Pets usually bring in fleas after they’ve been outside, but where do they pick them up?
It’s important to know where fleas live so you can eradicate them before pets have a chance to bring them inside.
Do fleas live in grass or dirt? Fleas like to live in areas that are humid and shady. You’ll usually find fleas in tall grass and dirt that are located under shrubs, trees, or in piles of debris. A well-maintained yard won’t have fleas, but a yard that’s left untrimmed is more likely to have them.
A flea’s habitat is usually unkempt, so let’s take a look at the different places you can find them and what steps you need to take to make sure fleas don’t infiltrate your home.
If you’ve already noticed fleas inside your home, don’t panic. This article explains several options that you can choose from to effectively get rid of them.
If you’d prefer to go the more traditional route and rely solely on carpet powders, we list the most effective powders here.
Fleas Like Shady Areas
Fleas can’t survive in hot, sunny areas. They’ll die if it’s too hot, so they seek out shaded areas.
They also don’t like to be in the wind, so they pick areas that are well covered and close to the ground.
If you have shady areas in your yard, monitor your pets when they’re outside to see how often they visit these areas.
They can easily pick up fleas even if they’re only in the shade for a minute or two.
Common shady areas fleas might try to live in include:
- Near pet shelters like dog houses.
- Under plants.
- In crawl spaces.
- Under porches.
- Under trash cans.
- Around debris like abandoned tires.
Fleas Like Humidity
Dry areas can cause fleas to die too, so they look for humid areas. Too much humidity can kill a flea, however.
Humidity levels over 20% in an area will increase the mortality rate in larvae, causing them to never make it to adulthood.
If you live in a humid area, you probably won’t have as many fleas compared to someone living in a dry area.
If an area gets too wet, fleas won’t want to live there either. If water puddles up after it rains or when the sprinklers are on, the fleas might die.
Adult fleas can’t swim and don’t drown easily, so they’ll struggle to stay afloat in the water until the puddle goes away or until they die of starvation.
Larvae, on the other hand, will drown in puddles since they aren’t fully developed and have no way to attempt to stay afloat.
Fleas are pretty picky about their water and humidity levels, but if your yard has the perfect conditions, they’ll surely make themselves at home and create an infestation.
When conditions are just right, how long is a flea capable of surviving? The answer will probably surprise you.
Fleas Might Live In Grass
Fleas may or may not live in grass, and it ultimately depends on how shady and protected the grassy area is.
Remember, fleas don’t like to be exposed to sun and wind. This means that some grassy yards may have no fleas at all while others are prone to flea infestations.
If your yard is part of the former group, it makes you wonder how they got there in the first place, doesn’t it?
Find out what the main cause of fleas is in this article.
If your yard is well shaded and you allow the grass and weeds to get pretty tall, you’ll probably have fleas.
Fleas will prefer to live in carpets with long fibers indoors, and they treat grass in a similar way.
If they can get deep into the grass and feel safe from the elements, they’ll be perfectly happy to live there.
So, where are these ideal areas? Think of all the places your lawn mower can’t reach:
- The base of tree trunks.
- Overgrown flowerbeds.
- Under bushes and other plants.
- Crawl spaces.
- Around air conditioner units.
- Around fallen logs.
These areas are typically well shaded and receive a decent amount of moisture without flooding.
Since they’re difficult to mow over, you can try using a string trimmer or branch clippers to manually cut the grass.
Fleas won’t live in maintained lawns because the grass is often too short and too sunny to be a comfortable place for them to live.
Even if your yard is mostly shaded, frequent mowing will deter fleas from living there.
If you water your yard frequently, this will also discourage them because it will be too wet and humid for them to lay eggs.
Fleas Live In Dirt
Fleas are perfectly content in dirt areas as long as they’re protected from the elements and don’t puddle up with water.
Common dirt areas where fleas will congregate include:
- Under bushes.
- Crawl spaces.
- Flowerbeds.
- Animal runs.
- Under porches.
If you have a neglected lawn that has patches of dirt surrounded by tall grass or weeds and the area doesn’t receive much water, you’ll probably spot fleas living there at some point.
Seeding these shaded dirt patches with a grass seed mix specially formulated to repair bare spots can help tremendously.
In two weeks or less, lush, thick grass will appear and fleas will no longer find the area appealing.
Underneath porches and crawl spaces are frequent places to find fleas too since these areas are dark and humid.
Dogs and cats that get to spend time outdoors usually seek these shady dirt patches during the summer because they’re a great place to cool off.
If you spot fleas on your pet or in your home, be sure to check all of these areas to see if maybe your pet picked them up when they were lying there.
Fleas are more common during the dry summer months. When it rains, their population lowers due to flooding.
Drought conditions will kill them too though because they do need some humidity to survive.
This fact is one reason that salt can be an effective way to eliminate them from your home. Find out why exactly it works and how to apply it here in this article.
How to Keep Fleas Out of Your Yard
You can easily keep fleas away from your yard by making it undesirable to them.
What’s undesirable to a flea is usually coveted by humans, so keeping your yard flea free will most likely give you a beautiful yard.
Mow the Grass
Mowing the grass is the key component to keeping fleas out. Since they don’t like short grass, it’s important to make sure your entire yard stays at a short length.
Watering your yard frequently is also a great way to make sure the fleas stay out.
It will create puddles that will stick around long enough to either drown the eggs and larvae or raise the humidity levels enough to kill them.
Keeping up with routine watering can quickly become a dreaded chore or be forgotten about entirely.
Consider using a programmable faucet timer, like this one, so you won’t have to worry about forgetting to water or accidentally overwatering.
Simply screw it on to your faucet, attach your hoses and sprinklers, set the start time, adjust the duration and frequency, and let it do the work for you day after day.
You may have to mow your yard once a week in the summer if you’re watering the lawn frequently, but you at least won’t have to deal with fleas.
Be sure to take the time to get the trouble areas that your lawn mower has difficulty reaching because these are typically the areas fleas will like the most.
Remove Debris
Debris of any kind are desirable places for fleas because they attract humidity and create dark areas where fleas can hide.
Debris can be anything from lawn clippings and leaves to overturned trash cans.
Anything that will allow grass to grow around it or fleas to hide inside it should be removed from the yard.
If you let pets spend time outside or have animals like chickens or horses, clean up after them as frequently as possible.
Feces and bedding make perfect areas for fleas to live because they typically contain adequate moisture.
You should also rake out flowerbeds and under bushes as soon as leaves or litter pile up.
These areas are the first places to attract fleas anyway, so leaf piles will only invite them a little sooner.
Trim Bushes and Plants
Trim back bushes and low-hanging plants so the leaves don’t hang out too far.
In order to discourage fleas, plants shouldn’t be allowed to create more shade than necessary.
If you can, try to trim bushes and plants so that their foliage is a few inches above the ground.
This way there’s very little protection at the base of the plant, and fleas won’t want to live there.
Water plants as frequently as you can without overwatering them.
An area that is too moist and frequently puddles won’t be suitable for fleas, so they either won’t live there or will end up dying while trying to live there.
Final Thoughts
Fleas will live in grass and dirt if the conditions are suitable. Slightly humid and shady areas are ideal, but too much water will kill them.
Keep your grass mowed to a short length and your bushes and plants trimmed to discourage fleas from inhabiting your home.
If you can control the population outside, you’re less likely to find them inside or on you and your pets.
Still have questions? Check out all of our flea guides for solutions, elimination methods, recommended products, and prevention tips.
