So as of late I've been crazy frustrated running into fruit flies, ants, and the dreaded fleas. And unfortunately a plan to have a get-together with friends (not my friends) was made to happen at my home without my knowledge until just recently. I just want to make sure the guests don't suffer the frustration and dozens of flea bites to their ankles like I have.

First off the fruit flies: Whenever I walk into the kitchen of my house and look through the fruit I'm bombarded by flies and end up with mushy fruit covered in said flies. Is there a natural or non-toxic way to get rid of them quickly to save my fruit?

Second are the ants: They only seem to appear in the bathroom but keep coming back even after spraying Raid around the perimeter of the house. They mostly appear on hot days but still show up on cold days as well. Am I missing something important?

Third and last the fleas: To my knowledge the owner of the dog at my home applies flea prevention formula but I don't know how often it is applied nor how effective it really is. Regardless, I always see the dog scratching itself. Is there also a non-toxic and dog-friendly solution to deal with the fleas?

The other problem with the fleas is that they have infested inside the house. A carpeted house. And what's worse is the washing machine broke down before this all started happening so clothes have to be piled up to be bagged and washed at laundromats on a weekly basis rather than daily with the washing machine. I've tried to vacuum on a daily basis but the fleas keep coming back to bite my ankles. The other in the house along with me have tried a self administered chemical treatment to rid the fleas in the carpeted rooms but they came back days after. Again, is there a non-toxic/natural solution to rid the flea plague?

Other things to note: neighbors have a gigantic tree that houses several wild animals that may or may not also have fleas; the entire lawn is a dried out yellow except for the watered flowers and fruits/vegetables; I have to nightly shake my socks and pant legs off for fleas into the bathtub and wash them down the drain; sometimes the person washing the dishes uses the dirty water to water the plants outside during the evening; and at nighttime the porch light is left on.

There may be more factors as advice rolls in but thank you for reading this far to try to help. And no I haven't stooped down to wear flea collars on my flea-bitten ankles...yet.

Just a head's up: I have seen the other topic about the bugs in the apartment and the solutions offered but they do not apply or work in my case.

1. Clean your kitchen, and wash all your fruit and vegetables as soon as you bring them home. In the meantime you might even want to consider keeping things in the fridge until the fruit fly situation has been handled. To set a fruit fly trap you'll need to get a bowl or glass and put some fruit juice, apple cider vinegar or even some wine in it, then mix in some liquid dishsoap. They'll be attracted to the scent, and the soap will break the surface tension of the liquid so they'll drown in it. Place these wherever you notice the flies congregating (if it's multiple places, place multiple traps). Consider pouring a water/bleach mixture down your kitchen sink, too - it's one of their favourite breeding spots that often gets overlooked.

2. Don't bother with Raid spray, get the Raid food traps (little white disks you place on the floor), and put them in every room you've seen ants. I've used these every time I've gotten an ant infestation and it has never failed me. Don't forget to clean these rooms, too - something is drawing the ants in, so make sure everything is clean so they have no other option than to eat the Raid.

3. Getting rid of fleas is considerably less simple, I'm afraid. You need to clean everything. I don't just mean your laundry and any other fabrics, either. I mean get that owner to give that dog a very thorough bath (preferably with a flea shampoo), a good brushing with a flea comb, then give it a proper flea treatment. Don't bother with collars - they don't work. I've always found the drops that you put on their back in between their shoulderblades works the best; but this treatment needs to be repeated, and how often will depend on the brand purchased. This needs to be followed to the letter, or they'll just keep coming back. Then you need to thoroughly sweep your floors and vacuum every inch of your carpet, and then you need to throw out the entire vacuum bag (even if it's brand new and barely used) and even clean the vacuum and broom you used. Wash all of your clothes and any linens (towels, curtains, everything) and keep them someplace you know they can't be reinfested until after you've finished treating the house. Then, and here's the part you're not going to like, get a flea spray and spray the floors. I'm sorry, but this step is not an all-natural method, but it is entirely necessary. You will need to keep the dog and any other animals out of the house for this step, and again, for how long will depend on the brand you buy. You don't just need to treat the infected pup, but you also need to treat the house - otherwise they'll just keep coming back. If you do everything right, it should rid the house of fleas, and so long as the dog continues their flea treatments even after they're gone, they shouldn't come back.

Once the situation has been handled, you'll need to stay on top of it. It's not a scenario of "it's done, I never have to think about it again" - you need to maintain a certain level of cleanliness in your home if you want it to stay that way. I hope I've been helpful.

Thanks for the tips ! I guess it was a longshot for natural solutions for flea control for the house. But I will notify the owner of the dog about what you said and plan with the others about an entire house cleanup routine. It may not solve the problem entirely the first day, but I'm willing to try anything at this point!

It's not the most non-toxic solution but you can try spraying your carpet with mosquito repellent. It's safe to use on skin at least. Just spraying some on flies is enough to drive them bonkers for a few minutes before dropping dead on the ground. Not the most humane thing I'll admit.

1. the trap that mentioned is super effective! to make it even better, cover the top of the container with plastic wrap and then poke a few small holes in with a fork. for some reason the fruit flies can get in easily, but then they can't find their way back out.

2. diatomaceous earth. they should sell it at home depot or something similar. my boyfriend recently had an issue witha massive flea infestation in his house and he sprinkled it everywhere, including on carpet. there were so many fleas they were swarming his ankles when he was walking, so he waited til that wasn't happening anymore and then swept/vacuumed everything up. he hasn't had an issue since then.

for ants and flies. the best solution is to clean up your kitchen. put food garbage like fruit peels, fish and chicken bones in your fridge or dispose them from your home daily. pests love food garbage. keep fridge-unfriendly food like banana in air tight container.

for fleas, i'm no help. i had one, but i solve it by throw away all the carpets. the fleas from my mattress gone eventually after i spray it with undiluted bleach, lysol and mosquito repellent regularly. and air it out in the sun for a few days. not sleeping on it trying to starve the remaining.

ALL linens that can be washed need to be washed in HOT water. Bag them in garbage bags, tie them tightly, and just spend an entire day washing it all. All your clothes, all the bedding, EVERYTHING needs to be washed in hot water.

Dawn dish soap kills adult fleas almost instantly. Wash the dog with it every so often. But beware! It's very drying to an animal's skin so do it as sparingly as possible. And it won't kill the eggs. Only flea treatments can do that. The eggs will still hatch and grow in to adult fleas.

I found this little solution with a google search but I don't know if it's true. It won't hurt to try it, though.

Rent a carpet cleaner with an attachment, too. Wash all carpets and upholstery with it.

DO NOT bring in any of the cleaned linens until you've already washed the carpets and upholstery, or it'll just get reinfested.

@,,,

Thank you everyone! I'll be sure to tell everyone else in my household about these things to slow down this infestation along with saving my ankles from flea bites! :D