Fleas?

[jakewriter82]

OK, so I just moved to a much lower elevation and a much hotter climate for the first time, and I'm discovering things to beware of that I've never even considered before.
So about a week ago I went to bed and I noticed my legs started to itch and what felt like some microscopic mites crawling up and down my legs.
I washed my bedding, that seemed to clear it up, for a bit.
Now, all this week I've been sleeping on both my bed and my couch, both of which seem to have these little ****ers on em.....so I've been subjected to sleeping on the ground. I thought maybe they were fleas, so I got 3 flea bomb deals and that seems to have done not much, and I've also tried some of that flea powder, I've dumped some on my couch and bed and am going to vacuum them up tomorrow morning. But, from what I've read about fleas, it sounds like you can physically see them.
I can't see these little *******, but I can feel them, mostly on my legs, and I've gotten bit a few times cause I have like red marks on my neck, near my temple and above my knee.
I'd like to get rid of these but I can't figure out what they are...
Does anyone have any experience dealing with this kind of thing, or know anything about what it might be?
I don't have any pets, but I'm thinking my couch that I bought at a thrift store might have had fleas in it and have just now hatched...I've had it for about a month now. That's assuming whatever it is I have are fleas.

 

[Write-brained]

Fleas: Do you have an animal? If so, Advantage works the best. Kills all the fleas within a couple of days. Not sure what you do if you don't - perhaps get a cat.
Have you never really seen a flea? They're pretty distinctive.

Are you sure it's not crabs or lice? Maybe you need some Rid.

 

[friend of a friend]

Have you recently stopped shooting heroin? Detox can be a *****.

But seriously, you can see fleas, tiny as they are. Not sure what you've got there.

 

[sportschick]

Bomb your apartment. It should kill any fleas down in the couch.

 

[jakewriter82]

Yeah, up north where I'm from the elevation is too high and gets too cold for fleas, so I've never seen em before.
I'm pretty sure it's not lice considering I keep my apartment pretty clean most of the time and I've scrubbed and vacuumed the **** out of everything and nothing. Could be bed bugs too, maybe.

 

[joe]

Gasoline kills pretty much everything.

 

[Clever username]

Aerosol flea bombs:
“CAUTION: USE ONLY WHEN AREA TO BE TREATED IS VACATED BY HUMANS AND PETS. Harmful if swallowed or absorbed through skin. Avoid breathing vapors or spray mist. Avoid contact with skin and eyes. Do not apply directly to food. In the home, all food-processing surfaces should be covered during treatment and thoroughly washed before use. Remove pets and cover fish aquariums and delicate plants before spraying. Remove all motor vehicles before use in garages.”
Active ingredients include pesticides DDVP, propoxur, diazinon, and carbaryl, nerve poisons that are toxic to pets and humans and may cause long-term health problems.

Some flea collars and powders can cause severe conditions such as contact dermatitis on the skin of your pets. Pets breathe the vapors given off by these products, cats lick the material from their fur when they clean themselves, and powders can fall off onto kitchen counters and other surfaces where food is prepared of eaten. Children who pet dogs and cats may pick up the chemicals on their hands.

Flea bombs are particularly dangerous, as they fill your entire house with a poisonous, flammable cloud. In one case reported in the Seattle area, a woman forgot to turn off the pilot light in her stove before using over a dozen flea bombs. The bombs ignited, blowing out all the windows and shifting the roof -- yet the fleas survived.

New topical flea products that can be applied monthly make flea control less labor intensive but still have their problems. These products are lauded for their effectiveness by the pet industry -- killing 96% of adult fleas within 2 hours of application, and all adult fleas within 24 hours –- and their safety “even for kittens.” I found them being sold on a pesticide site, however, where they gave the following instructions:
Wear household latex gloves…Do not get this product in your pet's eye's or mouth.
Vets rarely see problems with these products, though some animals have skin reactions or act unwell for a few days after treatment. But they also warn that flea resistance to these products appears to be occurring, as often happens with pesticides, so natural flea control is still the better method.

 

[kokane_muthashed]

If you don't have a pet, but have fleas, you're best best is to go professional. Call Terminex (?) or some other bugbuster, and if you rent, hang the bill on your landlords. If you have a dog or cat, Advantage is the way to go. Go to a vet or get it cheap on eBay, but get Advantage - not some other product that promises the same results. I know from experience.

 

[joe]

My whole town was infested with fleas one summer. ****ing things hurt when they bite. And you can't just kill them by using your thumb and forefinger. You have to crush the hard-shelled little bastards between two thumbnails, just like ticks.
Still, gasoline works.

 

[sportschick]

This thread is making me itch!!!!!

 

[Chi City 81]

Just think that Stan might be covered with them. Enjoy that thought when he curls up to you tonight.

 

[stan_solo]

I DO NOT HAVE FLEAS!!!!!!!

DEAD. TO. ME!!!!!

 

[Chi City 81]

Exactly what I was hoping would happen.

 

[Chi City 81]

I was just using the SportsJournalists.com stalk tool and noticed something. Who the hell would send a PM to SC's cat?

 

[friend of a friend]

I think I did once.

 

[Chi City 81]

LOOSER!

 

[sportschick]

I was just using the SportsJournalists.com stalk tool and noticed something. Who the hell would send a PM to SC's cat?

You!

 

[friend of a friend]

LOOSER!

Yes.

By the way, what is the stalk tool?

 

[Chi City 81]

I was just using the SportsJournalists.com stalk tool and noticed something. Who the hell would send a PM to SC's cat?

You!

???

 

[Clever username]

LOOSER!

Yes.

By the way, what is the stalk tool?

It's on the front page. You can see what everyone who is on the board, member or guest, is looking at. Just click on the numbers of users online at the bottom.