What started as a few black dots skipping through your pet’s fur has become a full-blown pest population taking over your home.

You know you have options: harsh sprays, bug bombs, an exterminator – but you’re worried that the same chemicals that will annihilate your flea population will also cause harm to your family and your pets.

Not only can you stop a flea infestation naturally, but also, you can keep bugs out of your home for good using products that are completely safe for humans and domestic animals.

Here’s how you can stop a flea infestation naturally:

Step #1: Know Your Enemy

By now, you’ve probably spotted the tiny black adult fleas crawling through your pet’s fur. As you reach for them, they can hop up to 4 feet in the air. These adult fleas make up fewer than 5 percent of the flea population.

Adult, female fleas lay up to 40 eggs per day, usually on your pet. Everywhere your pet goes, flea eggs fall. They’re just barely visible, tiny white specks, making up 50 percent of the population. You might not notice them resting in your carpet, on your pet’s bed, and around your home.

Larvae hatch from the eggs two days to two weeks after they are laid. Adult fleas suck blood from your pet and pass it in the form of dark, dusty “flea dirt,” which looks like black pepper sprinkled throughout your pet’s fur. It’s really your pet’s blood, predigested by adult fleas and consumed by flea larvae as their first meal.

Flea larvae form cocoons within 5-20 days of hatching. Cocoons make up 10 percent of the population. They are sticky, and may rest below the surface of your carpet – they’re not easily vacuumed out. They emerge when they sense the presence of a host, where they feast and lay eggs of their own.

What does this all mean? It means that fleas are the least of your worries. Their offspring are everywhere in your environment, so even if you get rid of fleas, within a few weeks their larvae hatch and start the life cycle again. That’s why you need to take this 5-step approach to getting rid of fleas for good.

Step #2: Treat Your Family

Before treating your home, treat yourself and your family members to stop the biting in the meantime.

You can use our all-natural cedar oil personal and pet spray to topically treat both humans and animals. This formula also soothes itchiness and irritation due to existing flea bites. It’s safe to spray on your skin, bedding and clothes, and on dogs and cats.

Step #3: Evict The Fleas

Now, it’s time to kick the fleas out of your home. Our indoor cedar oil formula destroys your indoor infestation in multiple ways.

The silica content corrodes the flea’s exoskeleton. This makes them vulnerable to cedar oil’s dehydrating properties. The cedar oil also makes it difficult for fleas of all life stages to breathe.

Have you ever seen a trail of ants marching across your floor? That’s the power pheromones in action. Ants, fleas and many other pests follow the scents of each other’s pheromones to feed, mate and conduct other life-sustaining activities. Cedar oil covers the pheromone scent, leaving these pests too disoriented to do anything.

Those that don’t come in direct contact are repelled by the scent, and quickly flee your home. Best of all, unlike many chemical treatments, fleas do not develop resistance to natural cedar oil solutions.

Spray every area of your home. It’s safe for virtually all surfaces, won’t stain or discolor wood or fabrics. Repeat as needed.

Vacuuming will remove many of the eggs and cocoons in your carpets. Just be sure to avoid emptying or discarding the bag contents indoors.

Step #4: Spray Outdoors

Unable to sustain life in your treated home, some fleas may remain outdoors. Spray the perimeter of your home, plus any dog runs, kennels, gardens or sheds.

For fast application, use Nature’s Defender. The bottle is equipped with a convenient hose end sprayer so you can easily treat your entire yard. This formula also keeps your yard free of mosquitoes, mites, grubs, ants, flies, and many other pests – without harming your lawn or garden.

Do not use the indoor formula on your lawn. It can be harmful to plants, and shouldn’t be diluted with water.

Step #5: Follow Up

Spray your pets monthly or after baths, and before walks in fields and wooded areas. Treating your pet regularly is often sufficient to keep a flea infestation from recurring. Treat the indoor areas as needed, and outdoor areas after rainstorms.

Flea infestations are the most common from Spring to Fall, because they thrive when it’s warm out. However, they can also move into your warm, toasty home during the winter. Keep up with flea prevention year-round, you can keep your home pest-free for good.