How to Get Rid of Fleas!

Welcome to summertime, Wonder Pack!
Em here from the Wondercide team. 

Jackson and Calvin are truly my babies, and I spend a ton of my time in my yard with them these days.

Now that summer is here, I’m spending even more time in my yard and noticing the mosquitoes and fleas are in full force. And here’s the thing: They weren’t invited. 

An interesting side note about our situation: prior to 2020 we had never experienced fleas or ticks on our pups — so we assumed (for whatever reason) we lucked out and somehow settled down in an area of town that doesn’t experience them. Which never really made sense to me, as Austin generally has a very warm and bug-friendly climate (especially in the summer and spring).

(Another note: Our dogs have not been on ANY flea and tick medication since about 2013 when we stopped giving it to them after learning that it was what was causing both of our dogs to have seizures). 

So here we are… the past several years of homeownership, blissfully enjoying not having to deal with fleas or ticks. Then... along comes 2020 and BAM! One day in March Blake noticed fleas on the dogs. Yikes! Gross. And UGH! Why now? Why us? WHY, Universe?

I didn’t hesitate. I thought I knew EXACTLY what to do. Get out the Wondercide. I grabbed my Flea & Tick Pets + Home bottle and sprayed them both, and then for the next two weeks was spraying each dog about once every 2 to 3 days. Well…while we noticed the number of fleas seemed to be decreasing, we were STILL finding fleas lurking around and hiding away in their fur, even after about two weeks of off-and-on spraying them. What the heck, I thought! What am I missing here?

Now, let’s pause for a second. 

Give me some grace here. I know I work at Wondercide and should know ALL the cardinal rules and best practices of our products — but hey, I’m a busy dog-mom juggling work and school and life!

All of a sudden a light bulb went off. I realized I was not treating the root of the issue: my yard and my home. I was only spraying my dogs. The dogs were/are in our background multiple times a day, running, rolling around, chasing after one another, rummaging under the deck. So, what I had been doing was attempting to get rid of the fleas every few days, and then the dogs were going right back into the yard and picking up new and more fleas every. single. day. 

I quickly got my act together and ordered our Ready-to-Use Flea & Tick Spray for Yard + Garden. Since my front and back yards together are about 5,000 square feet (and each bottle treats 5,000 square feet), I got 2 — because in order to get control of an active issue, you need to treat your yard/outdoor areas twice within about 2 to 10 days. 

I went to town treating the yard immediately and then set a reminder to do the second treatment a few days later. During this window of days, I continued to treat the dogs about every 2 to 3 days, as well as use the Flea & Tick for Pets + Home on their doggy beds, carpets, baseboards, and any other cracks and crannies I suspected bugs may be hanging out indoors. 

Once the second treatment was done, we were officially over our flea issue and felt so relieved. And BONUS: Because Flea & Tick Spray for Yard + Garden also kills and repels mosquitoes, our mosquito problem was gone, too. 

Having learned my lesson of the importance of treating your entire environment and not just your pets, I’ve since stuck to the protocol of maintaining the control by treating my yard and indoor areas about once a month. For us, spraying the dogs now about once a week is maintaining control. 

In my experience so far, one of the most helpful things I’ve learned is that Wondercide is versatile and it really depends on your unique situation in regards to how often you need to be treating your yard, indoors, and pets. For us, the routine below is working really well! For others, they may find they have to spray their pets more often OR less often.

The Get-Control (You Can Do It!) Em Perdue Plan:

1. To get control of an initial, active issue, use 2 Ready-to-Use Flea & Tick Yard + Gardens within 2 to 10 days for a 5,000 sq. ft. yard
2. To get control of an initial, active issue, use Flea & Tick Pets + Home 2 to 3 times per week or daily if needed
   
   

The Em-Perdue Maintenance Method:

1. Once you’ve successfully gotten control (see plan above!), then transition into maintenance mode. For my yard, I do this by using 1 Ready-to-Use Flea & Tick Yard + Garden every 30 days (as my yard is about 5,000 sq. ft.). Remember: 1 bottle treats 5,000 square feet. 
2. Once I find control, I find spraying my dogs once a week maintains control using Flea & Tick Pets + Home. As this spray is versatile and your pest pressure may be different than mine, you may find you spray more often or less often depending on your situation. 
3. Thoroughly spray indoor areas with Flea & Tick Pets + Home once every 30 days. 
   
   

The Products and “How Many?”:

1. Between the dogs and our indoor areas, we use 1 32 oz. Flea & Tick Pets + Home about every 2 months.
2. Between getting control of the active issue and maintaining, we typically would use 3 Ready-to-Use Flea & Tick Yard + Garden bottles (two for the initial treatment and one for the first maintenance treatment).

I hope my story has helped you learn a bit more about Wondercide and how it can help solve pesky issues like fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes. 

If you have questions about anything, let us know by leaving a comment below.

Stay cool, my friends!

Extra Tips:

1. Why 2 to 10 days for the initial yard treatment? Bugs are relentless creatures! For an active issue, spraying them thoroughly back-to-back within about a week (or within 2 to 10 days) ensures you’re tackling the issue.
2. What about beneficial bugs like bees and butterflies? The residue is safe for beneficial insects like bees and butterflies. However, do not spray when pollinators are actively foraging. We know from a decade of using Wondercide ourselves and feedback from tens of thousands of customers: beneficial bugs are flourishing in yards protected by Wondercide.
3. Insider yard tip: The more surface area you cover, the better the results! You can spray decks, porches, fences, outdoor furniture, trees, grass, bushes, plants. Anywhere bugs may be hiding! 
4. Flea infestation in your home? Make sure to vacuum first before you spray. 

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Em’s Bio:

A little about me- I love being outside, jogging, and weight lifting. Traveling to new places. Mountains. I’m obsessed with my home-life Wonder Pack here in Austin, Texas, which includes: my better half Blake, my 13-year-old Beagle-Aussie mix Jackson, and my 7-year-old Golden Retriever, Calvin. My favorite food is Tex-Mex, I’m a self-proclaimed craft beer connoisseur.