# Flea Control in Bee Yard.



## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Give the cat a long term treatment such as Frontline, Advantage, or similar.

What's happening at the moment is the fleas drop eggs on the ground which eventually hatch and wait for something to come along at which time they jump on to have a meal. But if they are cat fleas which they probably are, they cannot survive long term on human blood, they need the cat or certain other animals including rats and chickens. 

So if the cat is the only suitable host for them, and you give the cat a long term treatment, over time the fleas will disappear but they can remain alive up to 2 years so the cat treatment does have to be long term. You could also try baiting for rats if you think there may be some of them in the area.


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## Bigfish (Apr 30, 2013)

I looked at the active ingredients of the treatments you listed and they all contain neonicotinoids. If my cat gets close to my hives or under them wouldn't that be bad for the bees? I have no idea how these pesticide work.


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## SpringGreen (Jun 26, 2014)

Oldtimer said:


> Give the cat a long term treatment such as Frontline, Advantage, or similar.
> 
> What's happening at the moment is the fleas drop eggs on the ground which eventually hatch and wait for something to come along at which time they jump on to have a meal. But if they are cat fleas which they probably are, they cannot survive long term on human blood, they need the cat or certain other animals including rats and chickens.
> 
> So if the cat is the only suitable host for them, and you give the cat a long term treatment, over time the fleas will disappear but they can remain alive up to 2 years so the cat treatment does have to be long term. You could also try baiting for rats if you think there may be some of them in the area.


This. 

I'm a veterinarian. I treat all my animals with Frontline. Bees are booming.

I seriously doubt the cat can impact the bees, even sleeping under the hives. 

These products work by interfering with the nervous system of the insects in question, e.g. fleas and ticks, by contact; they work when the flea jumps onto your cat and comes into contact with the insecticide. There is no environmental control offered. 

I remember the days before we had Frontline and Advantage. I had nothing to offer clients for fleas other than dips that lasted a day or two and were toxic to the staff applying them or flea collars which didn't work.

If the topicals really make you nervous, ask your veterinarian about the new chewable options such as Comfortis or NexGard. NexGard is NOT for cats, but for those of you with dogs, it is an excellent option.


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## Bigfish (Apr 30, 2013)

Thanks! Well, back to the pet store...


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## SpringGreen (Jun 26, 2014)

It can take 4-6 months to control flea populations. You have to wait for the living ones to die, then the ones in the pupae have to hatch and get on the cat to try to take a blood meal (and they can stay in the pupae for weeks to months, although not likely this time of year) and then the larval stage has to go through the pupal stage. Meanwhile, if you have stray animals or raccoons visiting your yard, they can drop off new fleas and eggs to start the cycle all over again.

So, tips I give clients:
Don't quit too soon. 
Treat every animal that belongs to you
Treat every 30 days without fail
If necessary, resort to yard treatments
If you buy the products from a veterinary office, the manufacturer will send out a tech to help you if you do not have it under control in 4 months; thus, I do NOT recommend buying flea control products online or from the pet store.
Do NOT buy generic products; IME both with my own animals and with clients, they do not work.
DO NOT use anything not labeled for cats on a cat. Period. I have treated more than one cat poisoned this way. 
And do NOT buy anything made by Hartz. See above point. Even labeled for cats, they are highly toxic.


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## JClark (Apr 29, 2012)

DO NOT use anything not labeled for cats on a cat. Period. I have treated more than one cat poisoned this way.
[/QUOTE said:


> Meaning, don't use anything w/ permethrin (or anything ending w/ "thrin") on a cat. Cats can't metabolize these compounds and are poisoned. I use on my dogs but have to make sure the cat doesn't play w/ them for a day after treatment.
> 
> If you have a lot of adult fleas in your yard chances are you have a die off of whatever hosts they were feeding on and they are now looking for new hosts. Not much you can do but treat your cat w/ frontline, ensure you don't have rodents or other vermin, and give it time for them to die off. Any yard treatment could affect the bees also.


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

Sounds like you have a serious rodent problem that needs taking care of. Are there any jack rabbits or prairie dogs around by any chance?


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## labradorfarms (Dec 11, 2013)

Bigfish said:


> Thanks! Well, back to the pet store...



Don't go to the pet store man!!!!! 
Save lots of money and use 1800pet meds.


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## Haraga (Sep 12, 2011)

Umm lock up the cat. Keep the cat and any other tame animals away from the bee yard? Just sayin.


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## Scpossum (May 4, 2014)

Now I have a flea problem in the backyard. Anyone have a granule that will work in grass?


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## Bigfish (Apr 30, 2013)

Sorry to hear about your fleas Scpossum. I'm not sure about what to use on grass. Maybe food grade diatomaceous earth? You would have to be extremely careful not to get any on the bees.

This is a followup on how I got rid of my fleas.

-Bathed cat with flea shampoo. The cat hated it and I escaped with minor injuries.
-Treated cat with Frontline.
-Steam cleaned all the floors where the cat has been in the house.
-Added 2-3 inches of Eucalyptus mulch to the backyard.
-Added "Vacuum Cat" to my daughters weekly chore list. My daughter runs the shop vac hose out onto the deck and uses an upholstery brush. The cat loves it. 

No one has seen a flea in over a week!


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## Haraga (Sep 12, 2011)

Move your hives to another yard and spray to kill the fleas.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Bigfish said:


> Anyone have an idea how to get rid these pests?
> 
> Thanks!


Remove the host.

Why is this a Bee question?


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## Scpossum (May 4, 2014)

sqkcrk said:


> Remove the host.
> 
> Why is this a Bee question?


 Really? First sentence of original post. 


Thanks Bigfish for sharing what you did. Trying to head them off before they hit the house. Going to lay down granules and then hit with spray on top of that. Bees are on the end of the yard and I am staying away from that side. I thought someone might have a specific brand of granule they had used. It has been quite a few years since I had this problem and figured something new might have come out.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I guess I could have said, "Kill the cat. Problem over." I was trying to be nice. So, yes, really.


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## Bigfish (Apr 30, 2013)

> Why is this a Bee question?


I didn't want to kill my bees with flea poison so I asked what other people with more experience would do.


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## Haraga (Sep 12, 2011)

If you don't want to kill the bees then move them.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Bigfish said:


> I didn't want to kill my bees with flea poison so I asked what other people with more experience would do.


If you think that drenching the soil in your bacvk yard will cure your flea problem, then move the bees, drench, and return the bees.
Seemed like you were asking a cat question. That's why I asked. Seems like moving the bees is kinda obvious. Guess I was wrong. Good that you asked.


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## Bigfish (Apr 30, 2013)

> If you don't want to kill the bees then move them.


I do not have another place to move them to.
Anyways the fleas are gone and the bees are still alive. We can mark this thread as solved.

Thank you to everyone who posted with helpful advice!


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

How did that happen?


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## Bigfish (Apr 30, 2013)

> How did that happen?


If you are asking how I got rid of the fleas...

Post #12



> Sorry to hear about your fleas Scpossum. I'm not sure about what to use on grass. Maybe food grade diatomaceous earth? You would have to be extremely careful not to get any on the bees.
> 
> This is a followup on how I got rid of my fleas.
> 
> ...


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## Scpossum (May 4, 2014)

I double treated the area today in question right after the rain with granules. Must have started working because I wasn't seeing them by tis afternoon. Probably will have to re-treat soon. 

Some us cannot move hives easily. I only have an acre where I live. The farm is 85 miles away and right now I do not want to move them that far. That is why we were asking if anyone had experience. I have never seen my bees in my grass, so I went ahead and put it to the fleas. 

Must have misunderstood the previous post of why this was a bee question. I took it to mean what could be sprayed because of the bees in the yard in the same proximity as the host. I have been working on the original hosts. Shooting every pear eating, acorn chewing, noxious squirrel that comes into the yard.

I am also looking into them diamotaceous earth. My neighbor also suggested it.


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

This website doesn't require a prescription.

http://www.petsofoz.com/revolution-for-cats.html


We used Revolution and it has helped the cats with fleas and ear mites. The way that the tips on the applicator works is easier than frontline I thought. It never hurt our bees. It sounds like things are under control for you at this point. Congratulations.


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## Haraga (Sep 12, 2011)

Fear not, the fleas will be back.


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