# Survival > Primitive Skills & Technology >  Fleas

## RandyRhoads

I have an abnormal reaction to fleas. Where a normal person gets bit once or twice I will already have dozens of bites and look like an AIDS patient. One flea can annihilate me. They also seem to be much larger (about the size of a good mosquito bite) on me. 

I kill lots of fur bearers that always have fleas. Is there anything besides wearing gloves I can do to protect myself further? Like something similar to a permethrin spray I could possibly spray on without hurting the fur/meat? I'm torn on the plague situation. From what i've read it's pretty rare. But i'd rather not take the chance.

I have noticed while digging and constructing shelters in my area the ground ( mostly sand with grass growing in it) is loaded with fleas  in certain places as well. Is there any natural/ primitive ways to repel them, perhaps smoking yourself or something? IF one were to get infested with fleas while camping/outdoor situation what could they do to get rid of them? Can you drown them at all, or is that hopeless?

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## Skinner

Try Useing Eucalyptus Oil .It works For mosquitos .And It Smell Pretty Good .

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## RandyRhoads

I actually have eucalyptus around. Do I just boil the bark and skim off the oil that floats up, like pine oil, then smear it on?

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## Skinner

Or If you Have a Oil Seperator Like for Makeing Gravey's But Just Skimming the Oil Off Will Work And If you Have something to Put it In Helps Also.

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## Rick

Sorry, but I'm a DEET man. Fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, flies, gnats and no seeums, are vermin I don't need to be bothered with. DEET will keep them off of you.

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## crashdive123

+1 for DEET on fleas.  I too am sensitive to flea bites.  Whenever I do a flea job, I spray DEET on from the knees  down.  Works every time.  Obviously you would need a little more coverage when handling animals that have them, but DEET does work.

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## your_comforting_company

From what I understand, you boil the leaves to get the eucalyptol. It's an ingredient in some of the mite treatments on bees.
Soapy water is supposed to be toxic to fleas and other insects like aphids.
Thymol (from bee-balm or thyme plants) also works as a repellent.

when dealing with deer that are full of ticks, a soapy wash seems to take care of them.
Explore the options and see which one best suits you. In the meantime, +1 on the deet.

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## intothenew

Eat more garlic.

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## Trabitha

I heard the same thing about garlic.  Of course...you then repel more than fleas. LOL!  Good luck!!

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## intothenew

If offending other "critters" is of concern, I've kinda sorta got an answer for that. First, this is an absolute felony in hunting camp. It's way beyond the penalties incurred for such things as scented soap, scented toilet tissue, etc............critters of a different nose you might say.

 Skin so Soft by Avon is a reasonable deterrent. The hens have always insisted on it versus DEET, and that is especially true for the youngsters.

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## kyratshooter

SSS was the standard insect repellant for the tree huggers at the archeology field school back when I was a grad student.

They would turn up their noses in disgust at us deet users, then send us into the thick stuff because "we would not get eaten alive!"  Talk about a double standard.

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## intothenew

I'm with ya';

Real Roosters use DEET.


And eat garlic.

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## Rick

Roasted garlic. Mmmmmm. That can bring tears to a rhino a full day later. Just tell folks your chair squeaked.

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## Kortoso

The docs have so many treatments for dogs and cats. Maybe you visit the vet and say you have a real big dog that sleeps in your bed.  :Wink: 

Seriously, natives in my bailiwick would put California Bay Laurel leaves in their beds to keep the crawlies down to a dull roar.

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## wholsomback

DEET!or keep the animals away from you until you make the truck and place them in a plastic garbage bag and fog them with flea and tick killer for a few minutes until yiou arrive at your next set.

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## natertot

I am another one for the DEET. Never had an issue with it.

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## RandyRhoads

> DEET!or keep the animals away from you until you make the truck and place them in a plastic garbage bag and fog them with flea and tick killer for a few minutes until yiou arrive at your next set.


So a fogger is ok and wont hurt the meat/ fur?


Thanks for the suggestions guys. Is the DEET spray on like OFF?

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## reelhook

I use simple sulphur powder for chiggers and I am sure that it would work for fleas. Put is around the top of your socks and your skivies and any place where the restrictions are tight.  They won't mess with you and it is not expensive

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## Batch

Yeah, get spray on DEET in the strength between 30% and 100%. Just watch plastics and synthetics until the DEET dries or it will start to dissolve them. The primary difference in concentration is how long it will last. I use 100% and believe that extra strength fills the gaps in areas I may have missed.


Kyrat, your tree hugging classmates were hurting the poor mosquitoes by having heavily DEETed enter the field and denying them the meal they so desperately need to nourish their unborn children! I mean the horror of it all!

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## kyratshooter

Yea Batch, I had a difficult time with the liberal kids and they had a difficult time with me.  I was in my mid-40s when I went to grad school and did not take any foolishness.  Frekin' people that push gun control and will not do harm to any creature but want to know if I am carrying to protect them from the axe murderers before they set up camp for the night.  I will not even get close to the political platforms they support even though they will not eat meat or kill a bug.  

I just remembered an old historic fact.

Back in the day the British Navy discovered that if a ship got infested with fleas, lice of other vermin they could burn pans of black powder and saturate the ship with that smoke.  It was probably the sulphur that did the trick.  In those days infestations were a common problem. 

If you have a trappers cabin that gets infested you could do the same.  We used to buy "sulphur candles" at the co-op and they would kill anything that walked, crawled or flew!  

I also just remembered that my son had the same reaction Randy speaks of when he was a kid.  We would spray him down good, then give him Benidril to fight the reaction.  It seemed to work and kept down the scratching and whining.

Remember that plague is transfered by fleas and in a long term survival situation you want to avoid them like (here it comes)... the plague!

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## Rick

Avoid it like the plague. He slays me.

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## Winter

There's an dietary supplement called Brewer's Yeast that I've used for yrs on myself and my dogs. Eat 2 a day.

I reckon it makes you taste terrible.

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## Thaddius Bickerton

I read that putting rock salt in jar lids or the like under all furniture would keep fleas out of the house.  Started doing it when the oldest son was born.  It or something worked, never had more than a few of them in the house and after a while, never saw them anymore, even with the flea toting animals in and out etc.

Not sure if it would work fast enough to get them out of a shelter, but thought I'd throw it out there.  (seems I read it in an old mother earth news, but I have seen it posted elsewhere or read it several other places also.

I usually will smoke a natural shelter to clean out a lot of the nastys.

Given a choice in summer time I hang my net hammock and sleep off the ground.  but Aye, I hate fleas.

Thad.

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## crashdive123

I love fleas.

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## Rick

Fleas flee when Crash shows up. Bugs bug out. Ants become Cant's. Cock Roaches......I have no idea.

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## shiftyer1

I have been getten eaten alive on and off for about 3 weeks.  Carrying them in from??? and they get me while in bed.  

I don't know if I have a severe reaction to them but I know if I was a dog I"D SHOOT MYSELF!!!!!  I've been using an anti itch cream to sooth the itch and it.........works.......I guess........kinda.  

My wife is right there next to me and not a bite.  I have the same problem with gnats and mosquitos.  I've never tryed brewers yeast but I think I definately will.  Where can it be found?  Is it actual brewers yeast.....to make beer?

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## crashdive123

Are you sure they are not bed bugs?  Bed bugs are making a huge comeback in the US.

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## Winter

> I have been getten eaten alive on and off for about 3 weeks.  Carrying them in from??? and they get me while in bed.  
> 
> I don't know if I have a severe reaction to them but I know if I was a dog I"D SHOOT MYSELF!!!!!  I've been using an anti itch cream to sooth the itch and it.........works.......I guess........kinda.  
> 
> My wife is right there next to me and not a bite.  I have the same problem with gnats and mosquitos.  I've never tryed brewers yeast but I think I definately will.  Where can it be found?  Is it actual brewers yeast.....to make beer?


You can find it in the pills and supplements area at most markets.

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## Thaddius Bickerton

I hate fleas, especially since a DI on paris had us bury one in a 6 x 6 x 6 foot grave -- under the barracks.

I did learn to endure them, but I really hate them.

He probably saved my life later on when the play turned real, but I still hate fleas.

Thad.

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## shiftyer1

Nope,  I believe bedbugs would be constant.  I'm bringing these inside and i'm almost sure it's fleas.  One of my reasons for not getting another small inside dog was fleas.  I seem to get them without inside critters,  thats 1 reason down :Smile:

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## tj922

> Roasted garlic. Mmmmmm. That can bring tears to a rhino a full day later. Just tell folks your chair squeaked.


They have barking spiders in Indiana don't they?

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## karatediver

> SSS was the standard insect repellant for the tree huggers at the archeology field school back when I was a grad student.
> 
> They would turn up their noses in disgust at us deet users, then send us into the thick stuff because "we would not get eaten alive!"  Talk about a double standard.


I knew a Marine that used SSS at Paris Island to keep the sand fleas off and he told me lots of others did it also but wouldn't admit it.  I like how effective deet is but after a couple days I start feeling sick from it.  I have used SSS for years and it does work.  We had an infestation on the farm when I was a teen and I put on the SSS and the bites stopped.  My legs were covered in bites before using the SSS.  I don't think I could have slept at night without it.

As for skinning varmints out west I know a lot of guys that will put a dead coyote or bobcat into a hefty bag, spray some raid into the bag, tie it up, let it sit for a while and then skin it out.  Some others put it in a hefty bag and then freeze it to kill the vermin.  Of course then you have to let it thaw out.  I've used the freezing method before and it does work.  We don't eat them though so the meat isn't an issue.

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## crashdive123

I have found the SSS to be effective against the no-see-ums down here.  I think they just get stuck in the oil and suffocate.  When I first moved to South Georgia I used it when working in the yard.  After a few hours my arms were black with little dean not so no-see-ums anymore.

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## Sir Derrin

cock roaches get roached.....




> Fleas flee when Crash shows up. Bugs bug out. Ants become Cant's. Cock Roaches......I have no idea.


Garlic consumption will curtail most bugs from biting (in quantity on the consumption) .....Cedar oil (fresh cedar branches) under a pier and beam home will keep most bugs out......sulfur while fresh will do it also.....

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## Fieldmouse

Now i know this aint your everyday solution to the problem, but since this is a survival website i would like to mention that back in the days when hiking out in Africa we would sometimes use listerine if the bugs was getting the overhand of the campsite. That seemed to work real good on mosquitos and most crawling bugs. we would drop some on the skin and smear it and instead of your face, drop some on your hair. And as much as most people would think otherwise, after just a few minutes you wouldnt smell this very far down wind. Although it can make you a little sticky if you dont use sugarfree mouthwash.

And then there is Vitamin-B! This stuff just goes great in the outdoors for me! It gives you a great constant boost of natural energy and altough it doesnt keep the bugs from climbing onto you it prevents them from biting you. Apparently the vit-B gives of a smell trough your skin that especially mozzy's doesn't like! Take a combination of Vit B complex and add a bit of vit-B12 to that.

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## edr730

Usually if you have fleas they are going to bite your ankles. If you have bed bugs they will bite you all over and maybe mainly at the torso. 
I've used sss and it works pretty good for no-see-ums but needs to be reapplied more often. But, when you do get bites around the shirt cuffs, as black flys (no-see-ums) do, they heal fast with sss and disappear rather than look very red like insect repellent makes them look. 
Baking soda will stop bed bugs as will clorox and lots of things, but a constant application for a long time might be neccesary.

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## edr730

Oh, and bed bugs have a bigger welt than a flea bite.

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## 1stimestar

We don't have fleas up here but the mosquitoes are famous for carrying off people.  SSS doesn't work on them.  I use Deet!  I use different concentrations depending on where I am going and what I am doing.  Hiking through woods, 100%!  I don't use the 100% on the kids though.

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## RandyRhoads

Wow ressurect the dead thread haha. 

If I remember correctly my curiousity was more towards primitive ways. I know DEET works but I was wondering back in the day, did Indians just learn to live with them? Did they have an excellent method to repel them? I mean they had to be everywhere with all the game mamals...

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## 1stimestar

Ahh ok.  I know the Athabascan here burn punks (fungus that grows on wood) as a mosquito repellant.  But like I said, we don't have any fleas up here.

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## Wildthang

> Wow ressurect the dead thread haha. 
> 
> If I remember correctly my curiousity was more towards primitive ways. I know DEET works but I was wondering back in the day, did Indians just learn to live with them? Did they have an excellent method to repel them? I mean they had to be everywhere with all the game mamals...


For a natural flea repellant just totally coat your exposed skin in pine tar, but dont lean against anything because you might get stuck to it :Scared:

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## RandyRhoads

Hahahaha. Anyone have any input on the Indians? Is it safe to assume they were flea ridden and accepted it?.... I don't even know where you could find that out...

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## Wildthang

The American Indians would put a candle in the middle of a bowl of water, the fleas being attracted to heat and light would jump into the water and drown................true story! It would trap a large number of fleas and keep them from being totally infested.

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## Pale E O

Heard about California Indians using California Bay Laurel  Umbellularia californica) years ago.  My son, then in grade school decided to try it out as part of his science fair exhibit.  He managed to collect nearly 30 fleas from the family dog, dropped them into plastic bottles with a small bit of moistened cotton.  To some of the bottles he added all or part of a California Bay leaf. 100% of the fleas in the bay leaf bottles were dead within hours. A few of the others were dead too, but the results were pretty dramatic.  Besides showing the leaf acts as an insecticide, it provided endless amusement, stirring up a fuss at the science fair and many later recountings of the story..."remember the year you did the bay leaf experiment?"

But then, DEET works pretty well and you don't have to climb into a bottle with it for it to work.  I would think though that putting that fresh animal into a bag full of bruised leaves might do the trick.

If you try it, I would love to hear if it works.

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## 1stimestar

I know historically people would put herbs into the rushes that covered their floors to keep out fleas.

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## RandyRhoads

> Heard about California Indians using California Bay Laurel  Umbellularia californica) years ago.  My son, then in grade school decided to try it out as part of his science fair exhibit.  He managed to collect nearly 30 fleas from the family dog, dropped them into plastic bottles with a small bit of moistened cotton.  To some of the bottles he added all or part of a California Bay leaf. 100% of the fleas in the bay leaf bottles were dead within hours. A few of the others were dead too, but the results were pretty dramatic.  Besides showing the leaf acts as an insecticide, it provided endless amusement, stirring up a fuss at the science fair and many later recountings of the story..."remember the year you did the bay leaf experiment?"
> 
> But then, DEET works pretty well and you don't have to climb into a bottle with it for it to work.  I would think though that putting that fresh animal into a bag full of bruised leaves might do the trick.
> 
> If you try it, I would love to hear if it works.


That is awesome, next time i'm collecting Bay Laurel leaves/nuts I will give it a shot. Thanks.

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