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  4 0 The fleas could also be carried in on your shoes and clothing from outside the building (not just the indoor common areas) so the issue is just how far afield of your apartment is your landlord responsible for pest control. Even those indoor common areas could be easily re-infested after treatment. Fleas have a life cycle that can last up to six months (depending on how much down time they spend in less than ideal conditions (lower than ideal humidity, etc.) so continual treatment of the area is needed in battling the problem. There is treatment of the area with general chemicals and also treatments that can be used on the animals themselves, but they all have their precautions and dangers as should be noted and directions followed very carefully. The most effective non-chemical treatment of fleas has been shown to be thorough vacuuming of the home frequently. As much as 96% of the adult individuals that are at liberty in the environment can be removed by vacuuming and regular cleaning. It would be good to get in the habit of daily thorough vacuuming. Get routine established with someone using the vacuum and a helper(s) moving lamps and furniture, etc. so that the task can be done efficiently and quickly. Done twice a day initially with treatment of the pets themselves and you will note a very serious decline in the population. You MUST do something to kill or eliminate the vacuuming results from your home each time to prevent the fleas obtained from getting free again. Install good bug sweeps on the bottom of the doors leading to the common areas so that there is less of an avenue of migration from outside your apartment. Treatment of the floor areas just outside your apartment with repellents will help eliminate that route also. If your cats will (or could learn to) allow you to comb them daily you can remove many of the fleas that are surviving on them with a gentle combing with a fine flea comb (get one of these at a good pet store). My mother had our large outdoor cat trained to come to her lap each evening and stretch out on a towel for her to comb him. With a bottle cap filled with rubbing alcohol and a q-tip on the table she would comb him until she had a flea cornered and then just touch it with the q-tip to kill it and then comb it out. Finally, I would suggest going to your landlord not only with a complaint or comment on the situation but with a more complete plan of what to do and what it would cost to do it. I have found when you go to someone and say 'here is a problem I want you to solve' that many folks freeze and don't want to have to figure it out. Instead, go to him and say 'here is a problem (many of us have here) and here is what we can do to solve it, it will only cost $X'. Presented with a considered course of action and a realistic cost estimate he may be more willing to agree to helping all of you out and participating in effecting the solution. Russ Campbell, NWEBS answered in Renting about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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