In addition to spraying the usual soap, orange oil, and molasses on our yard, I have been using a 50/50 mixture of Murphy's Oil Soap and orange oil as a flea shampoo for our dogs this summer, with mixed results.
One is a Yorkie with a very short cut. He is very susceptible to the fleas our new neighbors brought with them. I have to say that, for him, it isn't working very well.
The other is a Sheltie with a short--but still dense--coat. The fleas won't have anything to do with him. I think that the thickness of his coat keeps more of the shampoo in it. You could spend a very long time rinsing him out.
My conclusion is that the residual oil and soap in the fur are big deterrents to the fleas; and, hopefully ticks. We will try this again next year when the Yorkie will have a longer, adult coat. I can tell by the way our neighbor treats his dogs that it will be necessary.
I'm fairly certain that our yard doesn't host the fleas for very long. As I stated earlier, I spray often. I also put nematodes down early in the year--before the new neighbors moved in. I will post my results next year, as well. FYI
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