Are they already in your bed? Bed and linen fleas: methods of control, as well as photos of bloodsuckers and their bites

Fleas are perhaps one of the most famous small parasitic insects. They cause the most harm and trouble to our pets: cats and dogs, but they can also be dangerous for humans, since in some cases fleas can be carriers of dangerous diseases such as pseudotuberculosis, listeriosis, and tularemia. What are the habits of these little parasites, what does a flea look like, where does it live, how to fight fleas, read about all this further.

Description, structure, characteristics

What do fleas look like? The body length of a flea is only 1-5 mm, but sometimes females of certain flea species can be much larger, up to 1 cm, especially after intensive feeding. Due to nutrition, the size of their abdomen increases, and the flea itself, as a result, increases in size. Usually the largest fleas, measuring more than 1 cm, parasitize moose and deer.

The flea's body, consisting of the abdomen and head, is covered with a durable chitinous covering. When looking at a flea through a microscope, you can see how much the body of this insect is flattened laterally. Perhaps in some ways the flea even resembles a shrimp, only several times smaller. In fact, this shape of the flea’s body is justified by evolution itself, thanks to which the flea can easily penetrate animal fur, bird feathers, and even the folds of human clothing.

What color are fleas? The color of the flea can be reddish, yellowish, dark brown or completely black.

The flea does not have wings, and as a result cannot fly, but it jumps well. However, wings would only hinder her movement inside animal fur. The flea gets on the body of animals exclusively with the help of high and distant jumps, which are carried out due to the strong push of the second and third pairs of their legs.

The flea is also covered with numerous spines and bristles, which are scattered throughout the body, and on its head there are jagged combs - ctenidia. Thanks to this structure of the flea's body, it is very difficult to comb it out, pull it out or bite it out. It can only be destroyed by crushing it with a fingernail on a hard surface.

The flea's eyes, like those of other insects, are located on the head, and behind them there are antennae, with the help of which male fleas catch females during the mating season. These antennas are immersed in small antennal fossae.

Fleas have a piercing-sucking type of mouthparts, how does this manifest itself? The flea bites through the skin of the host (on whose body it parasitizes), widens the wound and releases saliva into it, which prevents blood clotting. Then she dives into the wound herself, trying to get to the blood vessels. By feeding on blood, fleas fill their stomach, which tends to swell greatly.

Among other things, all fleas have a special sensory organ - the pygidium, which is located in the back of their abdomen. The tactile hairs of the pygidium are capable of sensitively detecting even the slightest vibrations in the air, warning the flea of ​​potential danger.

The female flea has reproductive organs consisting of the testicle, oviduct and spermatheca, while males have a copulatory organ - the genital claw.

Representatives

Human flea

The human flea, 3-4 mm in size, parasitizes mainly humans, but can also attack domestic animals. It stays on the human body only while sucking blood, and then jumps to the floor. Its bites cause severe itching. In addition, it may be an intermediate host for some worms. The larvae live in accumulations of debris and dust in floor crevices. The human flea is widespread throughout the world.

Fleas are one of the most unpleasant and dangerous parasites that a person can encounter in his home. This is the collective name for blood-sucking insects. To date, scientists have described over 2000 species of these bloodsuckers. What do fleas look like? What types of these arthropods are found in nature? How do fleas reproduce? Do they live in humans and what danger do they pose to them? What is the role of these bloodsuckers in the natural environment?

Lifespan

How long do fleas live? The lifespan of a flea depends on its species and habitat, and can range from several months to three years. At elevated temperatures, when the air temperature is more than 30 C, the life cycle of the blocks is reduced by 40%. And at lower temperatures, the life expectancy of a flea, on the contrary, increases as its development slows down.

How long do fleas live without an animal or, in general, without a donor? Being outside the animal's body, the flea remains without food, but since these insects are capable of not feeding for a long time, the flea easily tolerates hunger for 30-40 days. At the same time, it can live for several months, although such a starving flea reduces its activity and stops reproducing.

Features of fleas

About 90% of parasites live in the basements of residential buildings. From there they move into apartments.

Most often, residents of the lower floors are exposed to flea infestations. In addition, insects can disturb those who live close to the roof. This is explained by the fact that fleas love to live in nests that birds make in attics.

Pests can enter a person’s home in several ways:

• caught on the clothes and shoes of passers-by;
• independently moving from neighboring apartments, as well as from attics and basements;
• with pets.

The maximum life cycle of a flea is 500 days, but individuals usually live only a few months. During this time, the female manages to lay about 500 eggs.

Habitats

Where do fleas live? Strong, hardy, these insects are common everywhere, even in cold

Antarctica, where they can successfully parasitize the same penguins and seals. Most of their species live in the temperate and subtropical zones of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Fleas are active at any time of the year. They usually live near the nests and burrows of their potential donors: warm-blooded animals.

Systematics and characteristics of the order “fleas”

Representatives of this order with complete transformation are secondarily wingless. They completely lost the ability to fly during adaptation to ectoparasitism at the adult stage. These bloodsuckers are carriers of pathogens of various diseases in humans and animals. They have a highly specialized oral apparatus designed to pierce the skin of the victim and suck out blood.

Information about the taxonomy of representatives of the order “fleas”:

Nutrition

What do fleas eat? Fleas feed exclusively on the blood of their hosts, or donors, on whose bodies they successfully parasitize. The main victims of fleas are mammals, whose life at any time of the year is connected with the presence of a shelter. But animals that live in burrows and nests only periodically are less susceptible to flea attacks. Typically, fleas do not live on the body of their owner all the time, but jump there only to feed on their blood; having had their fill, they jump into the litter of a hole or nest.

Some fleas are associated with animals that do not have permanent housing at all; these types of fleas are stationary parasites, that is, once on the host’s body, they no longer leave it. These fleas include fleas that live on dogs and cats.

Unlike

mosquitoes, in which exclusively females are bloodsuckers, in fleas, both males and females suck blood equally. The process of saturation with blood can last from one minute to several hours. Sometimes fleas are saturated with blood in reserve, significantly inflating their abdomen.

Stationary fleas have a need for regular feeding, this is another reason why they do not leave the host’s body on their own. In between meals, they wander freely in the skin of their prey.

Interestingly, most types of fleas can parasitize different animals, for example, jump from a squirrel to a dog or cat. The only exceptions are fleas

bats that require only bats as hosts.

Use of chemicals

To kill parasites at home, you should resort to two types of poisons:

1. Suspensions and powders. These contact substances penetrate the insect through the outer integument.
2. Aerosols or sprays that poison bloodsuckers by penetrating them with air.

You can get rid of larvae that feed on organic residues using special dusts.

Aerosols and sprays

The use of any of this means involves preparing the premises and only after that – treating the house from parasites. The procedure for exterminating insects is as follows:

1. People and animals are removed from the house. Aquariums are tightly closed with a lid. Dishes and food are hermetically packaged and hidden. The garbage is thrown away.
2. Carpets are removed, furniture is moved away from the walls, and the room is wet cleaned.
3. The person who will carry out the treatment puts on a protective mask, gown, and gloves.
4. An aerosol, or a solution prepared from a concentrated insecticide, is sprayed wherever parasites usually hide. Particular attention should be paid to upholstered furniture, beds, animal bedding, doorways, cracks, floor joints, baseboards, and carpets.
5. All windows and doors are closed, and the house is left for several hours. It is best to spray in the evening so that the insecticide acts on insects for as long as possible.
6. Upon return, the house is ventilated. After this, you need to vacuum everything and carry out wet cleaning.

The duration of action of the drug depends on the type of drug. Most often, after some time, re-treatment of the room is necessary.

most often used to kill fleas:

The most effective insecticide concentrates are:

They are diluted strictly according to the instructions , poured into a bottle with a spray bottle and used for their intended purpose.

Powders and gels

These insecticides are much easier to use. Their use does not require a break from normal life. Powders and gels work for quite a long time. Their effectiveness will not be noticeable immediately. The parasites will begin to die only a few days after treatment at home.

The powders are scattered and the gel is spread behind cabinets, under sinks, along baseboards, near beds, under carpets. Before using them, it is advisable to carry out wet cleaning.

The disadvantage of gels and powders is that such products are not recommended for use in a home where small children and animals live.

Among the powders, one can highlight the drug Pyrethrum. It differs sharply from other insecticides in that it is made from medicinal chamomile inflorescences. The product has a powerful poisoning effect and is used to kill many insects. Pyrethrum powder is recommended for use in a room that has already been treated with liquid insecticides. It is poured into cracks, behind baseboards, and into corners.

Types, photos and names

Zoologists have identified up to 27 families of fleas; we will describe the most interesting of them.

human flea

It is the most common among fleas and lives everywhere. It is brown in color and 1.6-3.2 mm long. Moreover, this flea is capable of jumping to a height of up to 30 cm and half a meter in length. Unlike other fleas, it does not have thoracic or head teeth. It can parasitize various animals, including humans (hence its name). In addition to humans, it is often found in animals that have close contact with humans: primarily in cats, dogs and

horses. It is very dangerous, as it can carry the plague pathogen and cause pulicolosis - an itchy skin lesion.

Cat flea

Despite the name, this flea lives not only on cats, but also on dogs, rodents, and many other animals, sometimes even on humans. The cat flea has a short proboscis and a flat forehead, the body length is 0.75-5 mm.

Dog flea

This flea is a close relative of the cat flea, and can also live on dogs, cats and other animals, including humans. In appearance and size it is similar to a cat flea, the only difference is in life expectancy, if a cat flea lives up to 2 years, then a dog flea lives no more than 1.5 years.

Southern rat flea

This type of flea is especially dangerous because it carries plague, mouse and rat tapeworms. It lives everywhere, but to a large extent these fleas are common in areas with warm tropical climates. Females range from 1.8 to 2.7 mm in length, males are slightly smaller: 1.4 to 2 mm. They may be light or dark brown in color. Most often they parasitize rats and other rodents, living in their burrows or nearby.

Penetrating flea

She is also the sand flea or the Brazilian ground flea. Originally from Brazil and Haiti, this flea was eventually introduced to Africa, India and Pakistan, where it successfully took root. It has an oval-shaped body and a red-brown color with a white spot in the middle. The average body length of this flea species is 1 mm, and it is capable of jumping to heights of up to 30 mm. Usually lives in the grass, from where it jumps on animals, birds and humans. Penetrates under the skin of animals' feet. A person can penetrate under the nails of his toes and fingers, and lead to inflammation, tetanus, and in especially difficult cases, gangrene and amputation of limbs.

What types can cause harm?

• All types of fleas that attack humans are carriers of dangerous diseases. Most often, people suffer from dog and cat parasites.
• Rat fleas in the Middle Ages infected their victims with plague. Now this disease is not common, but it has been replaced by other dangerous pathologies.
• Rabbit parasites attack humans only in the wild. Therefore, when going into the forest, you should make sure that your clothes completely cover your legs, which bloodsuckers can bite into.
• People are also bitten by pests whose hosts are herbivores, mainly moose.
• Black ground fleas, also called basement or floor fleas, usually do not rise higher than 50 cm from ground level. For this reason, insects settle on the lower and basement floors.

Due to the fact that it is almost impossible to determine what type of parasite it is without special equipment, fleas that bite humans are popularly called bed fleas or linen fleas.

Bloodsuckers multiply quickly, so if they are detected, measures should be taken immediately.

Reproduction and development

Under favorable environmental conditions, fleas reproduce all year round. At extremely low temperatures, fleas will survive without problems, but will not reproduce. Also, for successful reproduction, both partners must be well-fed; hungry fleas will not reproduce.

During sexual intercourse, the female climbs onto the male's back and pulls his genital claw into her spermatic receptacle. Interestingly, sexual intercourse in fleas can last several hours, while it takes 10-15 minutes to transfer the seed to fertilize the female.

Some time after fertilization, the female lays eggs, which pass in small portions. Typically, fleas lay 1-2 servings of 4-10 eggs per day. The process of laying eggs itself is very curious: the female forcefully pushes out the eggs, which sometimes fly considerable distances from each other. This position of the eggs makes sense, since competition between the hatched larvae subsequently decreases.

Classification

The flea order includes more than 2000 species of insects. They are united into 15 families, which, in turn, consist of 200 genera. They all have almost the same body structure and lifestyle. Parasites are classified mainly according to one characteristic - the type of animal on which they feed. Although insects do not have strict specialization, they still prefer a certain type of blood. Currently, the most common types of fleas are:

• feline
• canine
• chicken
• human
• rat
• goat
• elk
• rabbit
• mouse

The list can go on for a long time. There is, perhaps, not a single creature on Earth that does not have its own blood-sucking “parasite”. At the same time, parasites are not particularly picky when choosing food. In the absence of “their” animal, they easily switch to feeding on the blood of another species. For example, a cat flea can be found on a dog, and a rat flea can easily feast on human blood. Such illegibility often leads to confusion when trying to classify a population of insects, especially since the species differ little from each other in their structure and way of life.

Interesting fact! Fleas are extremely tenacious. It is a known fact that an insect, frozen for a year, woke up from hibernation and, as if nothing had happened, continued to live.

Life cycle

Fleas are insects with complete metamorphosis, and their life cycle consists of the following stages:

Flea eggs when looking at them through

microscopes are very similar to grains of rice.

Egg development lasts approximately 14 days. Then worm-like and translucent larvae emerge from them, still without legs. Wriggling, they climb into the litter of the owner's nest. Flea larvae feed on rotting organic matter, skin epithelium, or the remains of undigested blood in the excrement of their parents.

After three lines, the larva turns into a pupa. The pupal stage, depending on the type of flea, can last from several days to several months; in some species of fleas at the pupal stage, fleas overwinter, and emergence from the cocoon is timed to coincide with the onset of spring warmth.

Having emerged from the pupa, the adult flea first begins to search for its owner.

Ways to get rid of parasites

If your home is not yet heavily infested with parasites, you can remove them using the following measures:

1. Since fleas mainly live in the bed, the linen should be washed in hot water or destroyed.
2. Pets should be examined for the presence of parasites and their eggs in their fur. To repel insects, you can use flea collars, shampoos, drops or sprays. It is best to throw away your pet's bedding.
3. Place wormwood or tansy in the corners of the house. The smell of these herbs will repel bloodsuckers. You can apply a solution of essential oils of mint, eucalyptus, clove or lavender around sofas and beds. Insects don't like their smell either.

If the above procedures did not help get rid of parasites, then you need to use special means.

Flea bites

Flea bites cause stabbing pain when the skin is pierced and a strong desire to scratch the bitten area. A characteristic swelling usually appears at the site of the bite, somewhat similar to that from a cigarette burn. After the flea has eaten and detached itself, the edges of the wound converge, preventing bleeding, and a pinpoint hemorrhage forms at the site of the bite.

The main method of protection against little bloodsuckers is the complete destruction of fleas at home + prevention from them and other possible parasites (the same

ticks) when going outdoors.

What diseases do fleas carry?

These insects are dangerous because they can be carriers of pathogens of a number of diseases, some of which can cause the death of the sick person. By themselves, they cause 2 diseases in the bitten person: pulicosis and sarcopsillosis, or tungiasis. The infections they carry depend on the species of parasite. Flea saliva that enters a person’s bloodstream through a bite can become a source of the following diseases:

• plague;
• tularemia;
• typhus;
• salmonellosis;
• brucellosis;
• listeriosis;
• rickettsiosis;
• hepatitis B and C;
• encephalitis;
• trypanosomiasis, etc.

Most bloodsuckers can transmit infections. The total number of diseases transmitted by them includes more than 25 names. Also, these ectoparasites can act as intermediate hosts of some parasitic worms, such as common nematodes.

How to get rid of fleas in an apartment?

If you already have these parasites in your apartment, then the best remedy for fleas will be special insecticides that can destroy fleas even in the most neglected rooms. Since fleas could not even physically eat poisonous bait, means of combating them are made in the form of sprays, powders and suspensions that affect the nervous system of fleas.

When treating a room with aerosol preparations, it is necessary to temporarily evacuate all the inhabitants of the house, and then thoroughly ventilate the room and do a thorough wet cleaning.

Among the best flea medications are:

• Raptor spray with a pleasant mint scent. It is safe and effective; usually two cylinders are enough to treat a one-room apartment.
• Sinuzan is an effective and professional remedy for fleas. Its disadvantage is the unpleasant smell.
• Biorin is a professional product that destroys not only fleas, but also other insects and parasites.

After exterminating fleas, you should definitely do a general wet cleaning of the house, and generally monitor cleanliness, since unsanitary conditions and dirt are the most favorable environment for these insects.

We hope our tips helped you!

And at the first stage of encountering this problem, you were able to take the necessary measures. However, remember that fleas are one of the most dangerous parasites that enter your home, because they are carriers of various serious infections. To completely eradicate fleas from your home, serious measures are sometimes required, so if you find parasites in your home, we advise you to immediately contact the appropriate sanitary service; even such a one-time service will help you not to worry about meeting unwanted guests for a long time. You can request this service by going to the flea treatment section in your home.

Interesting Facts

• In the 17th-18th centuries, fleas were so common among the French nobility that French aristocrats even had special items for catching fleas, so-called “flea traps,” which were small boxes like a medallion with a small hole into which fleas could accidentally fall.
• It was fleas that caused terrible epidemics of bubonic plague in the Middle Ages, which claimed many human lives. The plague fleas themselves were carried by rats and mice.
• Fleas are true jumping champions among insects; the length of a flea's jump can exceed the length of the flea itself by 100 times! Only cicadas jump further than fleas in relation to body length.
• The first serious scientific study of fleas began in the 19th century. A great contribution to their study was made by a certain Charles Rothschild, a wealthy English banker and part-time entomologist. He also collected the world's largest collection of various fleas, which is now kept in the British Museum.

What do parasites eat?

What do the fleas Pulex irritans, Ctenocephalides felis, Xenopsylla cheopis and other species of these insects eat every day? These small pests have a small mouth proboscis through which they drink blood from a particular animal or person.

Compared to many other bloodsuckers, for these insects blood proteins are the main food.

Both females and males are parasites. After puncturing the skin, the bloodsucker releases special specific substances that simultaneously stop blood clotting and activate blood flow.

Blood addiction threshold

When eating the blood of their “carrier” (cat, dog, etc.), at a certain point in time, fleas pass a specific point, after which they then need blood every day. This is similar to a person becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol.

How long do fleas live without blood? Removed from an infected cat or dog and after 5 days of feeding, male fleas quickly die after 48 hours, and females - 96 hours.

Such bloodsuckers live 14 days after leaving their owner, if the initial feeding time was 12 hours. After all, then the threshold for flea dependence on blood is not reached.

Video

Author: Pavel Chaika, editor-in-chief of Poznavaika magazine

When writing the article, I tried to make it as interesting, useful and high-quality as possible. I would be grateful for any feedback and constructive criticism in the form of comments on the article. You can also write your wish/question/suggestion to my email [email protected] or Facebook, with respect, the author.

Author page

This article is available in English -

Fleas.

What role do fleas play in nature, are they beneficial?

Insects cannot be viewed solely in terms of whether they are harmful or beneficial to the environment. The role of some of them in nature is limited to participation in the food chain. Larger creatures survive by feeding on weaker and smaller relatives. As soon as just one link falls out of the chain, the entire food process system will collapse, which will entail serious consequences for the environment.

To be fair, it is worth noting that it is unlikely that ants will die if a component such as fleas disappears from their food supply, because they feed not only on these bloodsuckers.

https://www.doklad-referat.ru/%D0%91%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%85%D0%B8_(%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE% D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D0%B8_%D1%85%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%B5%D1% 80%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0) https://vreditelisos.ru/nasekomye/blohi/bloha-foto.html