If you’re in the Houston area you know that pests can be a big hassle to keep at bay. Your pets are irritated by the itching and some carry harmful bacteria. So here are some ideas to help keep those buggers off your pets and outside where they belong:

Use Pest Repellent

Buy pest repellent like Bayer’s K9 Advantix II, or their flea and tick collar you can strap around your dog’s neck. A collar is particularly handy because you don’t have to keep reapplying anything and they claim to last up to 8 months.

Make Your Own Bug Collar

This is a cheaper alternative to the store bought flea collars, especially if you have the ingredients on hand. Claire Goodall at everydayroots.com helped us out with this one.

What you need:

• 3-5 drops of cedar oil or lavender oil (essential oils work best)
• 1-3 tablespoons of water
• Your dog’s collar or something else to tie around their neck
• (optional) dropper

Put the drops of oils in the water to dilute the oils, then apply to the collar using a dropper, a spoon or just soaking the collar. If the effects wear off you can reapply the mixture to the collar.

Citrus Repellent

Bugs like ticks and fleas hate citrus which makes it a great weapon. The limonene in citrus fruits kills bugs and it is often used in household cleaners and bug sprays. Limonene is in the peel not the juice so you can either blend up whole lemons, limes, or oranges or you can cut them up and boil them and let it sit over night.

It can be sticky, so we recommend using a brush, comb or droppers to apply the limonene to your pet’s fur.

Scorched Earth Method – Baths

Simple, but effective. Fleas and ticks drown in water so a swim in a lake, pool, bath tub can wipe out any bugs your pet may have picked up. To be even more effective you can use Dawn dish soap as it isn’t harsh on the skin and it helps kill the bugs. To add even more potency, you can add a few drops of lemon oil or a small amount (¼ to ½ a cup) of lemon juice to the bath water.

Fighting Fire with Fire – Nematodes and Lady Bugs

You can use the tiny, nearly microscopic worms called nematodes to kill fleas at their source. Petmd.com says that nematodes are natural predators of fleas as move around in the soil and feed on the flea larvae they find there and release a toxic that kills fleas but is not harmful to pets or people.

You can also recruit lady bugs from your local garden store which also eat smaller bugs like fleas.

We hope these tips help you fight the good fight against pesky fleas and ticks this summer. Enjoy the warm outdoors!

If you need professional flea and tick control in Houston, contact Preventive Pest Control today!