Does wormwood really help with fleas?

Almost no flea herb is used by the people as often and in such volumes as wormwood. Perhaps only tansy in the fight against fleas can make wormwood some competition.

This is not surprising: it is wormwood with its smell that can repel a wide variety of insects, and not only parasites. It is used against ants, cockroaches, moths. In the villages, even flies fly less into rooms with livestock, in which caring owners have previously laid out wormwood brooms.

Wormwood for fleas in rural areas is often used as the main remedy, although it is not able to destroy these parasites. And even today in big cities, where fleas are easily removed in a matter of hours with the help of affordable and safe insecticidal preparations, wormwood helps many pet owners from fleas.

On a note

Flea herbs have never been a completely reliable means of removing these parasites: in most cases, the task of herbs is only to repel insects. This is exactly how wormwood against fleas works: if they have already wound up in the room, it is unlikely that they will be removed using this tool.But wormwood will help to prevent the penetration of fleas into the apartment.

At the same time, even in a big city, buying wormwood to repel fleas is not at all a problem: it is sold in the markets from herbalists, in pharmacies in the form of tinctures and crushed raw materials.

With the right approach against fleas, you can use almost any form of wormwood.

 

How does wormwood work on fleas?

Wormwood repels fleas with its specific smell. For a person, the smell of this grass is quite pleasant and creates the atmosphere of a summer field indoors.

It is important to remember that only a freshly cut or freshly dried plant has a strong smell. Accordingly, mugwort will have the greatest effect on fleas until it loses its aroma.

Review

“My grandmother always poisoned insects in the house with different herbs. It is impossible to find any aerosols or flea powders in their village, but the whole village is surrounded by huge meadows, on which wormwood grows in unlimited quantities. When fleas accidentally appeared in our apartment, I first etched them with a chemical preparation, but then I called and found out from my grandmother what kind of grass fleas are afraid of. Grandmother said that wormwood is the best remedy for fleas. They sell it on our market, now I regularly buy a small bunch and put it near the cat's house to scare off random parasites.

Oksana, Kyiv

As a poison, wormwood does not work on fleas. Even if you put an insect in a bunch of grass, nothing will happen to it. However, the flea will try to leave the space smelling of wormwood as soon as possible.

Wormwood owes such a deterrent effect to the volatile essential oils contained in its stems, flowers and leaves.Thanks to the same essential oils, wormwood is widely used in medicine and cooking.

On a note

The most pronounced deterrent effect of wormwood is manifested in relation to horticultural pests. Therefore, preparations from it are most often used to protect trees from caterpillars and woodworms. The ability of wormwood products to prevent the development of fungi, including parasitic fungi in humans, is also known.

Review

“I didn’t think that wormwood could be used for fleas in an apartment. I only remember that in the village it is constantly laid out on verandas and in chicken coops. And when she did the same in a city apartment, she became crazy - such a luxurious smell of a summer meadow went through all the rooms that she immediately remembered childhood. I probably laid it out on the balcony and under the door for about three weeks, while I was poisoning fleas on the dog, and so far I have not seen parasites in the house. I don't know if mugwort can be used as a primary flea treatment, but it works great as a deterrent."

Anna, Moscow

Wormwood can be used not only to repel indoor fleas, but also to control parasites on animals, such as cats and dogs.

True, in order for wormwood to be effective in this case, you need to be able to prepare preparations based on it with your own hands. In practice, this is not so difficult to do.

 

In what forms is wormwood used against fleas

Most often, fresh or slightly dried wormwood grass is used against fleas. Dry brooms also retain their repellent abilities, but to a somewhat lesser extent.

Other forms of the plant have also proven themselves well:

• Wormwood oil is used against fleas, being poured into cups or bowls.They should be placed in places where parasites can enter the apartment. It is also effective to treat with oil the hair of animals that have already managed to pick up fleas on the street - parasites in this case will try to leave their victim as soon as possible.
• Wormwood tincture for fleas is used almost exclusively for the treatment of animal hair or bird plumage. It is not known what repels parasites more - the smell of alcohol or the smell of wormwood itself, but the effect of the tincture is no less pronounced than that of the oil.
• A decoction of wormwood is also a good remedy for fleas, mainly for ridding pets of these insects. As a rule, it is used while bathing a pet.

In the photo below - wormwood essential oil sold in pharmacies. Using such a bottle, you can protect a one- or two-room apartment from fleas.

Review

“I once tried using wormwood for fleas. She did as her grandmother taught in the village: she boiled the broth, cooled it, sprinkled it on furniture and baseboards. The effect is zero. Maybe the day the parasites did not disturb. And then everything is new. Grandma then also advised other herbs that help with fleas, but I already decided not to fool around and sprinkled the apartment with Get. It helped the first time."

Galina, Kursk

 

We won’t destroy it, so at least we’ll scare it away: instructions for using wormwood from fleas

For the most effective flea repellent, wormwood should be laid out in bunches near animal resting places, under bedding and carpets, near doors and windows, in closets, pantries and cabinets with old things and equipment, if possible - in ventilation ducts. Such brooms often should not be replaced - as long as they fill the place with a smell, they will work. Fresh grass should be added as the old one wears out.

It is recommended to wash the floors in the house with the addition of one liter of wormwood decoction per bucket of water. You can also use wormwood in its other forms.

To rid pets of fleas, they should either be bathed with a thorough rubbing of wool with a decoction or tincture of wormwood, or simply rub wormwood oil into the skin between the hairs in several places.

Wormwood oil for fleas in a cat or dog should be used first in the smallest, trial doses, and only if after that the animal does not have an allergy, it can be treated more thoroughly.

Important!

The most relevant is the use of wormwood, as well as tansy in the summer, when fleas are most active and often jump on pets.

 

Harvesting and storage of wormwood as an insecticide

Wormwood, perhaps the most famous representative of its kind, has found the widest use for fleas. It has the most persistent smell and contains the largest amount of bitterness and essential oils.

It will be useful for urban residents, far from nature, to know that wormwood looks like a dense, low, light green bush with one or more main shoots and pinnately dissected leaves (see photo).

Very often, sagebrush looks like a very low grass, which is especially characteristic of meadows beaten by cattle. It is most easily recognized by the characteristic very light color of the leaves.

Wormwood is harvested in any season, but most often in summer. Brooms from it are dried in the shade in a draft, and after that they retain their original smell for a long time.

A decoction of wormwood is prepared as follows: two tablespoons of chopped herbs are brought to a boil in two glasses of water, after which the entire liquid is infused for several hours and cools down.

To prepare the tincture, usually 2 or 4 teaspoons of herbs are infused in half a liter of high-quality vodka.

It is very effective to combine wormwood with other herbs. So, for example, tansy against fleas, together with wormwood, has an enhanced effect, and in city apartments it is pleasant to lay out brooms of wormwood, mint and thyme together.

These same herbs can be used on their own as an alternative to wormwood - the effect of them against fleas will be comparable to that of this famous bitter herb.

 

For those who want to collect wormwood themselves: see how it should look

 

What to do if a pet has fleas: get rid of parasites correctly