In a situation where I had to choose the utmost annoying and frustrating type of pest, then I would, without a doubt, instantly give that title to fleas. These bugs are the absolute worst to deal with and exterminate. Additionally, as soon as the temperature rises during spring, your whole household can become subject to the terror of these diabolical insects, because it can take a single of them to overrun completely and invade your home.
Just hoping that these insects go away will only lead to an even worse infestation. Sadly, these creatures are not only frustrating but also quite dangerous:
- They feast on the blood of numerous mammals, including humans, cats, dogs, and birds. Prolonged exposure to these bugs can lead to anemia.
- They can carry deadly viruses and bacteria between animals and humans (vector-borne diseases), including black plague, typhus, tungiasis, tularemia, and also various parasites.
- The fleas’ bites can cause skin irritation, infections, and severe cases of allergy.
So, as you can feel, these insects have to be dealt with as quickly as possible. It is the reason I created a list of the best bug-killing solutions to help you eliminate fleas before it is too late, and you have to call in exterminators.
Flea Spray Reviews: Top 7
- Adams Plus Flea and Tick Spray for Cats and Dogs
- Virbac Knockout E.S. Area Treatment Carpet Spray
- The Control Solutions Inc. 36.8 % Permethrin SFR
- Wondercide Natural Tick and Mosquito Spray for Yards
- Wondercide Natural Products – Flea, Tick and Mosquito Control for Pets
- Frontline Flea & Tick Spray
- ZOECON Precor 2000 Plus Premise Spray
I utilized and tested all the bug-killing products that are on the list, so, I experienced how each of them performs in real-world conditions. I can honestly say that these items are the best you can find online.
I tried to keep each item review short and straight-to-the-point, to give you a general idea in what situation any particular bug killer would be suitable. I have picked out a number of my own favorite solutions that are perfect for a variety of scenarios (placed at the top) and also several alternative options to keep things fair. Without delaying any longer, let us get down to the product examinations!
1. Adams Plus Flea and Tick Spray: The Best Flea Spray for Dogs and Cats
Specifications:
- Active Ingredients: Methoprene 0.27%, Etofenprox 0.50%, Piperonyl Butoxide, 1.75%
- Item Form: Spray
- Item Volume: 32 fl.oz.
- Item Weight: 2.02 pounds
- Item Dimensions LxWxH: 3 x 4.5 x 10.88 inches
- Target Species: Fleas, Ticks, Flea Eggs and Flea Larvae
Without a doubt, Adams Plus Flea and Tick Spray is the ultimate option if your beloved smaller friends are having flea-related problems. This insecticide is the greatest thing that you can get for your pets. It starts to act, and you begin experiencing results on the first day, while it takes days for different similar insecticides to kick in. Applying this one is extremely easy, just sprinkle your beloved pet with it, and then, with a tissue, distribute the flea killer all over the body of your dear smaller friend.
You get the whole 32oz for a very affordable price, and that is a big plus for pet owners, as you do not need to spend much money to alleviate the suffering for your pet. This product can eliminate the insects on every phase of its life: from eggs to adult fleas.
Also, the insecticide has a safe-mechanism if it doesn’t eliminate all the bugs on the initial treatment: it halts reproductive abilities and the development of bugs. It means that the pests will not have the capability to reproduce, and after a few treatments will be all exterminated.
As an additional feature, mosquitoes get repelled too when you use this solution on your pet, so this bug killer is a great way to give your dog some rest from all the pestering bugs. However, there are two cons to this option. It smells bad and can make you sick on the first day (then it is unnoticeable), and you can use it only once a month so as not to do any harm to your pet.
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Related Post: Most Effective Cat Flea Treatments Reviewed.
2. Virbac Knockout E.S. – The Best Flea Spray for Home and Furniture
Specifications:
- Active Ingredients: Pyriproxyfen: 2-[1-Methyl-2- [4-phenoxyphenoxy] ethoxy] pyridine 0.1% Pyrethrins 0.05% N-octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide 0.4% Permethrin [*(3-Phenoxyphenyl) methyl (+ or -) cis-trans-3- (2,2-dichloroethenyl) 2,2-dimethylcyclopropatecarboxylate] 0.4%
- Scent: Unscented
- Item Form: Aerosol
- Item Weight: 1 pounds
- Item Dimensions LxWxH: 2.5 x 2.5 x 9.5 inches
- Target Species: Fleas, Ticks
Do you have a big and luscious rug and padded couches, chairs, etc.? In that case, your home can become a great place of residence for thousands of fleas. If you do not want that to happen, I suggest you should use Vibrac Knockout E.S.
It is categorically the best flea spray for carpets, as well as the household environment in general. This bug-killing solution comes in an aerosol form. For an average cost, you get 16oz of the insecticide that can cover quite a lot of space: over 2 thousand square feet!
The manufacturers are not afraid to talk about their formula, and explain why it is so persisting and effective in extermination. They told us that they wanted to create a flea killer that should include an equally working and high-performance combination of pesticides that work on developed (adult) bugs and those that work on non-developed bugs.
The end mixture consists of pyriproxyfen, pyrethrin, permethrin, and MGK 264 (an element that greatly boosts the performance of other insecticides). This insecticide kills all bugs and restricts their reproduction and development for the whole 7 months. But you should be very cautious: this spray is extremely poisonous, and you can’t utilize it on living creatures at all!
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3. Best Flea Spray for Yard: The Control Solutions Inc. 36.8 % Permethrin SFR
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If you are under the impression that the previous item was the utmost efficient approach to eliminating the blood-sucking bugs, then it is time for you to meet The Control Solutions Inc. 36.8 % Permethrin SFR – literally the best spray to kill fleas. This bug killer is so potent that you shouldn’t apply it in homes. The advised areas of use for it are residential outsides (lawns, gardens, backyards), public spaces, and other crowded settings (shopping centers and factories).
This spray is a broad-purposed bug-exterminating spray, meaning it kills all types of insects, and not only fleas. It can easily deal with such creatures as ants, flies, wasps, termites, scorpions, and much more. This product is more expensive than other treatments, however, not by much. Here you will get 32 oz of pure bug-killing mixture that will exterminate just about any harmful insect that lives on your property.
I have to highlight that this insecticide is poisonous and even banned in the states of Connecticut and New York. Also, you will need to buy a spraying attachment with this product.
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4. Wondercide Natural Tick and Mosquito Spray for Yards – A Delicate but Effective Flea Spray that Works on Yards
Specifications:
- Active Ingredient: Organic Cedar Oil 22.50%
- Item Form: Spray
- Item Weight: 2.35 pounds
- Product Dimensions LxWxH: 9.21 x 5.24 x 2.52 inches
- Target Pests: Fleas, Ticks, Mosquitoes, Ants, Chiggers, Chinch Bugs, Crickets, Flies, Gnats, Japanese Beetles, No-See-Ums, Roaches, Scorpions, Repels Venomous Snakes
Are you tired of all of the companies putting dangerous elements in the bug-killing solutions? Well, Wondercide Natural Tick and Mosquito Spray for Yards is the best thing around when it comes to the absence of harmful elements and compounds. This flea spray should be used in outdoor settings: it is perfect for your lawn, garden, or backyard. This flea killer does a decent job, and it is safe! If you just want to keep your family safe, then you do not require anything more.
This insecticide can cover almost 5 thousand square feet, so even big gardens are not a problem here. As this one is harmless when it is applied around humans and pets, you can utilize it as much as you think is enough. Still, the recommended approach is to cover your property in the flea killer twice over ten days. It will keep the bugs at bay.
This product is not to be utilized on dogs, so the best approach is to combine it with the one that can treat pets to get rid of annoying bugs completely.
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5. Wondercide Natural Products – Flea, Tick and Mosquito Control for Pets: Natural Elements-based Flea Spray for Dogs that Works
Specifications:
- Active Ingredients: Cedar Oil 4.2%, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate 2.2%, Lemongrass Oil 1.5%, Sesame Oil – 0.1%
- Scent: Lemongrass
- Item Volume: 32 fl. oz.
- Item Form: Spray
- Item Weight: 2.13 Pounds
- Item Dimensions LxWxH: 3.7 x 3.4 x 10.5 inches
- Target Species: Fleas, Ticks, Mosquitoes, Flies, Lice, Mites, Mange
Do you want to learn which other insecticides you should use in combination with the previous item? The answer is simple: Wondercide Natural Products – Flea, Tick, and Mosquito Control for Pets. Yes, it comes from the same company, and it perfectly combines with the previous entry. It has a rather similar base mixture, but you can employ this flea spray on your feline and canine friends. For an insecticide that does not incorporate any dangerous chemicals, it performs very well and can help your pet get rid of bugs after a few applications. Still, it is not as potent as other items that utilize more severe chemicals.
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6. A Popular Professional Flea Spray – Frontline Flea & Tick Spray
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Is money not an issue for you if you wish to quickly save your beloved pet from the nightmare of having fleas? Then Frontline Flea & Tick Spray can be your choice. For a relatively high price, you receive only 8.5oz of the insecticide, which isn’t that a lot. However, this solution kills most of the bugs on your pet in less than 6 hours after the first application. Additionally, it is water-resistant and will give your feline/canine persisting resistance to pests.
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7. ZOECON Precor 2000 Plus Premise Spray – An Extremely Cost-effective Flea Treatment for House
Specifications:
- Active Ingredients: Methoprene 0.085, Permethrin 0.35%, Phenothrin 0.300%
- Item Form: Aerosol
- Item Weight: 1 pounds
- Item Dimensions LxWxH: 2.6 x 2.55 x 9.45 inches
- Target Species: Fleas, Ticks
If getting the biggest bang for your buck concerns you most, then ZOECON Precor 2000 Plus Premise Spray should be the option that appeals to you. It is your run-of-the-mill bug killer that you can use on your outdoors and inside your household. It leaves no distinctive ‘fragrance’ and no residue whatsoever. You can use this insecticide inside and outside your house, and if you are not the owner of any pets, you will not have any bug problems for months on end.
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Guide to Purchasing the Right Insecticide for You
After finishing with all of the pet and household flea sprays, let us discuss what you should pay attention to when choosing what product to purchase. Let’s start with different types of flea sprays.
The Types of Bug Killers and When You Would Need Each Type
People distinguish flea insecticides according to their purpose. There are 3 main categories of flea sprays: for pets (they can be canine/feline-specific or be suitable to all pets), for the inside areas of the house, and the outside. Also, there can be combo sprays that are suitable in different cases and are not only usable for one specific situation.
This classification makes it pretty obvious and self-explanatory the process of deciding what type you need. If you need to exterminate the fleas in your carpet: use the one for households. If you need to kill fleas in your yard, then use the appropriate option: pretty easy, isn’t it?
Still, there is a caveat when it comes to having pets and trying to exterminate fleas. If your pet has fleas and is allowed at home, there is almost 100% chance that some bugs have made nests around your house, so purchasing flea sprays both for your feline/canine and your household would be a pretty smart idea.
Related Post: 7 Best Flea Foggers (Bombs) Reviewed
What Are the Main Differences Between the Solutions?
So, you should understand what makes some insecticides pet-friendly and why some of them are banned in various states because they are deemed too dangerous. Everything depends on the ingredients used and their proportions. Let us look at two extreme cases, the bug killers from Control Solutions and Wondercide.
The former’s main ingredient is permethrin, with a concentration of almost 37% in the mixture. The danger that this element poses to humans is not that great, but it can cause extreme symptoms upon digestion and inhalation, encompassing convulsion, hyperaesthesia, hyperthermia, and so on. It is also highly toxic to cats and fish.
Still, the amount of the main ingredient makes this bug-killing solution so effective. It kills a lot of types of bugs reliably. However, permethrin potential danger led to it being banned in Connecticut, as well as in New York.
On the other hand, Wondercide’s main active ingredients are cedarwood, sesame oils, and sodium lauryl. You may wonder how in the world can a mixture of oil be deadly to anything, but you have to remember that insects are affected differently by various substances.
The cedarwood oil interacts with octopamine that is vital to the movement and heart regulation of insects. As a result, upon contact with Wondercide’s bug-killing product, the bug’s heart stops, as it is unable to move and breathe. Still, the same main ingredients are harmless to mammals, so you and everybody else, except for bugs, are in complete safety.
Choosing a Flea Killer Spray for Different Needs/Situations
Mainly there are only two things to think about when deciding on the right pesticide for your household. These things are on what area you are going to use the flea killer and whether you live with someone that can accidentally ingest the solution.
The first point will define just how potent insecticide you need. If you have a big garden (or even a farm), a big industrial space, or a publicly accessed area, then your choice should pick the Control Solution’s option, as it is very potent, and there is enough of it to cover a big area. It is sufficiently strong enough to deal with big areas, exterminating bugs of many types for prolonged periods.
If all you want to do is to make sure that your backyard is not overrun with fleas, but children live with you, or you have pets, then you should look for options that are not that toxic. Wondercide’s flea spray will do a great job, and it will be more than enough to deal with your backyard.
Related Post: Best Dog Flea Treatments That Work.
When it comes to exterminating fleas in your house, luckily, you have tons of options: they are more or less the same and only vary in how toxic they are. I recommend Vibrac’s product for the task, as it will be the most effective in this situation, and it is the best indoor flea spray. However, you have to restrict the treated area to children and pets until the insecticide is completely dried off.
As for dogs and cats, you should always go with the safest and natural options first, like the Wondercide’s option. If you do not see any results, then you just have to try other flea sprays, for example, the Frontline insecticide, etc. You should also remember that each pet is unique, and even the most delicate of treatments may not suit your beloved pet. So, you need to approach this task with patience and great care.
Common Ingredients of Bug-Killing Sprays
There are three main parts that make up almost every bug-killing solution. The first part is the neurotoxins. These are certain chemical elements or compounds that cause damage to the nervous systems of living things. The common examples of neurotoxins used on insects include fipronil, imidacloprid, and permethrin.
However, those chemicals only work effectively on fully developed bugs, but flea sprays do not just kill adult bugs. They also kill not yet fully developed insects such as eggs and larvae: this is where the second part comes in. Bug-killing solutions usually do not explicitly kill eggs and larvae but rather stop their development and growth. It means that they never reach the next stage of their life cycle and die off early on their own. This goal is achieved with the help of hormone inhibitors, such as pyriproxyfen and S-methoprene.
The last addition to the deadly mixture is certain chemical compounds that boost the performance of the neurotoxins and hormone inhibitors. This last type lets the other active compounds and elements have a longer period of an effective state. The most common chemicals that can do it are piperonyl butoxide and MGK 264.
How to Use a Flea Spray
When handling potentially dangerous chemicals, it is crucial to always follow the correct and safe way of handling the substance. Therefore, I urge you to read the safety labels and instructions found on the insecticide that you will end up buying. Depending on the toxicity of the solution, you might need to use rubber gloves. Aside from specific guidelines to using flea sprays, there are general ways you should approach exterminating fleas in various situations.
When you have to treat your pet, you spray your pet, get some cloth, and evenly spread the treatment all over the body of your pet. That is it; you can continue playing with your dog as usual.
If you want to get rid of the bugs in your yard, make sure to clean out the debris as much as possible and treat every part of your property. Then, you just wait usually a couple of hours for the solution to dry out.
How to Spray Your House for Fleas? Firstly, you have to clean your house by sweeping and vacuuming as much as possible. After that, you just spray the floors and furniture, and again you should wait for it to dry out.
How Do You Make Homemade Flea Spray?
There are tons of recipes and guides online that explain how to create DIY bug-killing and bug-repelling solutions. However, I have found them to be very ineffective (if at all). Still, here are the main 3 that I constantly keep hearing about. The recipes are exclusively for pets because no mixture for household use will be as effective as a commercially bought insecticide.
The first one is created as follows: you boil a pint of water and then add 10 to 12 slices of lemon. That is it. The mixture has to be at least one-day-old before you start using it. Frustratingly, you have to treat your pet every day for it to be somewhat effective.
The second one needs only water and apple cider vinegar. You mix the two in 1 to 1 proportion and spray it on your pet every couple of days. The vinegar is, in fact, a great repellent for fleas, but having to treat your pet so often still does not make this method a viable option. Another minus of this option is that your dog will emit an incredibly bad scent due to the mixture.
The third most common recipe requires you to fill a spray bottle with a cup of apple cider vinegar, a couple of drops of peppermint oil, and water. Treat your pet every couple of days, and your dog will repel not only fleas but also ticks, as the oil makes your dog insufferable to these insects.
Lastly, concerning your pet, there are two choices here. If your pet is already full of these nasty insects, then do not skimp and go for the Frontline’s flea spray. If you want to regularly treat your dog, preventing it from getting fleas, then Wondercide’s product should be the one for you, as it is so delicate on the pet’s skin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still, have any questions about flea sprays for pets and home use? Here are my quick answers to some common questions regarding flea sprays and the insects themselves.
Do Flea Sprays Work?
It depends on their active ingredients. The commercial ones work wonderfully. The DIY ones – not so much. They can help with small issues, but you need commercial products to eliminate flea infestation.
How Does Flea Spray Work?
The bug killers exterminate adult bugs with neurotoxins which attack their nervous system. Hormonal inhibitors stop the development of eggs and larvae and make them unable to reproduce.
How Often Should Flea Spray Be Sprayed?
Different products have different instructions, so make sure to read them carefully. Some allow you to use insecticides as you see fit, while others can be used only every month.
How Long Does It Take for Flea Spray to Dry?
If you did not spray too much of the insecticide, then usually, it takes about an hour to completely dry. Still, it’s better to avoid touching the area at least until the end of the day.
How to Keep My Pet Safe When Using a Flea Spray?
Regarding the safety of the pet, there are two options here. Either some specific neurotoxins and chemicals are harmless to your pet even if they are ingested in big doses, or there is not enough of the solution on the pet to cause it any damage, as the skin absorbs the spray.
Is There Anything I Can Do to Prevent Flea Infestation?
Yes, keep your backyard and lawn clean from any debris. Also, you should trim grass and weeds regularly. It’s important to feed your pets inside the house and vacuum your home space frequently.
Summary
Thank you for reading my long article. I honestly hope that you enjoyed it and that I have answered all your questions about effective flea killers. In this article, I gave you some recommendations regarding home flea sprays, insecticides for yards and outdoors in general, and bug-killing solutions for pets exclusively. Also, I explained in detail how different products work.
Now, I would love to hear back from you! Did you enjoy my article? Did you miss out on any details or points that you wanted to learn about? Can you recommend any flea sprays you have used? Please share your opinions in the comments section down below.
References:
- Fleas (Illinois Department of Public Health):
http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/environmental-health-protection/structural-pest-control/fleas - Permethrin, Resmethrin, d-Phenothrin (Sumithrin®): Synthetic Pyrethroids For Mosquito Control(United States Environmental Protection Agency):
https://www.epa.gov/mosquitocontrol/permethrin-resmethrin-d-phenothrin-sumithrinr-synthetic-pyrethroids-mosquito-control - Preventing ticks on your pets (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services):
https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_pets.html
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