Friend of mine is tearing his hair out over a flea infestation. He has been spraying a mix of(I think) Clorox and dishwashing soap around the outside of his place, and all kinds of flea bombs and such inside. Says nothing is "getting it done". Problem is compounded, IMO, by a sizable feral cat population pretty much right next door. His dogs are outside a lot in the fenced yard, but the cats are all around and the dogs bring them indoor when they come.

Suggestions? Any products that are the equivalent of "scorched earth warfare" for fleas?

I feel for your neighbor. We have a buggy population now too - mainly flies as this will be an infested year for all kinds of insects.

I know the Carolina's are notorious for lots of insects.

Yep. The fleas are bad here too. I have a friend with 4 poodles and she has had to get overly aggressive with treating them for fleas. I was at her home yesterday and one of the fleas jumped on my arm. Tried to smash it but the %$#@ thing jumped off before I could get a pulverizing grip on it.

Cedar mulch and cedar oil work the best.

Some times a very large problem needs gas and a match.

You kill the fleas and then eggs hatch and you are back where you started.

Advantage (tm), Frontline®, and Bio-Spot®, and I think there's one called Advantix. All are one month spot control for the dogs. All put a quick halt to fleas on the dogs that come in the house.

Never found a treatment for the house that worked.

Our guys (3 dogs and 2 cats) get treated as soon as we spot a flea when the season starts. We don't even treat every month, like they recommend, but rather when we see the problem start again. Some years we've only treated once. I have been using this type of control since it was still only dispensed by a vet.(many years and many furbabies) You can now buy them OTC. I'll say, at one time my house was a mess of the little biters and I tried everything shy of moving.

http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/parasites/f/FAQ_fleacontrol.htm

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This works,....but it will take a couple weeks !


http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1987-07-01/Natural-Flea-Control.aspx

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That magazine is still out?? I haven't seen it in years.. I remember reading in the 70's how to heat your house with cow [censored].

There are also garlic oil sprays that you can spray outside the home. Effective for ticks, as well. You put them on the end of a hose and spray everything well.

Here's one type: http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/