[macfantn]

I live in a townhouse built in 04 on a concrete slab and live in Nashville tn (just a little background info)...

Just recentlly I have noticed tons of small reddish colored bugs all around my front door, they are about the size of a flea but they crawl and don't jump. Just yesterday I noticed they were inside my front window on the ledge and all around the window ledge outside. I'd say a few hundred or more. My dad thought they might be some type of ant, so i purchased an aerosol can of hotshot ant and roach killer and sprayed almost the whole can inside and and out. Today they are starting to come back. Any idea what they might be or how to remove them without calling an exterminator?

[rickey939]

[hey!_Zeus]

Ahh, the antz weren't showing up. Just a bunch of crummy boxes with bla bla bla...

Scooz pleez!?

[rickey939]

Originally Posted by hey!_Zeus

Is that really f*****g necessary?

Umm, falling?

[Cody Dawg]

Those sound like bedbugs. They are making a resurgence around the United States.

Boric acid is cheap and does treat them well. Pick some up and sprinkle it everywhere you think they might be including any crawl spaces or an attic area, under cupboards, etc.

Good luck.

[f1000]

They could be Southern Red Mites. I doubt that they're bedbugs.

[turboSPE]

Originally Posted by macfantn

I live in a townhouse built in 04 on a concrete slab and live in Nashville tn (just a little background info)...

Just recentlly I have noticed tons of small reddish colored bugs all around my front door, they are about the size of a flea but they crawl and don't jump. Just yesterday I noticed they were inside my front window on the ledge and all around the window ledge outside. I'd say a few hundred or more. My dad thought they might be some type of ant, so i purchased an aerosol can of hotshot ant and roach killer and sprayed almost the whole can inside and and out. Today they are starting to come back. Any idea what they might be or how to remove them without calling an exterminator?

I'm originally from a town just south of Nashville. Those red bugs sound like chiggers. They'll bite you and it will itch like hell for a little while (no permanent harm). Since they are a lot like fleas (in terms of prevention), look for something that does fleas and it will probably do chiggers too. HTH!

turboSPE

[KeriVit]

I am new to GA with my doogies, looks like fleas are my issue. When do I know I have them? I have bites on my ankles, in groups of 2 to 3. But the weather has been fluctuating. Do I still need to bomb? I took the dogs out Friday and sprayed em down with Adam's. I will get Progressive or whatever the hell it's called.

Anything I should know about fleas? (Never mind the snakes!!!)

[isao bered]

Originally Posted by KeriVit

I am new to GA with my doogies, looks like fleas are my issue. When do I know I have them? I have bites on my ankles, in groups of 2 to 3. But the weather has been fluctuating. Do I still need to bomb? I took the dogs out Friday and sprayed em down with Adam's. I will get Progressive or whatever the hell it's called.

Anything I should know about fleas? (Never mind the snakes!!!)

uhm. you can see fleas. you can treat your dogs with a variety of products, but a daily thorough combing using a flea comb will also help prevent an infestation.

also, treating any areas the dogs commonly use with suitable insecticides should help eliminate them bringing a whole lot more fleas inside.

a flea can jump significant distances (considering its size), so if they are biting your ankles they may be hopping up from the carpet. if you've not seen what's gotten to your ankles, it may be that you are experiencing the aforementioned chiggers - nasty li'l larvae which like to eat skin.

given her constant work with dogs, perhaps _cody dawg_ can give you some better or more practical advice on fleas...

be well.

laeth

[KeriVit]

Thanks, we just didn't have them or other similar bugs up North.

PS- Cody has been a great deal of help in other dawg matters.

[Cody Dawg]

Hey KeriVit:

Get Frontline Plus and another thing? When you wash your dogs use Head & Shoulders shampoo or any other sulphur-based shampoo. It kills the fleas! And Frontline Plus - available at any Pet Supermarket chain for *some* reason (they are the only pet supermarket store that I've found including PetSmart and Petco - that carries it other than a veterinarian) is the best. You can buy it online at www.petmeds.com also.

Anyway, best thing is:

1. Use Head & Shoulders to wash your dogs
2. Use Frontline Plus on your dogs monthly (yeah, sorry, it's pricey but remember if the dogs eat fleas the fleas also give them tapeworms, yuck, so it's worth it) when you give them their heartworm medication - both are the pricey part of our loving our pets.
3. When they go outside spray the pads and lower legs with Adams or any other flea med
4. Spray their sleeping area or favorite spot with Adams
5. Get boric acid and sprinkle it along edges of carpets, behind and under spaces where fleas love to hide, behind your toilet area (believe it or not fleas love it there!), under your bed area.

You'll be good to go.

As far as bedbugs?

Here is a great article from the New York Times discussing how they are back and a huge problem and very prevalent in some places.

If you were down in the south I'd say that they might be chiggers, because they are a huge problem especially in areas where Spanish moss hangs from trees (they live in it - funny story is that a long time ago people new to the south used to try to sleep on Spanish moss or stuff mattresses with it and would wake up in the middle of the night screaming and scratching from chiggers biting them), but it doesn't sound like it and doesn't seem plausible.

Anyway, everyone have a great dawg day!

[wdlove]

Hi Cody,

Awesome advice as usual. Thank you Cody. Hope to chat soon.