(Warning: whining ahead!)
Over the weekend, we've been beset by a plague of fruit flies. They were hanging around buckets of apples (making pie filling and sauce keeps getting preempted by more pressing matters) and remains of grape-juicing outside, but for some reason, they have decided to come in – everywhere, not just the kitchen. AAAAARG!
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| Homemade trap – woefully inadequate. :-/ |
We didn't need any more unexpected bills right now. We'll have one from last week for my horse's hospital stay. And remember my heat pump WooHoo? Change that to BooHoo. Turns out it's toast, after all; we've had to order a new one. Ouch.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow. At least my horse is getting better!
That's it for now from . . .
8 comments:
Oh dear, hope things get better all the way around at Boulderneigh!!
Dawn dish soap can be used as a shampoo on the dogs to kill fleas. Won't help with those hiding out in carpets, lawns, etc but will get them off the dog temporarily. You can also ask your vet about the newer heart-worm preventives that also prevent fleas.
Thanks for the tips, Kate; Dawn sounds like a much safer product to use on tiny Dicey than an insecticide!
My neighbor's dogs got fleas and has been generously sharing with my little guy. I try to stay organic and my baby goes to a holistic vet... so I've been using some natural treatments I can suggest.
Tea Tree oil on his collar repels insects as well as any flea/tick treatment I've seen on the market (but it has to be renewed regularly).
Fleas (and ants) hate vinegar -- washing down all surfaces with vinegar and putting it in with the laundry too seems to really get rid of them (and their eggs - yuck!).
And (my poor little doggie) I oil him. I've infused a cooking oil with some of the tea tree essential oil and although he is a slippery little oil slick for a couple hours, then he has his bath and is fluffy again. And he's actually sot of cute oiled -- like a Garth Williams illustration of himself. I use the oil because it smothers the fleas better -- fleas can hold their breath for 20 minutes from what I've read and the fleas can breathe air bubbles trapped at the root of the hair/fur so a bath alone even if they love soaking in the tub (mine doesn't) won't kill them... But Oil is thick and it saturates and gets in to them so they die, also it's a great moisturizer so his skin doesn't dry out with the frequent baths and the dawn stripping out all his natural oils -- doggies shouldn't have dandruff.
We have gone through Fruit Flies several times in the last two months UGH!!!! Hope Lance is better! Hope Brian is better!
When it rains, it pours! I'm sorry times are difficult. I'll deliver hugs personally in December! :-)
I found that the homemade fruit fly trap works better without the plastic wrap on top. However, I've not had as many in the house as you seem to have.
When it rains, it pours! I'm sorry times are difficult. I'll deliver hugs personally in December! :-)
I found that the homemade fruit fly trap works better without the plastic wrap on top. However, I've not had as many in the house as you seem to have.
Yeesh, you have sure had a time of it. Been watching via phone and not able to comment. Had you in my prayers. Guess I'll add Brian to the list too ;-).
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