keep them on a "least-toxic" regimen. I've always flea-combed my cats, so no problem there.

But my 5-year-old boy dog is so severely allergic that if even ONE flea bites him, he starts itching absolutely everywhere. He's been miserable for months--fleas aren't his only allergy trigger, and despite three years of carefully testing several potential triggers, we haven't removed everything possible from his life.

He is on spot-on flea control, and so is my 9-year-old girl dog. Cats are still flea combed.

We did get a hard freeze in December, but we needed one again in February, and it didn't happen.

Bad flea season starting up.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9