What are Natural Flea killers?

Dogs and cats rank the first two spot in the list of animals being used as house pet. During summer time, one noticeable behavior that can be seen on these two favorite house pet is frequent scratching. One cause of this disturbing scratching is flea infestation. What is a flea and what are natural flea killers?

Flea is an insect that belongs to the order Siphonaptera. It is small (about 1.5 to 3.3 mm long), dark colored and wingless insect. It has a tube like mouth that it uses to suck blood from their host. It has long legs. The hind legs are well adapted for jumping. Fleas can jump 7 inches vertically and 13 inches horizontally. They rank second as the best animal jumper after froghopper. Their body is flat and tough wherein squeezing them between the nails is not enough to kill or debilitate them.

There are over 2,000 species of fleas worldwide and some of the known species are as follows: Ctenocephalides felis (cat flea), Pulex irritans (Human flea), Ctenocephalides canis (dog fea), Xenopsylla cheopis (oriental rat flea), and Nosopsyllus fasciatus (northern rat flea).

A lot of people control or kill fleas by using chemical based flea killer. Its effectiveness could not be denied but its effect to the health of the pet and human beings surrounding the pet could not be left behind. About a thousand pets die annually because of their chronic exposure to low dose of toxic chemicals that they get from their anti flea collar or anti flea shampoo. Children who hug or play with their pets are also exposed to these chemicals and could impose health risks for them.

Fleas are like cockroaches that adapts to their environment. With this capability, they can become stronger and be immune to commercial flea control solutions that are popularly used. One technique to counteract this is to use variety of flea killers. Best flea killers are those that are naturally made and do not have poisonous chemicals.

Rosemary flea dip can be made to get rid of fleas from your favorite pet. To make this, simply steep two cups of rosemary in a boiling water for about thirty minutes. Strain the liquid and then add a gallon of warm water or two depending on the size of your pet. Allow the water to cool down a little bit because you do not want to burn your pet. Soak your pet on the solution for quite some time. Allow the solution to dry off on the body of your pet naturally.

Another way to naturally get rid of fleas is to use apple cider vinegar. Simply add a spoonful of this solution to the bathing water of your pet. This makes their skin acidic and less attractive to fleas. You can also dilute it with water (1:1 dilution) and place it on a spray bottle. Use it as a repellant.

These are some of the natural flea killers or repellants that you can make at home. It is not just cheaper but also a healthier way to deal with fleas.