How to Get Rid of Fleas In Garage

How to Get Rid of Fleas In Garage

No matter the species of insect or animal, dealing with an infestation is no easy task. Each infestation is different and will require a slightly different treatment method. It can easily be stressful and overwhelming– not to mention expensive if you have to call in a professional!

Use THIS if the fleas are also on your pet – flea shampoo

When it comes to a flea infestation, there are a few different things that you will need to consider in order to properly deal with the pests and ensure that the infestation does not simply crop right back up!

BEST SOLUTION for Fleas in Garage

• Vacuum up the fleas and floor as best you can and then tie up the vacuum waste in a bag and dispose of it. Use a sealable trash bag.
• Scatter borax across your garage floor, which can be found in the laundry section of most grocery stores. A single large box should suffice for a smaller garage; however, for more spacious garages, consider buying two or three boxes.
• Allow the borax to sit for 24 hours to effectively eliminate the fleas. The borax works by puncturing the flea’s exoskeleton, leading to dehydration. Once they cannot retain water, the fleas perish.
• Afterwards, vacuum the floor to remove the borax and make sure to dispose of the vacuum bag.
• Prepare a solution by combining one gallon of hot water with five tablespoons of flea shampoo. Cleanse your garage floor with this mixture, providing an additional layer of protection against any fleas that might have escaped the borax treatment.

Find the Host

First, identify the host animal that brought the fleas into the garage; it’s often a household pet but could also be pests like mice or rats. Ensure the pest is removed, and if it’s a pet, treat its flea infestation. Seek advice from a veterinarian for effective flea treatment for your pet.

Also Read – How to get Rid of Spiders in Your Garage

Use Commercial Sprays

One of the ways that you can get rid of fleas in your garage is to make good use of commercial sprays or flea spray! Most of these come in aerosol cans and can be found anywhere from online to your local hardware store.

Flea spray works to kill the fleas on contact and can kill their eggs, too, before they have the chance to spread and make the size of the infestation worse. Sprays are an ideal choice for garage spaces, but not necessarily so for indoor living spaces– like your bedroom or living room– so make your choice with caution! Be sure that you are following the directions on the can and are using these sprays safely.

They can often be toxic for people as well, so keep your mouth and nose covered and be careful when spraying. 

You can also use flea shampoo.

Use Diatomaceous Dirt

Diatomaceous earth is not just soil; it’s a natural sedimentary rock that crumbles into a fine powder, derived from fossilized diatoms with silica skeletons. This substance can treat various issues, including flea infestations. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on your garage floor or flea-infested areas. It kills fleas by piercing their exoskeleton and causing dehydration. In a pinch, table salt can serve a similar purpose. This can really help with a flea infestation.

Use Cedar

Cedar is a naturally occurring flea repellant, so this is something you can utilize, too. You can do this in the form of cedar chips or cedar fragrance oils. If you are using oils, you can mix them with water to create a spray, or can also soak cotton balls directly in the oil instead.

Whether you use a spray, cotton balls, or cedar chips, you will want to concentrate the scent in corners or other areas where you have noticed the fleas. You can place the cedar chip or cotton balls around the perimeter of the garage, too. This is more of a preventative measure, as you will still want to kill the fleas with other methods, too. 

Further Reading – Do Sound Proof Curtains actually work in your Garage?

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you kill fleas on the concrete floor?

You can’t get rid of fleas that are on your concrete floor in the same way that you can get rid of fleas that are on your cat or dog! If you have fleas in your garage, use your vacuum, or you should get diatomaceous earth, or table salt, and then sprinkle it liberally over your concrete floor. Be sure to also get it in any of the cracks in the concrete.

These work because they are able to pierce the flea’s exoskeleton, which then causes it to dehydrate and die. 

Why does my garage have fleas?

Fleas likely got into your garage by entering on an infested host. Typically, fleas do not enter a space without the help of a host first. A host could be another pest, such as a mouse or rat, or could also be a household pet.

The host is likely spending time in higher elevated areas of the garage and then dropping the flea eggs from these heights, causing the fleas to hatch and begin infesting your garage, too. 

What kills fleas instantly?

There are a few different methods that can kill fleas fairly instantly. Some of these only apply to fleas on a host, like the Capstar oral tablet that will kill the fleas on your dog or cat. This deals with the fleas that are infesting the host, but not the fleas in your garage.

To kill the fleas in your garage, you can use table salt or diatomaceous earth to dehydrate them, which will kill them quicker. You can also use certain commercial aerosol sprays, which are fairly easy to get at hardware stores or even online if you are in a pinch.

What About an insect Growth Regulator?

An Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) is a chemical substance that interferes with the normal growth and development of insects. Rather than killing insects outright (as many insecticides do), IGRs prevent them from reaching maturity or reproducing. They work by mimicking or disrupting certain hormones in insects, thus preventing them from going through their natural life cycle stages, like transitioning from larvae to adult.

There are several types of IGRs:

1. Juvenile Hormone Analogues (JHAs): These mimic the insect’s juvenile hormone, preventing it from maturing into an adult.
2. Chitin Synthesis Inhibitors: These interfere with the formation of chitin, a key component of an insect’s exoskeleton. Without proper chitin production, insects can’t molt properly, which can lead to their death.
3. Anti-juvenile Hormone Agents: These disrupt the effects of the juvenile hormone in insects.

IGRs are often used in pest management programs because of their specificity and reduced risk to non-target organisms, including humans. For example, they’re commonly used in controlling populations of fleas, cockroaches, and mosquitoes.