• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Welcome to Flea Bites

Flea Treatment Help, Info and Advice

  • Treatment
  • Dogs
  • Cats
  • House
Treatment » What Are The Active Ingredients In Pest Control Products?

What Are The Active Ingredients In Pest Control Products?

The chemicals that were used to control pests are generally insecticides. Consumers use this to kill fleas and other parasitic insects or acaricides to kill ticks and mites, which are arachnids. In the correct dose, most are very effective on fleas and ticks and safe for both you and your pets. However, not all of these are equal. So before selecting a product, always check the active ingredients as some are not particularly good or safe.

Deltamethrin

Deltamethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid and one of the most effective and safest insecticides out there. It works by disrupting the normal nervous system function of the pests. This happens by interfering with the sodium channel of nerve cell membranes. And then results in a delay in repolarization of the nerve and finally killing of the parasite. These insecticides will kill parasites either through contact or ingestion. It first came to market in 1978. It was then shown to be very effective at killing fleas with minimal adverse effects on either humans or dogs.

Flumethrin

Flumethrin is also an ectoparasiticide of the synthetic pyrethroid group and provides acaricidal capability and kills several variety of ticks and also repels them. It reduces the risk of them biting and reduces the risk of Vector-Bourne Disease transmission e.g. Lyme's Disease.

Imidacloprid

Imidacloprid works on flea larva, adult fleas and lice. It becomes effective against the most common fleas as soon as the collar is on your dog. It works by attacking the central nervous system (CNS) of the flea leading to paralysis and death. Imidacloprid barely reacts with the nicotinergic receptors in mammals and has trouble crossing the blood-brain barrier so it has virtually no effect on the CNS of mammals like us or our dogs and so is safe in the right doses.

Pyriproxifen

Pyriproxifen is another safe insecticide that works by targeting the flea eggs and larvae instead of adult fleas. It makes them unable to reproduce, so they die within a generation. It is often used in conjunction with Deltamethrin to effectively control fleas at all stages.

Propoxur

Propoxur also attacks the nervous system of fleas. But unlike Deltamethrin it can be harmful to humans.

Tetrachlorvinphos

Tetrachlorvinphos (TCVP) does kill fleas but it has some very nasty side effects to both humans and pets and consumer must avoid it whenever possible. TCVP is a human carcinogen and children are particularly vulnerable. So if you see this listed as an ingredient on the flea collar you are looking at, look for something else.

Contents

  • 1 Deltamethrin
  • 2 Flumethrin
  • 3 Imidacloprid
  • 4 Pyriproxifen
  • 5 Propoxur
  • 6 Tetrachlorvinphos
Also see  What are the different types of fleas?

April 4, 2019

Footer

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Trademark & Affiliate Disclosure

Copyright © 2021 www.fleabites.co.uk

Liability Disclaimer

All content on this site is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be nor can it be considered actionable professional advice.

It must not be used as an alternative to seeking professional advice from a veterinarian or other certified professional. fleabites.co.uk assumes no responsibility or liability for the use or misuse of what’s written on this site.

Please consult a professional before taking any course of action with any medical, health or behavioural related issue.

Affiliate Disclosure

We believe in being as transparent as possible when it comes to this site. With this in mind, please be aware that we may receive remuneration for some of the products we review on this site.

fleabites.co.uk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk (and other Amazon programs).

We will also list Google Adsense ads from time to time. You should be able to see these as text links or blocks of ads which have a small notation indicating “Ads by Google” or “AdChoices”.

There are millions of products available, but we include only those that we research and believe could benefit you.

We provide links on the site to information such as information resources for which we receive no compensation. Our mission is to help our visitors, but this is also very clearly a for-profit site and you should realize as much. If you have any questions whatsoever, please contact us using the “contact” option on the site menu and we will be happy to answer any questions.

Trademark Dislosure

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates.

In addition, any other trademarks and logos we mention on this site are also the property of their respective owners.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. In addition, some links on this site may take you to sites where we get an affiliate commission if you subsequently buy something on the site. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with these terms. You can read more in our Privacy Policy & Affiliate DisclosureOk