Residual Efficacy of Insecticides Applied to Carpet for Control of Cat Fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)

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Abstract
Seven insecticides were diluted in water and applied at their labeled rates of application to nylon carpet to determine mortality of exposed adult cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felts (Bouché), at various times up to 21 days post treatment. Only 0.5% chlorpyrifos (96–100% mortality), 0.5% propetamphos (90% mortality), and 1% microencapsulated diazinon (84% mortality) provided > 80% mortality on the 1st day post treatment. Decreased efficacy of insecticide residues, compared with previous reports, may have been the result of insecticide resistance in the recently colonized wild strain of cat flea from Florida. Carpet, which is one of the most common surfaces treated indoors for flea control, appears to be a surface on which it is difficult to control resistant cat fleas. Currently registered insecticides provided significant mortality for only 1–7 days. Relative efficacy of insecticides on carpet is more accurately predicted by filter paper tests than by tests using glass surfaces.

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