Being vigilant about flea control is a vital part of being a good pet parent. Fleas are more than an irritant - they are basically used hypodermic needles, spreading disease from one host to another. You must practice flea management continually; otherwise, you will kill the adult fleas, but flea eggs and larvae will continue to hatch. Both the outside and inside of your home needs to be treated - if you merely treat the pets, fleas will continue coming into your home or onto your pet from the environment.  The best way to manage fleas is to practice flea control in your yard, in your home, and with your pets.
 
All-Natural Flea Control for Your Yard
There are some effective environmental things you can do naturally.  Ants can be our friends!  That's right - ants love to eat flea eggs and larvae, so don't use poisons or toxins to discourage ants in your yard (these products kill butterflies and birds, so you don't want to use them anyway).  Many garden stores and Internet sites sell nematodes (microscopic worms) which eat fleas and other pests without ever bothering you or your pets.
 
All-Natural Flea Control for Your House
Vacuuming is one of the best forms of indoor flea control. Be sure to vacuum carpets, pet bedding, sofas (remember to vacuum underneath the sofa too!) and chairs, and alongside the walls, especially in the corners (you will vacuum up many adult fleas, as well as larvae). 
 
Keep a flea collar inside your vacuum cleaner bag to kill any fleas you sucked up (cut the collar up into 2-inch pieces, putting one piece in the vacuum cleaner bag, and wrapping the rest of the collar in foil inside a plastic baggie to keep it potent; put a new 2-inch piece in the bag every month). 
 
Fleabusters (available on the Internet) is also good for killing fleas that reside in your carpets. This product is basically Borax (or sodium polyborate) and desiccates or dries out the flea eggs, which kills them. It's just laundry soap, not a toxic chemical. 
 
All-Natural Flea Control for Your Pets
It is important to remember that you must treat all pets in the household - not just the ones that are scratching. Otherwise, fleas will reside and breed on the untreated animals and constantly re-infect your home.
 
All-natural flea control starts with a quality diet. Pets eating a quality pet food, containing antioxidants and essential fatty acids, have fewer problems with fleas - it's a proven fact. With a proper diet (one which does not include chemical preservatives or dyes), most companion animals have a strong immune system and protective factors in their skin to minimize problems with parasites. 
 
As far as topical treatments are concerned, Neem Oil is an excellent flea repellent. This is the oil from a Neem tree that has been used for many years - over 100 pharmaceutically active substances have been identified in the Neem tree, and it has many medical references for human and pet medication. One study showed that this decreased the flea load on Greyhounds by 53%-93%. Neem Oil is widely available on the Internet and you can probably also find Neem Oil at many health food stores. The only disadvantage to Neem Oil is that it occasionally causes a mild skin irritation. 
 
You can also concoct your own homemade flea spray! In a 16 oz. spray bottle, mix the following: 2 tablespoons cider vinegar; 1 cup Avon's Skin-so-Soft; 1 cup water; 1/8 teaspoon oil of citronella (optional - don't use if your pet hates the smell). Rub into your pet's coat to repel fleas and mosquitoes.

Together, we can make those fleas flee - naturally!