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my roommate and i have been using a combination of nematodes and diatomaceous earth in the yard to control fleas, and a combination of diatomaceous earth and electronic pest controllers in the house.

we've seen a significant decrease in the number of fleas in the carpet and on the dog and cat over the last few weeks. this is a real relief and neither of us wanted to use toxins or chemicals in the house or yard, but were worried about the sudden and exponentially growing bloom of fleas our pets were experiencing (despite upping their monthly doses of flea poisons to once per three weeks and diligently daily grooming with the flea comb).

beneficial nematodes are microscopic organisms that set up shop in the soil and work against fleas (as well as a whole slew of garden pests including cutworms, aphids, and cabbage maggots). diatomaceous earth is essentially ground up shells with a large percentage of silicone that act as a desiccant to fleas. this product is also available in food grade. both are available from local nurseries. the cost of two years worth of nematodes plus a summer's worth of d.e., for our large yard, was under $40.

electronic pest control devices are about the size of a cell phone and plug directly into an outlet (the ones i bought feature an extra outlet built in so you don't have to sacrifice the use of an outlet). they emit sound waves of a frequency too high for humans dogs, and cats to hear, but within a range perceived by fleas. apparently the waves disturb eating and sleeping patterns until insects like fleas, roaches and spiders pack it in and leave. i'd rather not chase out spiders, but if that's what it takes, i can live with it. i've heard the devices designed for mice don't work, but the ones for fleas do. although it's hard to tell how well it's working (because we are using other strategies along side them), i'm leaving them plugged in for the rest of flea season. a three-pack runs about $20 at target.

other than a continuous program of vacuuming carpets, laundering pet bedding, and grooming with a flea comb, what other non-toxic methods do you use to control fleas on your pets?

Have you talked to your vet about other flea control methods? My beagle was allergic to fleas to the point that her hair would fall out if she got any biting her. I can't remember exactly what methods we used to use but I believe it was Frontline. It doesn't fit the "non toxic" criteria I'm sure you're looking for but I don't think it was at all harmful to anything above insect anatomy. I'm sure your vet could tell you just how safe or harmful this method is. I do know that we had dogs that were constantly in and out of the house and never had any flea problems at all once we got them on medication. It sounds like your flea infestation is pretty bad and it might be worth bringing out the big guns if your situation doesn't get better soon.

Thanks for the healthier suggestions for flea eradication. Our dog is allergic to fleas, and this has been a really bad year for the little buggers. I'm ashamed to admit it, but we finally broke out the big guns and treated the yard with Sevin. Apparently, this is one of the least toxic of all the toxic options; the vet recommended it, but stopped short of endorsing the topical application I've heard other people do with their dogs.

I've also heard that brewer's yeast and garlic are flea deterents. Have you ever tried either of those?

Well the problem I see with that is garlic definitely seems to be a dog deterrent too. It can even be a people deterrent. It's also especially effective at repelling vampires if you ever have an infestation.

i posted this in the environmental issues forum specifically (instead of, say, the pets forum) because i think it's valuable to the environment to share info on things other than frontline and sevin and whatnot (not because i don't know about such products).

thankfully, none of the animals (including humans) at my house have real flea allergies, and the flea population at my house is responding to the methods i mentioned above.