What are the best flea and black mold bombs for an empty house?

[nopeda]

Hi,

I'm hoping to buy a house that I know had a flea problem before the weather got cold and have been told it has been bombed a couple of times but there were still active fleas. Now the weather is cold and they aren't hoping around and may be dead but the eggs are probably still around and ready to go when the weather warms up. Years ago I was told some bombs kill the eggs and they work, but other bombs don't kill the eggs so a few weeks later you've got fleas again. If that was and still is true I'd like something that kills the eggs so no more fleas to show up later. The house is empty and all carpet ripped out and no furniture so now's the time to hit it hard I hope. Can you knowledgeable people suggest what's best to put an end to the sorry suckers?

Also there was considerable flooding in the basement and there may be black mold down there and maybe on the upper levels also. I've seen that there are black mold bombs available as well as flea bombs. Can anyone suggest the best type to use? I haven't actually seen black mold but suspect it is in the basement. It has dirt and stone walls and a dirt floor, more like a really big crawl space, so it would be hard to see if it is there but it probably is.

Thank you for any help or suggestions!

David
ME, USA

 

[Bad LP]

I’ve killed a bunch of stuff but I think you are way beyond DIY level on that.

 

[Grizzerbear]

Fire bomb

 

[Grizzerbear]

Just kidding.....for the mold i have never heard of a bomb. Bleach kills it but have to make direct contact....never heard of a mold bomb. As for the fleas...im sure there is a bug bomb for them. Permethrin works good. If your serious get some and spray the whole inside down.

 

[peakbagger]

I had to deal with mold situations for work years ago and after doing a lot of research it came down to black mold is a symptom of something else going on. Kill it and it will comeback unless you fix the root cause. Deal with the something else which is inevitably too much moisture in the area along with something that can serve as food. Once you deal with the moisture, then the mold dies and you need to clean it up. The dead mold can be toxic so that s one of the reasons why there are special cleaning precautions. The problem is many building materials tend to retain moisture like a sponge and once the mold gets into them there is usually enough residual mold that does not die that when the mositure comes back so does the mold. Dousing an area with chemicals can kill the mold in the short term but its rarely a long term fix. Insurance companies figured this out long ago and that is why the generally exclude mold issues from policies.

 

[Highbeam]

So the eggs just lay dormant waiting for warmth? Spray the nasty stuff, turn on the heat to hatch the eggs, spray again. They have nothing to eat so you’d think the babies would die just by being hatched. Maybe just turn on the heat.

the old school bug bombs are amateur/consumer grade and will be weaker than mail order liquid poisons that the exterminators can buy. You can buy these poisons online.

I wouldn’t worry about mold unless I saw it.

 

[zrock]

Agree with one of the statements above for the flees.. Turn the heat on spray the house vacuum and repeat weekly for about a month.. I just used a hand spray from my local pet store and was able to clear my house years ago... As for the mold any drywall is going to have to be removed. Wood depending on the severity will have to be removed or wire wheeled to remove the mold after its been sprayed and killed... Same with concrete it will have to be sprayed and scrubbed to remove mold... Their is no bomb that is going to remove that its all good old elbow grease... The cause of the basement flooding will have to be fixed unless it was a mother nature issue that cannot be fixed...

Personally if you are looking at buying work the price of professional crews to come in and do the work.. The home owner knows what its going to cost and more than likely thats why they are dumping the house.. If its going to take 15g to remove flees and mold then remove that off your offer... Make sure you get a inspection as i have a feeling their is more to this than meets the eye... $500 well spent on your part

 

[jatoxico]

Recently had a problem after my indoor cat somehow got fleas. She had never been treated in the 8 years or so we've had her and never had an issue.

In any case I researched and found you need a product that has a pyrethroid like bifenthrin or permethrin to knock out the adults and also contains an insect growth regulator (IGR) to interrupt the like cycle.

Now it was my understanding that removing the host would also end the problem which was not possible in my case but for a vacant house should be unless there is a rodent problem or other unknown furry inhabitant!

 

[shoot-straight]

I agree With what others have said about the fleas.

If there is a mold issue- you must find and totally eliminate the source and all the moisture then you can remove the moldy material. There is no magic wand for it.

 

[lml999]

Our dog had a play date a few months ago and his friend brought fleas.

Yea, thanks.

He was treated twice, then our groomer said that until we have the house bombed, we'd forever be fighting the fleas. So we called in a recommended professional, left the house for the day and haven't had any problems since.

The professional cost $200 or so, and I didn't have to worry about purchasing or handling any chemicals. I think he also guaranteed his work.