To protect yourself from fleas: Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing
Use Essential Oils.
Pennyroyal. Eucalyptus. Those are just some of the essential oils that have been found to repel fleas. Dab them onto your skin or spray them onto your clothes to take advantage of their flea-resistant properties.
Ultrathon Insect Repellent Lotion from 3M
It also has the benefit of giving controlled-released protection for up to 12 hours, making it ideal for usage if you suffer flea bites while sleeping.
To treat flea bites, wash the area, avoid hot showers, and use an anti-itch cream and an antihistamine medication. Having a pet or walking through a wooded area can increase your risk of getting bug bites. If your pet has fleas, you'll need to clean any fleas that may have infested your home.
To protect yourself from fleas: Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone.
Tea Tree Oil: Adding tea tree essential oil to your shampoo can help curb flea infestation. The oil is traditionally used (in its diluted form) to eliminate fleas in pets and on carpets, couches, etc. Research suggests that tea tree oil is effective in managing fleas (1).
However, one flea species targets humans. The Chigoe flea, or jigger (Tunga penetrans), is native to Latin America and parts of Africa. It's known to feed and live on humans. These fleas burrow into the skin of the host.
In short: using vinegar solution or white vinegar on your pet's fur or in their drinking water will not kill fleas. There is a chance ACV could repel fleas because they don't like the taste, but it is only a mild detergent and is not the best flea remedy.
Citronella, eucalyptus, peppermint, tea tree, and rosemary will all naturally repel fleas. If your dog doesn't mind a spray bottle, dilute a few drops of your chosen essential oil into a 300ml-400ml of water and spray directly onto your dog's coat.
A 2017 study published by the Journal of Arthropod-Borne Diseases found that thyme and myrtle essential oils can repel fleas effectively. Cedarwood oil can also repel fleas from fabric, people, and pets, according to Healthline.
Cover your skin with long clothing to deter fleas while you sleep. Fleas have a tough time biting through thick clothing. If you're going to sleep and you know there are fleas nearby, wear long sleeves and long pants. Tuck your pants into your socks to protect your ankles and your feet.
Where Do Fleas Lay Eggs? Fleas like to lay eggs near their primary food source—your dog or cat. Fleas can't produce eggs from a diet of human blood. So, even if they bite people, they almost never lay eggs in human hair.
After a flea bites you, a small, discolored bump forms. A discolored ring or halo may appear around the bite. Flea bites may appear in a straight line or a cluster of many bites. Flea bites most commonly occur on your legs, especially your feet, calves and ankles.
Flea bites result in red spots surrounded by reddened haloes. They are extremely itchy and cause great discomfort. Fleas often target the legs and feet of human victims and may infest the entire bodies of domestic house pets. Many wildlife species carry fleas as well.
While you can hop in the shower every time you're in a flea-infested area of your home, doing so will only get rid of those fleas on your skin. Because fleas prefer dogs or cats, these bothersome pests are more likely to hop off of us and go searching for another creature to feed on.
Bites on Humans are Incidental
Once on the primary host of a cat or dog, adult fleas remain there. They feed, mate and lay their eggs directly on the host. In contrast, when fleas feed on people, they'll take a blood meal and then immediately leave. Fleas don't breed on humans.
In addition to the chemical makeup, other people believe that fleas are simply attracted to some scents more than others. This is why they might prefer a certain individual due to their natural body scent, sweat, and/or the products they apply to their skin, such as soaps, shower gels, deodorants, etc.
Fleas have a strong sense of smell, which they use to find accessible food sources. You can take advantage of this trait by using scents they dislike, such as cedarwood, mint, vinegar, clove oil, citrus, DEET, lemongrass oil, and rosemary oil.
Fleas are attracted to light, movement, heat, and CO2 that their hosts exhale when breathing. Fleas will jump slightly any time one of these signals triggers movement, but flea activity really takes off when the presence of multiple attractants are noticed.
Fleas and Your Clothing
First, you should know that fleas can't fly, as they can only jump. However, they will jump onto your clothing. Clothing provides no nourishment to them, so they're not going to hang on a piece of material for long.
Can Fleas Live in Your Bed? These pests infest multiple areas in homes, especially mattresses, cushions, and carpeting. Pets transfer fleas to the beds and furniture where they sleep. From here, the insects quickly spread around the house.