Miss_D (Pennsylvania) on 07/15/2022:
I grow peppermint in a large pot on my deck - it comes back like wildfire every spring. It dries by the beginning of June and once it dries, I pull it out of the pot by its roots - throw it all over my fenced in backyard - then mow over it to distribute it more evenly. It keeps the fleas and ticks out the area until August. In March - when it's rainy - we treat the yard with salt. The salt breaks down the outer shell of fleas and ticks. We make sure to put the salt down right before it's going to rain because it could burn your dog's paws if left just lying on the grass. We treat again with salt in August - if there is no rain in the forecast - we just water the lawn really good after we salt. You can buy 20-50 pound bags of salt pretty cheap. I use a lavender spray on the dogs once a week from March through October - which seems to repel mosquitos too. We have been flea free!
I used to use the Soresto collars - but those made my older dog really sick a couple years ago - and the fleas were still biting both my dogs when they had the collars on.I think it's best to find something that repels as well as kills, so our poor babies don't have to go through getting bit.
*Note: this post is geared toward dogs and not cats.
