Natural Flea Control for Yards

Fleas are a common inhabitant of backyards, and unfortunately, they can also wreak havoc on your pet.

While traditional flea control with pesticides and insecticides is most effective, natural methods can be helpful when used along with these products.

In some cases, natural remedies might be a pet parent’s only option and are better than using nothing at all.

The most important factor to consider when eradicating a flea problem is that you must kill fleas in all life stages in your home and yard—as well as on your pet.

What Are Fleas?

Fleas are pesky insects that live on dogs and cats as well as other pets and in your home and yard. The most common flea species is the cat flea, or Ctenocephalides felis, but other flea species infect rodents and other animals.

Fleas have powerful back legs they use to jump onto a host. They then feed on the host’s blood. You may see black specks in your pet’s fur, which is digested blood that’s expelled as feces from the flea, called flea dirt.

Fleas can consume up to 15 times their body weight in blood per day and can cause significant blood loss in small puppies and kittens. Flea bites are itchy and can cause a skin infection, but more serious consequences include disease transmission, flea allergy dermatitis, and life-threatening anemia in pets.

Life Stages of a Flea

The lifecycle of a flea can be quick or last many months depending on the conditions. Fleas go through four different life stages—eggs, larvae, pupa, and adult.

Flea eggs are shed into the environment by a female adult flea after they take a blood meal from an animal or human host. These eggs hatch one to 10 days later to form a larvae.

Flea larvae feed on blood and flea dirt and will eventually form a cocoon and enter the pupa stage.

Adult fleas emerge from the cocoon once there is a host—such as a warm body—or movement is felt. Adults then feed from the host, mate, and the females produce more eggs.

Why Are Fleas In Your Yard?

Fleas may be attracted to your yard for many reasons. They search for moist areas such as puddles and other places where water pools after it rains. They also prefer shady areas under trees or patio furniture. Areas with tall grass also provide a hidden, moisture-rich environment that fleas prefer.

Fleas may be carried into your yard by wild animals such as rodents, raccoons, and deer, or by community cats and dogs. While fleas can be a year-round problem, they are most active in warmer months. The immature stages can overwinter (stay in immature stages for long periods of time), and adult fleas typically begin to emerge in the spring.

You likely have fleas in your yard if you notice fleas or itchy red bumps on your pet, or black specks in their fur.

Risks of Having Fleas in Your Yard

Flea bites are itchy and can lead to skin infections in pets. Some pets are allergic to flea saliva and develop flea allergy dermatitis, which is characterized by intense itching and secondary skin infections. Fleas can cause anemia in pets, and they can also transmit several dangerous diseases to pets and people, including:

• Tapeworms: The tapeworm Dipylidium caninum can infect dogs and cats if they ingest a flea while grooming or biting at their skin. The tapeworm lives in the host’s intestines and releases proglottids, or segments that look like grains of rice, which are passed in the host’s feces. Tapeworms don’t cause severe disease, but they absorb nutrients and can cause weight loss, so they should be treated as soon as possible.

• Bubonic plague: This disease can be transmitted to humans by infected ground squirrel fleas in the western United States and by Oriental rat fleas in other parts of the world. The plague causes painful, swollen lymph nodes and can be fatal.

• Cat scratch disease (CSD): The bacteria that causes CSD, Bartonella henselae, is transmitted to humans when they are scratched by a cat and flea feces gets into the wound. CSD causes red and swollen skin lesions, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, and lethargy in people.

• Flea-borne (murine) typhus: The bacteria that causes murine typhus is transmitted by cat fleas and Oriental rat fleas. This disease is most common in California, Texas, and Hawaii, and causes fever, nausea, appetite loss, rash, and coughing in pets.

• Tungiasis: Tungiasis is caused by Chigoe fleas, which are commonly known as sand fleas, and is predominant in tropical and subtropical regions such as South America, the West Indies, and Africa. Cases in the U.S. are rare and are likely due to people traveling in areas where the disease is common. Tungiasis causes itchy skin lesions in both people and dogs.

Natural Flea Control for Yards

Along with traditional methods for removing fleas from your yard, such as pesticides, you can add natural remedies.

These may include:

• Nematodes: Nematodes are microscopic worms that are natural flea predators. They hunt adult fleas as well as flea eggs and larvae and can also help eliminate mosquitoes and termites. Nematodes pose no threat to people or pets and will simply die off when their food source (fleas) is no longer available. After adding nematodes to your yard, you are likely to see a decrease in the flea population in 24 hours.

• Cedar wood chips: Cedar chips repel fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes, and can be used to edge your property as a natural deterrent. Cedar chips can be used along with nematodes, and are safe for use around pets, people, and plants.

• Proper lawn care: Keeping your lawn maintained by mowing often, clearing weeds, and properly disposing of garden waste will eliminate the moist, dark environments fleas prefer. Concentrate on the areas around your home and where you and your pet spend the most time.

• Diatomaceous earth: Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a natural insect repellent made from the fossilized remains of tiny water organisms (diatoms) whose skeletons contain silica. DE is available as a powder or dust that can be sprinkled on your yard or on indoor carpets and furniture to help control fleas and other insects. The silica in DE absorbs fats and oils from the flea’s skeleton, causing them to dry out and die.

• Wondercide® products: Wondercide® products are free of toxic chemicals and safe to use around pets inside your home and in your yard. Wondercide® yard and garden products use plant-based ingredients—including cedarwood oil and sesame oil—to repel and kill fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes at all life stages. Few flea products have repellent properties, and Wondercide® products can be used along with products that kill fleas for multi-modal control. Wondercide® yard spray comes in a bottle that attaches to your garden hose for easy application.

Prevention of Fleas in Your Yard

Keep fleas and other pests out of your yard with the following tips:

• Keep your yard fenced to prevent flea-carrying wildlife from getting in.

• Keep your yard free of overgrown vegetation, tall grass, thick bushes, brush piles, and standing water.

• Have a professional exterminator regularly treat your yard with pet-safe products.

These preventive measures can help reduce your pet’s risk of flea exposure, but they don’t replace the need for routine flea and tick preventives such as NexGard®, Simparica Trio™, or Revolution®.

Speak to your veterinarian about the best preventive product for your pet.