Non-Toxic Methods of Flea & Tick Control

An alternative to toxic flea baths & works for garden pests also.
http://www.bugarrest.com/

From: Gerri Glass at mainstreet@i-plus.net

(It's easier, safer & far less expensive to treat your dogs with natural insect repellants to keep mosquitoes off so that they're not bitten in the first place. These work equally well for fleas & ticks. Flea collars should never be used. Chemical treatments like Frontline, Advantage, etc. are toxic chemicals. Bathing (any shampoo works fine & it doesn't have to be flea shampoo), flea combs,
sprinkling your animal with nutritional yeast & adding small amounts of nutritional yeast to their food works great. There are also herbal flea collars that are wonderful.)

Use natural insect deterrents to protect your pets
Indoor/Outdoor Insector, The Bug Collector
Electronic Repellents - Traditional Repellents - Mosquito Trap
Non-deet-based essential plant oils insect repellents (why DEET is not safe)
Nature's Herbal Mosquito & Insect Repellent

Also:http://www.vetadviceline.com/parasite.htm

Natural Flea Treatments

Cinnamon Treatment:

Mix 4 parts rubbing alcohol to 1 or 2 parts of water plus cinnamon
powder till it looks muddy -- Rub in & leave--works great for fleas,
and adult ticks, too.

Below is copied from a site on natural flea treatments/repellents.
People give nutritional yeast (available in bulk in health food
stores) since the smell is reported to repel fleas, but I don't think
it's good to give them much of this because it makes them gassy & can
cause yeast problems. I've sprinkled nutritional yeast (not brewer's
yeast or the kind sold in supermarkets to bake with) on my dogs &
cats & it works.

Citrus Repellant: Cut a lemon into quarters and place in a pint jug.
Cover the lemon with boiling water and let it steep overnight. Next
day you have a flea repellent that you can use in a spray bottle.
Spray all over your dog remembering especially behind the ears and
around the head generally (careful of eyes), around the base of the
tail (once again keep away from delicate bits) and under your
dog's 'armpits'.

Apple Cider Vinegar Repellant: Mix apple cider vinegar 50/50 with
water & put in a spray bottle. Spray all over your dog remembering
especially behind the ears and around the head generally (careful of
eyes), around the base of the tail (once again keep away from
delicate bits) and under your dog's 'armpits'.

Aromatherapy repellent. Using 10 ml. of Pure Almond Carrier Oil as
your base, add 10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil and 5 drops of
Cedarwood Essential Oil. Shake well and use 1 or 2 drops [of this
mixture] spread over the skin at least twice a week to
keep the fleas away.

Natural Flea Collar: Rub a few drops of one of the following into an
ordinary webbing or rope collar or even a doggy bandana: Eucalyptus
Essential Oil, Tea Tree Essential Oil, Citronella Essential Oil,
Lavender Essential Oil or Geranium Essential Oil. Use weekly. Never
put essential oils directly on the skin without first diluting.

YOUR HOME: Fleas spend most of their time in your furnishings and
only hop onto your dog or you for their next meal. Make sure you wash
your dog's bedding regularly because no flea ever survived a hot wash
cycle. If you add Eucalyptus Essential Oil to the final rinse it will
also kill 99% of house dust mites according to research from the
University of Sydney, Australia.

Vacuum your home very thoroughly and sprinkle a fine layer of
ordinary table salt over your upholstery and carpets and leave
overnight before vacuuming again to evict your unwelcome guests
safely, but don't forget to empty your vacuum bag.

BATHING: Regular liquid dish soap works great at killing fleas. Soap
up well & leave on 3-5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly. In the final
rinse add a couple of drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil or Lavender
Essential Oil.

Herbal Flea Dip: Steep two cups of fresh Rosemary Leaf in two pints
of boiling water for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid, discard the
leaves and make it up to one gallon (8 pints) with warm water. Pour
this mixture over the dog until it's saturated. Do not rinse off and
allow the dog to dry naturally.

Adding a dessertspoon of natural apple cider vinegar to the water
bowl will make the skin more acidic and unpleasant to fleas and
ticks.

Posted on SHARE Yahoo group Jun 29, 2004