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Effective Flea Control
Effective flea control requires removal of fleas from the pet, removal of fleas from the environment, and control of the life cycle of the flea. Each of these aspects is important. For example it does little good to remove all the fleas from the pet, unless fleas are removed from the environment. Otherwise, fleas will simply jump back onto the pet and reinfest the animal, leaving you where you started.
Controlling the life cycle of the flea is especially important. One way to accomplish this is through the use of insect growth regulators. Another is by making the environment less favorable for flea development. (See Treatment of the House) Special concerns we have in the grand scheme of flea control include safety of the products on the pets, safety to the humans in the household, environmental effects of these agents, and of course, the effectiveness of the products. More on these later...
Definitions
Knockdown
The term knockdown indicates the ability of the insecticide to kill a flea quickly upon contact...generally a matter of minutes or less. Products with "good" knockdown include pyrethrins, some organophosphates (e.g., malathion), and citrus derivatives (e.g., d-limonene).
Residual Action
Residual action or activity indicates that the product will remain active for a longer period of time. This is a desired property for most environmental treatments. Products with "good" residual action include microencapsulated insecticides, most organophosphates (e.g., chlorpyrifos), and carbamates (e.g., carbaryl).
LD50 (Lethal Dose 50)
The LD50 is a toxologic term indicating the dose of a drug or compound that is lethal for 50% of the test animals to which it is given. In other words, if the LD50 for drug A is 50 mg/kg, and ten test animals are given 50 mg/kg of drug A, then five of those animals will die as a result of the drug. The higher the LD50, the less lethal (or more safe) a drug or compound is to the animal tested.
More Information:
- Introduction to the Flea
- Effective Flea Control
- Flea Control Products
- Active Ingredients in Flea Control Products
- Natural Flea Control Products
- Treating Your Pet for Fleas
- Treat Your Home for Fleas
- Treat Your Yard for Fleas
- Prevent Flea Infestation
Content provided by Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine for educational purposes only.
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