flea survival underwater

[darkoshi]

The day before yesterday, there was a tickle at the bottom of my leg, and I found a flea. I grabbed it, and unsure of what to do, held it in a stream of water at the bathroom faucet for a long time. Then I let the water wash it down the drain, and ran the water for a while longer. I was afraid it might still be alive, and might jump back out.

In the past when we had cats, I remembered submerging any caught fleas into a cup of water mixed with dishwashing liquid to drown them.

Yesterday evening, it happened again, in the same bathroom. I don't remember ever finding fleas in the house before*, so I believe it was the same flea. This time, I took it to the kitchen, dumped some water and dishwashing liquid into a plastic container, and held it submerged in that for a while before letting go.

(Feeling the flea struggling in my grasp. Trying to drown the poor thing a second time, after it survived the first traumatic attempt. I'm such a bad person. Life is so cruel. I don't like killing, but fleas are one of the few things that I long ago decided should always be killed, because of the severe misery they can inflict on other beings, and because there's no way to peacefully coexist with them.)

This morning, the flea was motionless at the bottom of the container. But now I don't trust dumping it down the drain again. And I don't want to dump it in the yard. So I considered dumping it outside the fence, to be on the safe side.

But first... how long does it take a flea to drown? The answers given on this page are rather scary:

Can dish soap really be used to kill ticks and fleas?

Now I've decided to leave the flea soaking for at least another day.

*Our dogs have been at Qiao's house the past week rather than here. But I've been going over to feed the neighbor's dogs this last week, while they were away on a trip. One of their dogs had a bad flea problem in the past from what they told me, so I think the flea must have jumped on me while I was in their yard. Although I didn't notice their dogs scratching much while I was there.

Comments

[nozomi604]

A quick press of the fingernail will usually decapitate a flea; I do it in the sink and then wash it down. Fortunately I don't live with dogs or cats, so I don't have to do it very often.

[darkoshi]

That's good to know even if I'm not sure I could bring myself to do it, or to get it in the right position to do it without the flea jumping away first. Although I suppose if I did it in the cup of water I should be able to.

[darkoshi]

I have a very bad case of squeamishness. I tried to do that to the flea in the container, which must surely be dead by now, but still found it very difficult.

[marahmarie]

Forget the dish soap, I use straight ammonia in a glass cup or disposable plastic cup (but you can't use a paper cup, because the ammonia eats through the paper, nor a plastic re-usable drinking cup, because the odor/taste will sink into it).

Just a few tablespoons in the cup does the trick. Drop the flea(s) in, watch it/them drown - it kills them quicker than dish soap does (especially if stays fresh; change every 2-3 days for peak freshness).

If you want to minimize suffering then you want to use straight ammonia and get 'em gone. Wham, bam, thank you flea.

I can't even kill an ant in my house anymore without thinking of you (and feeling ridiculously bad about it). This place gets ants almost every week of the year, so I think about you a lot. :)