Fleas

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avatamsaka3
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Fleas

Post by avatamsaka3 »

I may have encountered them. I don't have any pets, so they could just be on me. Are there any good ways to deal with them that won't harm them?
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Johnny Dangerous
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Re: Fleas

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

avatamsaka3 wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 12:15 am I may have encountered them. I don't have any pets, so they could just be on me. Are there any good ways to deal with them that won't harm them?
At least with pets, I haven't found any. It's fairly important to get rid of them too because the pets eat them eventually and get tapeworms, so I just use the preventative stuff, including killing them if I have to.

The kind of fleas that are on pets aren't gonna stick around on people typically.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

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FiveSkandhas
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Re: Fleas

Post by FiveSkandhas »

"Put a small plate greased with vaseline under a nightlight. The fleas will be attracted to the light, jump into the plate and get stuck by the vaseline. You have to remove the plates every one to two days– take them outside and sprinkle dirt on the plate so that they will eventually have enough traction to climb out of the plate to freedom. Put a plate in each room that has fleas."
-Old Tricycle article
"One should cultivate contemplation in one’s foibles. The foibles are like fish, and contemplation is like fishing hooks. If there are no fish, then the fishing hooks have no use. The bigger the fish is, the better the result we will get. As long as the fishing hooks keep at it, all foibles will eventually be contained and controlled at will." -Zhiyi

"Just be kind." -Atisha
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Kim O'Hara
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Re: Fleas

Post by Kim O'Hara »

FiveSkandhas wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 1:17 am "Put a small plate greased with vaseline under a nightlight. The fleas will be attracted to the light, jump into the plate and get stuck by the vaseline. You have to remove the plates every one to two days– take them outside and sprinkle dirt on the plate so that they will eventually have enough traction to climb out of the plate to freedom. Put a plate in each room that has fleas."
-Old Tricycle article
:thumbsup:
That's completely new to me but sounds like it might work. Have you tried it, or do you know anyone else who has?

Other than that, prevention is my preferred option for household pest insects. Ants, flies and cockroaches can be discouraged by minimising their food supply (food waste in bins, or open containers of food).

:coffee:
Kim
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FiveSkandhas
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Re: Fleas

Post by FiveSkandhas »

Kim O'Hara wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 2:30 am
FiveSkandhas wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 1:17 am "Put a small plate greased with vaseline under a nightlight. The fleas will be attracted to the light, jump into the plate and get stuck by the vaseline. You have to remove the plates every one to two days– take them outside and sprinkle dirt on the plate so that they will eventually have enough traction to climb out of the plate to freedom. Put a plate in each room that has fleas."
-Old Tricycle article
:thumbsup:
That's completely new to me but sounds like it might work. Have you tried it, or do you know anyone else who has?

Other than that, prevention is my preferred option for household pest insects. Ants, flies and cockroaches can be discouraged by minimising their food supply (food waste in bins, or open containers of food).

:coffee:
Kim
Haven't tried the flea trick but your prevention schema sounds like the best plan.

My wife bought some blocks of some type of dark Japanese hardwood once and just sort of scattered them around the place. Whatever this wood is, it's totally odorless yet supposedly a traditional pest deterrent. Another old trick is lemongrass...soak it in water, sprinkle it around, the little critters don't like it.

I saw an old dhammaewheel thread on this topic and it appeared based on that scant evidence that our Theravada cousins are much less hesitant about just slapping whatever bites. Had a chuckle over that in contrast to the attitude here...well, vows is vows, says I...
"One should cultivate contemplation in one’s foibles. The foibles are like fish, and contemplation is like fishing hooks. If there are no fish, then the fishing hooks have no use. The bigger the fish is, the better the result we will get. As long as the fishing hooks keep at it, all foibles will eventually be contained and controlled at will." -Zhiyi

"Just be kind." -Atisha
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Kim O'Hara
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Re: Fleas

Post by Kim O'Hara »

FiveSkandhas wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 2:49 am ...
I saw an old dhammaewheel thread on this topic and it appeared based on that scant evidence that our Theravada cousins are much less hesitant about just slapping whatever bites. Had a chuckle over that in contrast to the attitude here...well, vows is vows, says I...
You can draw lines, between those willing to kill insects and those unwilling to do so, in all sorts of ways. Mahayana/Theravada may work for you, but tropical/temperate, or poor/rich, or both, may be the real reason. Spending a few weeks of the rainy season in a traditional Thai (or Indian, Vietnamese, Sri Lankan, etc) bamboo house with no insect screens would convert, at a rough guess, 99.97% of Mahayanists into insect killers, vows or no vows. In that situation, which has been the situation of most Theravadins for most of Buddhist history, insects are life-threatening if not controlled. They suck your blood and give you malaria and other fevers in return. They eat your food and leave you faeces in return. They crawl into your eyes, nose and other orifices ... enough said!

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Kim
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Re: Fleas

Post by Genjo Conan »

All the time I pray to Buddha
I keep on
killing mosquitoes.

--Kobayashi Issa
Inedible
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Re: Fleas

Post by Inedible »

It is essential to vacuum frequently to get rid of the eggs. Change the bags afterward.
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