All pet owners have experienced flea bites. If treatment is not started in time, the parasites actively multiply and bite people. Flea bites appear as red marks on the skin that are itchy and sometimes painful. Children often develop secondary infections because they scratch the bites. Some types of fleas are dangerous because after bites serious symptoms may appear.
Let's look at what flea bites look like - photos and symptoms, whether the bites of basement, earthen and bed fleas differ from each other. We will also find out what is remarkable about duck and sand fleas, and how their bites affect people.
Appearance
There are 2 types of rat fleas: European and southern . The latter parasitizes ordinary gray rats that live in sewers and cellars. This species is the most common and dangerous , as it spreads terrible infections.
Initially, these fleas lived in tropical and subtropical regions , from where they spread throughout the world. Outwardly, they are practically no different from other types of fleas. The length of the body does not exceed 3.5–4 mm . It is strongly flattened on the sides, so it is difficult to crush a flea with your fingers. The integument is chitinous, shiny, dark chestnut in color .
Both varieties have 3 pairs of legs located on the thoracic segments. The front and middle legs are short, designed to move around the owner’s body, the hind legs are much longer. They are distinguished by thick femoral segments and elongated tibiae. This structure of the limbs helps to jump long distances (up to half a meter) .
On the head there are simple round eyes and a small mustache. The piercing-sucking oral apparatus consists of the upper and lower jaws, as well as a lip equipped with small palps.
The egg has very small dimensions, the length does not exceed 0.6 mm . It is oval, white or yellowish in color .
The larva looks like a small worm . The integument is transparent, whitish. Legs, antennae and eyes are absent, which does not prevent the larva from actively moving in search of food.
REFERENCE ! The rat flea has no external differences from related species.
Next you will see a photo of rat fleas:
Lifestyle of rat fleas
Bloodsuckers cannot remain on the host’s body all the time. The rat plays the role of a dining room , where the parasites come to eat. Having had enough, the flea jumps off the rodent and returns to its permanent habitat. Most often, bloodsuckers settle in rat nests in order to have constant access to the victim’s body.
This is where the females lay their eggs. Fertile individuals can produce more than 350–370 of their own kind . They lay eggs gradually, 6–7 eggs per day . It takes 4 to 9 days for the egg to develop, then the larva emerges from it. She begins to actively feed, using plant debris, excrement of adult fleas and dried blood debris.
The larva goes through 3 molts. Its development takes from 9 to 16 days under favorable conditions and over 150 if living conditions are unsuitable. It is optimal to live at a temperature of 21–23° and a humidity of no more than 75% .
After this, the pupal stage begins. The larva, which already looks like an adult insect, is wrapped in a cocoon and “sleeps.” This stage ends under normal conditions in 2-4 days , but can last for several months.
An adult emerges from the pupa and begins to search for prey. A flea can go without food for a long time . But, having found a suitable owner, it clings to him for a long time in order to get enough.
REFERENCE ! The female flea begins to reproduce only when she has enough food.
The harmfulness of rat fleas
These parasites can feed on more than just the blood of rats . People and pets also become victims of rat fleas. Moreover, their bites are very painful (what do flea bites look like?). Unlike their relatives, rat parasites do not release an anesthetic enzyme.
In addition, the bite site often becomes inflamed, severe itching , swelling , redness , and suppuration . Allergic reactions often occur, the bite becomes dense and does not go away for a long time. Multiple bites can cause general body reactions such as inflammation of the lymph nodes , headaches , mouth ulcers and nervous breakdown.
And this is not the worst harm from a bite! Rat fleas actively spread such dangerous diseases as salmonellosis , rat typhus , brucellosis , tularemia , encephalitis , anthrax and plague . It was rat fleas that became the main culprits of the plague epidemic, which reduced the population of Europe by a full third in the Middle Ages. A rat flea bite is reminiscent of a game like Russian roulette. The main question here is the same: will it carry through or not?
And that’s not all the dangers again! Any rat flea necessarily carries a whole bunch of helminth eggs . When she bites, she is guaranteed to pass them on to her victim.
IMPORTANT ! After being bitten by a rat flea, it is imperative to undergo examination at a clinic and anthelmintic therapy.
We wrote about what diseases rat and other fleas can carry here, and here you can learn about the harm fleas from various animals can cause to humans.
Room treatment
The same groups of drugs are used as for treating animals. FOS and cyanopyrethroids have proven themselves well for treating premises. But first, mechanical cleaning is used with a vacuum cleaner (paying special attention to cracks, upholstered furniture, back walls of cabinet furniture), wet cleaning and only then products. You can use several drugs at the same time, or you can use just one. Keep in mind: you will need both a liquid diluted in water to wash the floor so that the water and product flows into the cracks, and sprays. If the flooring is sensitive to excessive moisture, then a spray can be used to treat the baseboards.
Treatment of a bite
- Wash the wound with warm water and soap.
- Treat with iodine or brilliant green.
- Apply something cold to the wound.
- Take any antihistamine medication.
- The bite itself should not be scratched . Itching can be relieved with an ointment designed to treat insect bites.
We talked in detail about how to treat the symptoms of a flea bite in a separate article.
Below are photos of rat flea bites:
Traditional medicine methods
Traditional medicine recipes will help cure flea bites in a child.
A mixture of dandelion juice, parsley leaves and plantain relieves inflammation well. Add a grated clove of garlic to the juice and apply the mixture as a compress to the wounds. The procedure lasts 20 minutes, after which the compress is washed off from the skin.
A solution of ammonia will help relieve itching. Dissolve 5 grams of soda and 5 ml of ammonia in 200 ml of water. The compress is applied for 10 minutes. If the child complains of a burning sensation, the bandage should be removed from the skin.
If there are a lot of bites on the child’s body, they are lubricated with a mixture of honey and lemon juice. To do this, dilute 5 grams of honey in 100 ml of lemon juice. Apply the product to the skin with a cotton swab and wash off after 10 minutes.
If a child scratches the wounds, they are dried with brilliant green or sulfur ointment. To prevent repeated scratching, the bite sites are secured with a bandage.
Ways of rat fleas entering homes.
The main carriers of fleas are their direct hosts - rats . Having made its way into a residential building, the rodent will leave behind a “gift”.
Fleas can also arrive on residents' clothes or in a bag . Cats or dogs can bring them from a walk. From basements, parasites can enter apartments through cracks in the floors or ventilation holes .
We wrote about how fleas can get into homes here.
Signs of pests
The first and main sign is bites. The marks are almost invisible, but the sensation is not pleasant. Itching and burning at contact points. The main impact falls on the legs. But in advanced cases, especially if pets sleep in bed with their owners, bites will be on the back and arms.
If there is a cat or dog living in the house, then by their behavior you can understand that they have fleas. Animals become irritable and their appetite decreases. The animals' attempts to bite or scratch something on the body are noticeable. The areas of the head, tail and ears are most vulnerable.
Interesting fact! A certain type of flea, Glaciopsyllus antarcticus, can be frozen for a year, and after thawing it will feel great. In normal life, they live in Antarctica and settle in the nests of petrels and Cape pigeons.
Fighting rat fleas
You should start eliminating fleas in the house immediately after they are discovered! The longer you delay the operation, the more parasites will have to be removed. Don't forget that rat fleas multiply at a tremendous speed!
First of all, pets need to be treated . There are many means for this.
- Collars . They expel parasites from the animal in a couple of days and protect against attack for 1 or 2 months.
- Drops . An effective and low-toxic insecticide for the animal should be placed on the skin where the pet cannot lick it off. You can use any anti-flea drops, for example, Celandine , Stronghold , Bars .
- Shampoos . Suitable only for those animals that are used to bathing. Products such as Frontline , Celandine , and Mister Kiss .
containing DEET are used to protect people . They help repel rat fleas , preventing them from jumping on a person and biting him.
Removing fleas from the house is a more troublesome and time-consuming task. To ensure that you get rid of these parasites, it is recommended to call a special professional service . She will be able to eliminate all rat fleas the first time.
If you decide to kill insects yourself, choose a good, effective insecticide. Medicines against any household pests may be suitable: cockroaches , ants , bedbugs .
- Sprays and aerosols . Combat , Raid , Raptor work effectively .
- Liquid concentrates . They not only perfectly destroy insects, but also protect the house from repeated invasion for several weeks. You can use Sinuzan , Get , Chlorpirimak , Executioner , Biorin , Cifox .
- Dusts . Used to bait larvae. They last a long time. The most popular are Clean House , Fas , pyrethrum powder .
How to protect yourself and your pets from blood-sucking parasites
All pet lovers should remember that fleas are dangerous to humans from both cats and dogs. Therefore, you need to monitor the cleanliness of your pets no less than the cleanliness of your home.
Doctors recommend that the whole family take anthelmintic tablets every year. And if there are animals in the house that regularly go outside, then every 6 months.
First you need to carry out disinfestation of the outside of the house/apartment. Basements, landfills, attics - everything must be regularly cleaned of debris. Inside the apartment, general cleaning with special cleaning products. Special anti-flea shampoos and collars for cats and dogs are required.
Brief table of anti-flea drugs.
| Name of the drug | Description |
| "Raptor" | Spray, safe for humans. Nice smell |
| Get | Microcapsules diluted in water. Safe for humans |
| "Biorin" | Professional product with an unpleasant odor. For use only by certified pest control services. |
Flea infestation is easier to prevent than to treat. Therefore, all methods are used. From strong chemicals, which are abundant on the shelves of veterinary stores, to folk methods. For example, branches of dried wormwood in the corners of the house will repel parasites. Washing floors with hot water, soap and kerosene (300 grams + 100 grams + 10 liters) is also an excellent means of prevention.
