When we moved to Tennessee, we inherited a major flea problem. The previous owners had some cattle and fleas breed in humus soil. We went on Program when it first came out. When I groomed the dogs I put Pyrethin in the spray. The fleas would die and I'd brush them out just to have them back in a couple of days. I finally broke down and bought a 21 day dip and spent an afternoon dipping all the dogs. Three days later, they were infested again.

Then one day a friend told me about a farmer who used Borax on his fields to kill fleas. I figured, "got to try this". So, I went to a chemical plant. Borax is cheap. It's about $20 for a 50 pound bag. I spread this extremely fine powder at the rate of 100 pounds per acre and a half. I sprinkled it on my carpets in the house and worked it in. That was three years ago. We haven't seen a flea since. If you go too heavy on the grass, the grass will yellow, but will come back. My vet tells me it kills many insects in their larvae stage, including hook worm larvae. He used it mixed with water in a sprayer, I put it down dry from the bag. Either way, it works.

Borax, and the more expensive boric acid, are very safe products. The only warning is to fertility. The animal would have to injest a very large amount to become infertile. At the rate it's spread over the fields, it can hardly be seen, let alone be eaten. Exterminators use it mixed with an agent so they can spray it on, but it's the same stuff. That's why they guarantee their work for one year. You can also buy it in it's pure form from some feed dealers, but it costs around $35 for a small jar. Save your money, go where chemicals are sold, and do it yourself. Be sure to do all areas that your dogs use, except for vinyl floors and cement runs where it can't be worked in. You'll never have to put insecticide on your dogs again or buy those expensive flea pills (that don't work in some cases anyway).