Maryanne,

If you'll go to someplace like Sam's Club or one of the big grocery stores that have the huge (gallon) plastic canisters of powdered or granulated garlic, get one and punch a bunch of holes in the seal with a pencil-size tool to turn it into a big garlic shaker, then sprinkle garlic around outside the house (I do a zone about 10-feet-wide around the back where the dogs are). This is best to chase off flies, but Howard Garrett (The Dirt Doctor) has observed that it seems to also repel fleas. You don't need to empty the container, just give it a good shake to get a good garlic smell out there. This will work for about a month, even if you have rain. 2 to 5 pounds per 1000 sq ft. 2 is probably plenty--it is a pretty strong smell for a few days (but I love garlic, so I don't mind).

This will work in conjuction with the bomb in the house by keeping fleas away from the doors and windows. You could also make a garlic or garlic pepper tea and spray it.

SRS