Thursday, December 20, 2007

Flea trap

I knew there was a reason we were still using our vacuum cleaner around the house - rather than just sweeping and dust-panning. Turns out it's one of the best things for getting rid of fleas - and with two cats, that's something of which we are ever mindful. Researchers writing in the journal Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata suggested that vacuuming fleas kills 96% of adult fleas, and 100% of juvenile fleas. It seems the vacuum brushes wear away a waxy outer layer on the insects called the cuticle and without it they dry up and die.
The researchers had to conduct their experiments a number of times before they were confident with the results - not because they were borderline, but because vacuuming proved to be as effective as any poison and that reportedly came as something of a surprise to them.
Kind of just makes you wish for a flea epidemic so you can test it our for yourself! But you'd have to take your chance that you didn't fall victim to the plague and worms that fleas can spread. (Itchy now.)

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