The flea comb may catch fleas or flea dirt feces. To distinguish flea dirt from other dirt, wet it with a little water. Keep in mind that you might not actually see fleas on your pet. You only need to bring one flea inside your home to start an infestation. One female flea can produce enough eggs to create a real problem. Fleas live on wildlife like squirrels, rabbits and racoons, as well as cats and dogs. When your pet is outdoors, fleas from the eggs left behind by other animals can jump on your pet.
Once on your pet, fleas feed on their blood and start laying eggs. A single female flea can create a serious infestation in just a couple of months.
As your pet runs and plays around the house, they drop flea eggs onto floors and furniture, creating an infestation. Wherever your pet goes, flea eggs go too. The best solution to a flea infestation is to prevent one in the first place by using a monthly flea treatment. There are four stages in the lifecycle of a flea. Understanding the four stages of the flea life cycle can help you treat a flea infestation and prevent new infestations in the future.
The entire flea life cycle takes approximately 21 days, but it varies depending on temperature and moisture conditions of the environment warm and moist are optimal for flea development.
The lifecycle of fleas can be very quick or last many months to years depending on the environmental conditions throughout the life stages. Fleas prefer animal hosts but will resort to biting people when animals are unavailable. Adult fleas find hosts by detecting body heat, movement, the vibrations caused by movement, and breathing.
Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Section Navigation. Save Article Save Article. Deep Look. Josh Cassidy. Mar 10, Failed to save article Please try again. An adult cat flea needs to get onto its host in order to feed and find a mate. Fleas filter out and excrete water from the blood as they are feeding to make more space in their digestive tract for more blood.
Cat fleas like this one caught in a flea comb, are the most common type of flea to find on pets in the U. Larval fleas may wait to hatch until they sense the arrival of a potential host animal. A flea larva feeds on the dark-colored feces of an adult flea. Gregory Sutton, University of Lincoln, UK Adult fleas use their muscles to store energy by bending a part of their exoskeleton called the pleural arch. Enter Email Address Sign Up.
When we know the different growth stages of a flea, it can help to quickly tackle an invasion. Once an adult female flea has found a host and eaten a blood meal, she can then reproduce and begin to lay eggs.
The eggs are tiny white objects, usually around 0. Female fleas usually lay on average 20 eggs per day but they can lay as many as Flea egg s represent around half the entire flea population in the home.
When the temperature and humidity is right, the eggs will hatch and larvae emerge. Essentially, flea dirt is dried blood and looks like a trail of black specks. It can sometimes be visible on bed sheets.
Flea larvae are a white, almost see-through colour and have no legs. They develop over one to two weeks and are larger than flea eggs, growing up to 5 mm long. In a household flea infestation , larvae make up 35 per cent of the total population. They will be found hiding in dark parts of your home, including carpets, under furniture, under skirting boards, and in pet bedding.
Flea pupae refers to the cocoon stage of the flea cycle and they make up 10 per cent of the home flea population. This is the final stage before it turns into an adult flea, which can take several days or weeks. The cocoon protects the pupae while it develops.
The sticky outer layer of the cocoon keeps pupae hidden deep in fabrics and carpets. This helps to keep it out of reach of vacuums and helps to protect pupae from chemicals in some household flea removers.
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