The Best Flea Killers for Your Yard

Fleas are awful parasites that can make your yard their home, posing a risk to any pets that like to enjoy your yard. Although you can use flea and tick prevention with your pets, it’s also important to tackle your yard to clear it of any infestation. Fleas love humid, shaded environments and can usually be found festering in areas with tall grass or in wood piles if you have some in your yard. They move quickly and can infest your home, including your carpet, bedding, and furniture if you don’t act quickly.

If you suspect that your yard is infested with fleas, there are several measures you can take. You can hire a pest control professional, make sure that your pets have proper flea and tick medication, and you also have the option of purchasing one of the best flea killers on the market to tackle the problem yourself. One of the actions you can take is to keep your yard well-trimmed because fleas need plenty of foliage and shade to thrive.

There are several different types of flea killers that you can use for your yard. In this article, we highlight the top products that can tackle not just fleas but also ticks and other bugs in your yard. It can be difficult to get rid of a flea infestation in your yard but with these products, you can be proactive, especially just before flea and tick season in your area.

If you’re not sure which flea killer to select, we provide you with a short buying guide to help you choose the right flea killer for your yard. We also give you some tips and tricks on how to prevent fleas to keep your environment flea-free year-round. Finally, we answer your most commonly asked questions to help you gain a deeper understanding of how fleas come about and how you can keep them away.

A-Z Animals Top Picks for Flea Killers for Your Yard

#1 Best Overall: Vet’s Best Outdoor Flea & Tick Spray

The best overall flea killer is Vet’s Best Outdoor Flea & Tick Spray.

The Vet’s Best flea antique yard and kennel spray is a safe and effective plant-based formula that kills mosquitoes, fleas, flea larvae, flea eggs, and ticks. It’s a concentrated formula meant specifically for outdoor use. It kills all these little critters on contact but without the use of any harsh chemicals. It also comes equipped with a ready-to-use hose attachment so that you can quickly and easily apply it on your lawn, turf, patio, or other outside surfaces. Since it’s plant-based, this spray does not harm trees, shrubs, or flowers.

This formula uses steam-distilled essential oils to create a potent solution that fights pests up to 5000 ft². Included in this flea killer are peppermint oil and eugenol (from clove plants) to create a unique blend that kills all those nasty pests that love living out in your yard. Use it in grassy areas or on concrete, asphalt, or your deck. This formula tackles more than fleas. If you have a mosquito problem, this is also a great product to have on hand. There are no added fragrances, and this is also a non-staining formula.

The only drawback to this product is that is has a strong lavender scent which can be overpowering.

Pros and Cons of Vet’s Best Outdoor Flea & Tick Spray

Best Overall

Vet's Best Outdoor Flea & Tick Spray

• This safe, effective, plant-based formula kills mosquitoes, fleas (adults, larvae, and eggs), and ticks
• Concentrated and designed specifically for outdoor use
• Kills the intended insects on contact
• Will not harm trees, shrubs, or flowers
• Includes peppermint and eugenol (from clove plants)

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2. Best Value: Cutter Backyard Bug Control Spray

As the best value option we recommend the Cutter Backyard Bug Control Spray.

This backyard bug control spray by Cutter kills mosquitoes, fleas, and several other types of insects. It’s designed to last you all summer long. It works for up to 12 weeks against house crickets, carpenter ants, harvester ants, lady beetles, and earwigs. You can treat up to 5000 ft.² of lawn with a single bottle. The best part is there’s no mixing required. Just attach the sprayer to a garden hose to treat your lawn, outdoor surfaces, and landscape areas where you know those annoying little critters like to hide.

You don’t have to dread summertime anymore. Just keep a bottle of this on hand so that you can soak up the sun without fighting against bugs. If you’re a pet owner, you can breathe more easily knowing that your yard isn’t infested with any fleas.

However, some customers have reported that this product does not provide protection for the full 12 weeks.

Pros and Cons of the Cutter Backyard Bug Control Spray

Best Value

Cutter Backyard Bug Control Spray

• Kills a wide variety of insects, including mosquitoes, fleas, crickets, carpenter ants, harvester ants, lady beetles, and earwigs
• Works for up to 12 weeks
• Treat up to 5,000 feet of lawn with a single bottle
• No mixing required
• Simply attach the sprayer to a garden hose to treat your yard

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3. Best for Turf: BioAdvanced Complete Brand Insect Killer for Soil and Turf

The BioAdvanced Complete Brand Insect Killer for Soil and Turf is perfect for gardens.

This product kills over 30 outdoor pests in your yard and around your home. These are granules that offer three months of protection and can cover up to 10,000 ft.². There are some restrictions to this formula—it won’t ship if you’re located in New York, Connecticut, or Vermont. This two-way insect killer works both above and below the ground to protect your lawn with a simple application.

Give it just 24 hours and it kills all the listed insects and continues killing them for up to three months. Apply it whenever unwanted insects are present and use it on your lawn, your flowerbeds, around trees and shrubs, and all the way around your home. The granules are designed to be easy to spread with a broadcast or a drop spreader. Once the product is dried, you can allow your pets to return to the area.

Pros and Cons of the BioAdvanced Complete Brand Insect Killer for Soil and Turf

Best for Turf

BioAdvanced Complete Brand Insect Killer for Soil and Turf

• Kills over 30 outdoor pests
• Offers 3 months of protection and overs up to 10,000 square feet
• Works above and below ground to protect your lawn
• Kills all listed insects within 24 hours

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4. Most Natural: Wondercide Yard & Garden Flea & Tick Spray

As the most natural option we recommend the Wondercide Yard & Garden Flea & Tick Spray.

Wondercide has created a flea and tick spray concentrate for yards and gardens. It’s packed with natural essential oils to kill, control, and prevent fleas along with ticks, mosquitoes, and other insects from living in your environment. It’s safe for use around pets, plants, and children. This is both a preventative and a treatment that’s a safe alternative to those conventional options like pesticide sprays, foggers, and zappers.

You don’t have to wait for this product to dry to allow your pets and any people of all ages to re-enter the sprayed areas. Just go ahead and spray your backyard and enjoy your environment. With this bottle, you can treat up to 10,000 ft.². You don’t just have to stick to your lawn, you can move over to your patios, flowers, vegetables, brick, and siding. Wherever you see a pest infestation, go ahead and use this product.

It’s powered by sustainable plant-based ingredients and there are no artificial colors, fragrances, or harsh pesticides included in the formula. It is cruelty-free and biodegradable.

Unfortunately, some customers have reported issues with the bottle leaking when they are applying the product.

Pros and Cons of the Wondercide Yard & Garden Flea & Tick Spray

Most Natural

Wondercide Yard & Garden Flea & Tick Spray

• Safe for use around pets, plants, and children
• Made with natural essential oils
• Kills, controls, and prevents fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and other insects
• Acts as a preventative and a treatment
• Treats up to 10,000 square feet

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Choosing the Best: What to Look For

Flea killers usually contain harsh chemicals and any time you’re using a product like this around your pet, it can be a cause for concern. Obviously, you want to select a product that is strong enough to be effective but at the same time, you want to make sure you’re keeping your pet protected when they go outside to play. One of the most important things you can do is thoroughly read the flea killer instructions.

Here, you’ll find all the details you need to safely use a chemically-laden product around pets. Most people skip past instructions but when you have pets at home, you cannot afford this luxury. Acquaint yourself with how to use the product correctly before you even open the bottle. Below, we cover some of the other factors you can consider before selecting the right flea killer for your yard.

Formula

Decide on the type of formula you want to purchase. You have two basic options. You can either go with the chemical route or you can go with an organic formula. As you may have guessed, the chemical route is typically more effective than the organic route, but the organic route is a lot safer to use around pets. However, unless you have a massive flea infestation, an organic product could absolutely take care of your flea problem.

Capacity

Make sure that you look at the flea killer’s capacity for coverage on your yard. If you have a very large space, you want to make sure you purchase a product that can cover the extent of your yard. If you have a smaller yard, you don’t need a flea killer with such high capacity. Details are typically written very clearly in the product description of the flea killer you’re looking at so you won’t have to do too much digging to find this information.

Ease of Use

Look at ease of use as well. Some flea killers already come inside a spray bottle, but others come in a concentrate bottle, and you’ll have to either use a garden sprayer or get your own type of spray bottle to transfer the formula to your yard. If you don’t want to have to get a separate piece of equipment, make sure that you choose a flea killer that already comes in a spray bottle.

How to Prevent Fleas

Whether you’re just looking to keep your area flea free, or you have just managed to get rid of an infestation and now you plan to keep it that way, there are several measures you can take to prevent fleas in your yard. First, you should know the type of environment fleas gravitate to. They like humidity and they like shade and if it’s sunny, they can’t tolerate it for long periods.

Knowing this, you have a couple of options for making your yard an uninhabitable place for fleas. One action you can take is to mow your lawn frequently. Each time you mow your lawn, you expose the soil to the sun, which fleas absolutely hate. Another measure you can take is to avoid overwatering. Since fleas like humidity, they gravitate to those moist environments. Overwatering creates that lure that invites fleas in.

Debris in your yard also makes perfect little habitats for fleas. Make sure that you use a rake and clear out any debris as soon as you see it. The same goes for any pet food or even human food. If you feed your dog outside or host a barbecue, make sure that you bring in all food containers. Food can attract wild animals and strays, which usually carry fleas.

Make sure that you have some rodent controls in place as well. Seal any holes that lead into your house and set up some mouse traps to make sure that you’re clearing away any unwanted guests. If you keep firewood or other piles of junk around your yard, remove them altogether. Find another place to store these items so that you don’t inadvertently create a home for fleas and other parasites.