How can you poison fleas with wormwood? - briefly
Prepare a concentrated mixture of dried wormwood (Artemisia) powder blended with water or a carrier oil, then spray or brush it onto bedding, carpet, and pet fur; fleas ingest the bitter compounds and are killed. Reapply after 48‑72 hours to target eggs and emerging larvae.
How can you poison fleas with wormwood? - in detail
Wormwood (Artemisia spp.) contains sesquiterpene lactones and essential oils that are toxic to many arthropods, including fleas. Effective use requires a prepared concentrate, proper application, and strict safety measures.
Prepare the active solution.
- Harvest fresh leaves or dry herb, then grind to a fine powder.
- Macerate 100 g of powdered material in 1 L of 70 % ethanol for 48 hours, shaking periodically.
- Filter the mixture through a fine mesh or cheesecloth, discarding solids.
- Dilute the filtrate with water to a final concentration of 0.5 % wormwood extract (approximately 5 mL of concentrate per liter of water).
Apply the solution.
- Spray directly onto infested bedding, carpet fibers, and pet sleeping areas until surfaces are wet but not saturated.
- For outdoor treatment, soak a cloth in the diluted solution and wipe around animal shelters, fences, and grass patches where fleas congregate.
Allow the treated surfaces to dry completely; the residual chemicals remain active for several days, disrupting the flea life cycle by interfering with neural transmission.
Safety considerations.
- Wear nitrile gloves, goggles, and a mask to avoid skin absorption and inhalation of volatile oils.
- Keep pets and children away from treated areas for at least two hours, then rinse surfaces with a mild soap solution if pets will resume contact.
- Store the concentrate in a labeled, sealed container away from heat and open flames; ethanol is flammable.
Monitoring and repeat treatment.
- Inspect the environment after 24 hours; a noticeable reduction in flea movement indicates efficacy.
- Reapply the solution every 5–7 days for two weeks to break the reproductive cycle, then transition to a maintenance schedule of biweekly applications during peak flea season.
By following these steps, wormwood can be employed as a targeted, chemically active agent to reduce flea populations while minimizing reliance on synthetic insecticides.