Killing fleas

[SplatterTone]

The local clan of fleas has now built up a resistance to Frontline Plus. I haven't tried other stuff like Revolution yet. But there is always Old Reliable. Certainly not as convenient to apply, and it is quite aromatic, but no bug that gets doused with it lives, and the dogs do fine with it.

[SplatterTone]

Waaay back before flea killing was big business and you had to devise your own methods, and fleas had gotten to the point where they would play in and make snowmen out of Sevin dust, I used a combination of lindane and Dursban. Potent stuff. I had Irish Setters then so the water based spray could be used on that kind of coat. It had to be done in the hot sun or a blow dryer used so it would dry quickly so the dog couldn't lick it. POTENT stuff.

With the Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, water based spray will bounce off their coat.

One time I came across some stuff with the only active chemical listed "hendecanoic acid" in what I think was a water base -- maybe something else. No toxicity warning, and I think you could drink the stuff. It was cheap so I tried it. I sprayed a flea on the dog's belly, it jumped once and was dead. WOW! But the stuff had no residual effect. None.

[tubatooter1940]

I heard back in times of old, wolves would slowly back into a river or stream with piece of a former victim's fur in it's teeth - so slowly that all the fleas on it's body would move forward and jump off on that piece of pelt as the wolf sank beneath the water - swimming away - flea free. And the fleas then drifted downstream.
What a green way to solve the problem.
Can't you teach your dog or cat to do that?