My first shocking experience with the SoCal life 30 years ago was looking down at my ankle one day and seeing a small red mark, and on closer examination seeing what caused it: fleas! I was horrified and mentioned it in the office. A veteran beach dwelling friend shrugged when I told him and said, "Welcome to San Diego, dude: flea capitol of the free world."

We tried everything on our cat and in our bungalow to try and get rid of the blood-sucking pests. One old-timer suggested using 20 Mule Team Borax on the carpets and sofa, so I sprinkled it around and saw immediate relief. I was so excited I talked about it on TV and then called the company which sells Borax expecting to be welcomed like a conquering hero, I guess. It hadn’t occurred to me that the company didn’t wish to acknowledge their product’s pesticide qualities. They were selling enough of it as a laundry product I guess and, well, they never returned my calls.

Then along came a new family of pesticides which were amazingly effective but expensive. For many years Frontline and Advantage were so good I went long stretches without any calls or emails from people wanting flea advice. This year is different though. Our pets at home are suffering despite regular treatments, first with Frontline (which also controls ticks) and then with Advantage. Both companies reformulate their products from time to time to avoid the pests building up immunity to them. This year’s batch is either less effective or flea defenses have kicked in and built up resistance. Regardless fleas are back and pets are suffering.

What to do, what to do? If you have carpeted areas in your home, try sprinkling 20 Mule Team Borax (NOT BORAXO which is soap) on the carpets and use a broom to work it in. Vacuum often. Keep your pets shampooed with flea soap and visit your vet to ask for one of the new generation flea control products. I spoke with Dr. Brian Loudis from All Pets Animal Hospital in Encinitas. Dr. Loudis tells me the newer products work well. In your yard, I highly recommend beneficial nematodes, which are microscopic worms which prey on more than 200 different subsoil pests, including grubs, fleas, termites and moths.

Good luck battling fleas and thanks for watching 10 News.

Loren Nancarrow