I have an infestation of fleas.. but do not own any pets! my neighbor upstairs however has a dog and two cats. the other day her dog ran into my kitchen when the back door ws open. do you think this is why I have fleas in my home? should I confront my neighbor about this?
Answers:
You do not have to be a pet owner to get fleas in the home. It is possible to bring fleas inside on your shoes and socks. It is possible the dog broght the fleas in. Don't worry the cycle of life shouldn't continue if there are no pets in the home. Confronting the neighbor might not do much help. Some people just don't care.
Yup
Fleas need a host to live on. Either they are living on you or they are coming from a neighbor.
Very real possibility
Ask your neighbor if they have fleas (I bet they DO!). They are probably living in filthy conditions and it is overflowing into your apartment.
Fleas can come in on humans too. My family owned a plant nursery that was about a quarter acre of plants where animals like raccoons and such run rampant. While walking around the nursery in white socks, we would occasionally notice a flea jumping onto one of our legs. The carpeting and furnishing in your home can harbor fleas and their eggs either carried in by you, a previous owner/renter of the home, or your neighbor's dog. I recommend treating the carpet/furnishings with a vet recommended spray. I used VetKem on my apartment and it really did the trick. It is also relatively safe compared to other area treatments.
The fleas could migrate downstairs even if the dog had never been in your home. The entire building will need to be treated aggressively for fleas, and all of her pets need to be 'flea dipped' to kill any live fleas or eggs, and then put on a treatment like Frontline, Advantix or Biospot. It would not be unreasonable to ask your upstairs neighbor to foot the bill for treating the house, but you may want to go through the landlord to so it's not a direct confrontation.
Rarely, a house without animals can develop a flea infestation if the insects came in on a human carrier, particularly if the yard or fields around the home are infested. It's a good idea to treat the lawn around the home as well. Most yard and garden stores sell a reasonable yard insect treatment.
I would definately tell your neighboor! And also suggest he flea bomb his place, and get some flea drops or pills for his pets. And keep them on protection every month.
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