The Nomadic Nematode: A Flea's Worst Nightmare

It's only June, it's too early for flea frenzy. Right?

Wrong. Fleabusters, one of the premier barometers of the magnitude of the parasite problem, is already "busier than ever for this point in the season," according to David Swetnam, King, Snohomish and Pierce counties franchise vice president.

"The mild winter, combined with a wet, warm spring is a perfect environment for fleas to activate and reproduce."

For many of us, that means our pets will be scratching and itching soon, if not already.

Fleabusters strong suit has always been its ability to control indoor problems with its sodium polyborate powder sprayed on carpeting, furniture and favorite hangouts of this resilient, yet pesky, critter.

Meet the newest member of its arsenal, the nematode, a worm-like organism that lives in the soil and occupies numerous biological niches, one of which is preying on the grubs and larvae of harmful insects, like the flea.

Nails its prey

Harmless to humans, animals and plants, the microscopic nematodes pursue their prey by sensing the temperature and carbon dioxide emissions of soil-borne insects and entering the pest through body openings, killing the subject quickly.

The nematodes live and breed within the dead insect. When the food source is gone, they migrate into the soil in search of a new host. Eventually they die off when the pest population is eliminated.

According to Swetnam, the nematodes have no detrimental affect on nontarget species such as ladybugs, honey bees, earth worms, etc.

In nature, the nematodes reproduce in the cadaver of their prey. Commercially, biosys, of Palo Alto, Calif., and Archer-Daniels-Midland of Decatur, Ill., mimic the natural process on a mass scale, producing 12 trillion per month. Yes, that's right!

Packaging procedures provide adequate moisture and oxygen to assure shelf life at room temperature for five months and longer at refrigerated temperatures.

Like conventional pesticides, the nematodes are applied to yards with either tank or hose-end spray containers. Because of their benign nature, nematodes are exempt from EPA registration in the United States and several European countries.

According to a biosys handbook, by providing optimum conditions, such as moist soil, one application will last four to six weeks and sometimes longer. Swetnam suggests follow-up treatment a month later.

Little movement

Unlike other insecticides which remain passively on the soil surface, the predatory nematodes navigate through the soil by inches or centimeters, not feet or yards.

Fleabusters is marketing nematodes through Biobusters, a service which will come to your home and spray the premises with a water-dispersible granule. The nematodes are encapsulated with the granule and when added to water under agitation in the spray tank they are released and disperse readily.

"Biobusters," says Swetnam, "provides up to 95-99 percent control of flea larvae and pupae outdoors within 24-48 hours." Most other insecticides are designed to control the adult flea.

The product must be watered in with a minimum of one-tenth of an inch of water within 30 minutes to two hours after application in temperatures ranging from 50 to 90 degrees.

Fleabusters has a two-tiered fee scale for the nematode application: up to 2,500 square feet, $40; 2,500-5,000 square feet, $60. The company, however, will only spray the yard for owners whose homes have been treated inside.

For those preferring to spray the product on the yard themselves, Interrupt is available through many area veterinarians and Biobusters can be purchased from Fleabusters. Suggested retail price per canister (which covers 2,500 square feet) is between $16.99 and $20.99.

Another nematode-based product, Farnam Bio Flea Halt!, can be found in pet and feed stores at a suggested retail price of $19.95

Swetnam also announced that Fleabusters RX for Fleas Plus powder, a polymerized borate compound that has been electrostatically charged for treating interior premises, will also be available through veterinarians and groomers next month.

One 3-pound canister will cover 1,500 square feet of carpeting. Suggested retail price is $39.95 per cannister.

"While it can be a bit messy, we want to give do-it-yourselfers an option to brush it in themselves," he says. "It comes with complete step-by-step application instructions."

An alternative

On another flea front, a story in this month's Seattle-King County Veterinary Medical Association newsletter, VET-RAP, reports pet owners may soon have yet another alternative .

A monthly oral prescription product is in the last stages of receiving Food & Drug Administration approval.

It deploys a chemical, Lufenuron, to interrupt the flea breeding cycle. The chemical remains in an animal's bloodstream and fleas absorb it when they bite. Eggs laid by those fleas will not hatch.

It is available in 16 countries and accounts for 80 percent of flea-control products sold through veterinarians in Australia.

The VET-RAP story notes, however, that for a decade another animal-health company has marketed a pill to be administered twice weekly. "Many veterinarians have been cautious of this drug, which they say is too toxic and can cause liver damage," VET-RAP says.

The new drug is reportedly gentler and needs to be given monthly. A cost estimate is not available.

Helpful guides

For a quarter of century, Terry Ryan has been helping dog owners, both in the Pullman area where she lives and worldwide.

Ryan, an obedience-class instructor, practices what she preaches in the obedience ring, too.

Past president of the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors, Ryan's background in psychology has helped provide her a keen understanding of the fragile behavioral balance between owner and dog.

If you're looking for new ways to have fun with your dog or means to address its problem behavior, you'll want to obtain either or both of her superb new booklets: "The Toolbox: For Remodeling Problem Dogs" and "Volume 1: Games People Play . . . To Train Their Dogs."

Both are illustrated and packed with handy tips.

They are $6.75 each. Washington residents must add 7.5 percent sales tax, plus shipping charges (orders under $10, add $2, under $30, add $3. Mail orders to Legacy, attn Terry Ryan, Northwest 2025 Friel St., Pullman, WA 99163.

-- Mail information regarding dog and cat events to Classified Division, Dog and/or Cat Events, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. All releases must be in writing. Information must be received by Monday prior to Sunday publication. Be sure to include a public phone-contact number.