How Do Insect Growth Regulators Kill Fleas?

Better yet, maybe we should just start with, WHAT is an insect growth regulator?

The quick and easy answer: An insect growth regulator is a substance that is able to STOP insect larvae from turning into an adult.

And now you may be asking, and WHAT does that have to do with me?

Well, if you have pets of any sort, you’ll be glad to hear about what it will do for you. For so long, fleas have been such a huge nuisance because of their four phase life cycle. You might have thought you killed all of the fleas by washing your dog and spraying with flea spray, only to feel the evil black spots bouncing across your carpet one day later. So then, you pack up the family and close up the house windows and pull out the big guns, a fogger. Because certainly, the universe knows, even mutant FLEAS have to bend to the will of a fogger. Once again, a couple of days later you find them doing the cha cha cha across your white kitchen linoleum. At which point, you think, whatever supplement they are taking, I want it. Because fleas are indestructible!

Ok, that is where you are wrong. They are not indestructible, they just all look alike. So while you were killing SOME of the fleas with your sprays and your foggers, you weren’t killing ALL of the fleas. There were fleas in all different phases of their life cycle. Your flea control is able to kill the adult fleas, but couldn’t affect those fleas that were in their egg. They were warm and cozy, waiting for just the right time to pop out for their dinner of Fido vino, find their soul mate, and start the cha cha cha all over again.

Cue the horns and red cape, here is where the IGR’s, or insect growth regulators come in. The IGR, which is safe, odorless and works in or out doors, stops, yes we said stops, the progression of the larvae into the adult flea. It BREAKS the chain, and stops the cha cha cha. When used in conjunction with pesticides to kill adult fleas, IGR’s are the missing link. They are the able to tip the scales in our favor. FINALLY!

If you get the chance, you really should check them out. They are long lasting, less damaging to our environment, and are safe enough to use in your home and on furniture. They are not even a pesticide per say, since they don’t harm the adult flea. You can look for them at your local home pest control center or online at a site specializing in do it yourself pest control.

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DIY Pest Control is becoming more and more accessible due to internet web sites with professional strength products at low price points. This article helps you to use this mouse fact for effective mouse control, using rat traps and snap trap along these paths.