Flea Control: Kill Egg and Larvae of Fleas in Carpets

Kill flea eggs and larvae in carpets with special flea pest control products which target fleas in their immature stages. The best and safest flea management program is one that prevents an infestation of adult biting fleas. Adult fleas - in an infested carpet or rug - make up about two percent of total fleas in carpeted homes. Approximately eighty percent of the flea population in your home are in two immature stages: flea eggs and flea larvae.
There are four stages in the flea life cycle: egg, larva, pupae and adult. Fleas in their adult stage usually have to be killed with an insecticide (Suspend SC, Dragnet, etc.) but the majority of immature pests can be controlled with the use of special flea pest control products. The two most popular products for killing flea eggs and larvae are Flea Stoppers boric acid and an IGR spray. An IGR (insect growth regulator) can be used alone for the prevention of a flea outbreak or can be mixed with an insecticide when spraying for severe indoor flea problems.
The flea pupae are protected by their cocoons; insecticides and insect growth regulators rarely penetrate and kill this stage of the flea. Demize EC is a liquid concentrate that is labeled for killing all four stages.

The Best Flea Control is Flea Prevention!
Once fleas have infested your carpets and furniture, more drastic measures have to be taken to control the pests. Use either an IGR or Flea Stoppers in your home to prevent flea infestations indoors.
Summary of Flea Prevention Products: Flea Stoppers IGR Spray

Flea Stoppers
This is an amazing product that gives a full year of protection from flea infestations. Not only does Flea Stoppers kill immature fleas for a full year but it also carries a one year guarantee from the manufacturer. (see Flea Stoppers Guarantee)
When you use Flea Stoppers, do not expect to see immediate reduction of any adult fleas that may be present - the product just does not work that way. The tiny boric acid granules become imbedded in carpet fibers where they kill immature fleas by what is called desiccant action. This simply means that eggs and larvae dry out and die. By killing these two stages of the flea, the life cycle is broken and any adult fleas that enter the treated areas can lay all the eggs they wish; the eggs never reach adulthood. For more information, see the Flea Stoppers page.

IGR Spray

Insect growth regulators (IGR) are liquids that are mixed with water and sprayed on floors, furniture indoors. Precor and Nylar are two different IGR concentrates. Precor (containing Methoprene) is available in liquid concentrates (box of 10 vials and pint) as well as aerosol form. The aerosol is not merely an IGR; it also contains insecticides formulated to help kill adult fleas that may be present. This aerosol (Precor 2000 Plus) is the product of choice for homes that contain no carpet.
Nylar is an IGR that became popular when it was introduced because of two special properties that set it apart from Methoprene: Nylar can be used outdoors and it can be used for fleas and roaches. Methoprene does not work on roaches. Nylar is available under the professional product called Archer. It is also available in smaller containers, sold under the names of Flea Fix and IG Regulator.
See Nylar information page for more details.