Evening star., 1943-07-21
Face Facts -Fleas!
By Margaref NoyeH

! quickly, either by home treatment
or the professional exterminator.
Pets in or near the house are
usually the first cause of fleas.
With ordinary good care, cool
weather and good housekeeping,
these vermin are kept in control.
But combination Of warm weather,
a closed, stuffy house, with the
cessation Of the usual cleaning and
sweeping, and the fleas get the up
per hand. You may not have your
pets in the house, but fleas may be
carried from the kennels or the
garage on shoes and stockings. You
may not have any pets at all-but
the former tenants may have had
them. The fleas tuck themselves
comfortably away in floors, base
boards or rugs until the right COM
bination of warm weather and lack
of disturbance sends them forth
in thousands. They may be carried
from one floor to the other of
apartments on the shoes Of the de-
Gveryman or the maid.
Fleas cannot travel upstairs, jump
ing from step to step. They sell
dom get up onto sofas, beds or
chairs as they are happiest within
a few inches of the floor. But they
can cling to your ankles when you
go down into the basement and
travel all through the house with
you
If you attempt to get rid OF them
yourself be armed with good
household spray. This is strenu-
Gus job, as the under and over parts
of rugs as well as the floors must
be thoroughly covered. Pyrethrum
powder also may be busted through
the rugs to remain in place 10
hours and then be taken up with
the vacuum cleaner. This will have
to be repeated daily for about three
days and weekly after that until
YOU are certain all the small inhab-
itants have been killed of.
The professional exterminators
can take over this job for you in
very short order. They have pres
sure pumps, which fill the rugs with
spray and penetrate every crack In
the floors. Nothing needs to be
removed. as the spray is not in
furious to fabric or walls. Neither is
it necessary to leave the house as
the spray is directed only toward the
floor areas and is not unpleasant to
human beings.
While they are on the job they
will spray the dog and the cat, too,
to check the development OF the ver-
min at their source. They will also
investigate any dark corners or
sandy areas in the basement. where
feas seem to enjoy hiding out.
The exterminator can do the aver
age house in about an hour. There
is immediate relief, as the spray kills
f1eas on contact. 1t may be neces-
sary to repeat within a week to get
rid of the few remaining ones, who
survived the first blitz and are ready
to repeat the performance all over
again.
Aside from the crushing blow to
the ego of all good housekeepers
heas carry diseases. and by their
bites may cause serious infection.
Strangely enough some members of
the family may not show bite and
others be peppered with small red
marks as though they had measles.
Rubbing alcohol or calomine lotion
removes the sting, and if the bites
are not scratched they usually dis
appear within an hour or two.
Whether you battle these vermin
yourself, or get professional exter-
minator to wage the war for you,
lose no time in starting. Every hour
sees the horde increase by thou
sands. Keep the dog or cat defieaed
weekly. Sprinkle their beds gener-
ously with pyrethrum powder or one
of the commercial flea powders. Be
on the alert for a week or 10 days
and you will once more be able to
hold up your head about your house.
keepingi