In this material, prepared by sanitary service specialists SES 4 DEZ, you will find answers to the following questions:
- What do house fleas look like?
- What do fleas eat?
- How fleas reproduce;
- Where do fleas come from indoors?
- Where do fleas live in the house?
- Where do fleas live on the street?
- What do flea bites look like?
- Why are flea bites dangerous?
- Prevention against fleas;
- Methods for killing fleas.
If you wanted to call a health service to exterminate fleas, go to this page.
Fleas infest indoors by being carried by people or pets on their clothing or fur. They are quite difficult to notice due to their small size, but their presence can be clearly determined by their bites - they are very painful. At the moment, more than 2000 species of fleas are known, while more than 500 live in Russia.
Domestic flea in profile
What do fleas look like?
Fleas are wingless parasites that are reddish-brown in color. The average length of an individual is 2.5 mm, and can reach 4 mm in length. They have microscopic hair. The bodies are flat. Due to their 6 elongated legs, they can jump long distances - up to 33 cm in length. The claws located on the paws provide them with grip on the fur and body of animals. The mouthparts are of the piercing-sucking type.
It is quite difficult to kill a flea with a simple object or a clap of the palm due to their small size
Enemy specifics
Fleas multiply quickly and it is enough for one individual to appear so that in a short period of time there is a massive spread of blood-sucking insects. A flea can live alone for a long time, without a permanent place of residence in the form of skin.
The flea has a flattened body 5-7 mm long. There are many hairs and antennae on it, with the help of which it clings to skin and clothing. The color of fleas may vary in shade. It is usually maroon or black in color.
Fleas can jump to great heights. Three pairs of legs allow this trick to be performed. Sometimes jumps reach 2 meters in height.
Fleas leave bites on the body of animals and humans that cause severe itching. By biting, the flea sucks out blood, but before that it lets its saliva under the skin. It blocks blood clotting and the insect can feed without worrying that the blood will stop flowing. Such bites can provoke allergic reactions or even infection, since fleas are carriers of infectious diseases.
What do fleas eat?
Fleas are blood-sucking parasites. First of all, they prefer to feed on the blood of animals with thick hair - dogs, cats, rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice and other domestic and wild animals.
Despite the fact that fleas are divided by type depending on their food source (for example, cat fleas, dog fleas), all fleas bite people. During a bite, saliva is injected into the wound, which contains an analgesic substance, which prevents the immediate detection of the bite, but later irritation and itching appear.
Adults detect their victims by movement, vibrations and respiration (changes in heat and humidity in the air).
Fleas in a dog's fur
Varieties of the flea family
Science knows more than 2 thousand representatives of this blood-sucking order. Only a few of them choose residential premises as a habitat:
- Felines (any cat can have fleas, especially an outdoor one).
- Human (type of basement fleas).
- Furniture cracks.
- Rat (they carry the plague and are therefore especially dangerous).
- Canine (enter the home on the pet’s fur, as is the case with cats).
- Earthen (in very dusty or abandoned buildings).
- Bed (this species does not exist in nature; all representatives that live in bed linen are collected in it).
How fleas reproduce
Fleas go through three stages of development: egg, larva, imago (adult). Going through all stages of the cycle takes from several weeks to several months. The speed of development depends on living conditions.
Egg
Flea eggs are also very small
Fleas lay eggs in waste and dust that accumulate in rooms, houses and animal beds. Unlike many other insects, fleas do not carry their offspring with them.
They lay two to thirteen eggs after eating. The female lays the largest number of eggs in the last days of her life. Unlike the eggs of other parasites, flea eggs are not sticky and simply fall to the ground after being laid.
The process of developing an egg into a larva takes about 12 days, with most eggs hatching within a few days.
Larva
Detection of larvae in places where dust accumulates is very difficult due to their size
Flea larvae are white transparent, from 3 to 5.2 mm in length. The body darkens as it absorbs food. The larvae have a worm-like appearance and molt twice during their life cycle. The larval stage can take up to 18 days, after which the larva is wrapped in a silky cocoon and enters the pupal stage. The pupal stage can be completed in three days or even last up to a year.
Unlike adults, larvae do not feed directly from the food source, but consume organic matter: food crumbs, dead skin, dead insects, pieces of fur, and primarily the excrement of adults - they contain undigested blood. The larvae are born blind and detect adults by their excrement, a sign that a food source is nearby.
After hatching from the egg, the larvae look for shelter - cracks, gaps and crevices in the floor, under furniture, and bed.
Imago (adults)
Adults move quickly through space until they find a food source
After hatching from the cocoon, adults begin searching for food sources. At first, they can be detected by moving around the apartment, but after detecting a food source (animal), they remain there. Females begin laying eggs within 48 hours of feeding, thus restarting the life cycle of future individuals.
Features of flea control
Fleas are wingless blood-sucking insects that can reach sizes up to 5 mm. Their body is flattened on the sides and has numerous spines and bristles. It is thanks to them that they have the ability to cling to clothing, including animal fur.
Fleas can even live on poultry, such as parrots. They are often found in the interwing space. In addition, fleas are able to live in burrows and nest substrates. With the help of three pairs of legs they can make significant jumps, which gives them the ability to move very quickly.
- It is incredibly difficult to crush a flea; it has a special flattened structure and a small head.
- With the help of long and strong legs, she is able to perform jumps up to 50 cm long.
- An adult insect is very tenacious; it can easily live without food for several weeks..
- The flea is distinguished by its high fertility, which ensures their rapid spread. One female can lay over a thousand eggs. After emerging from the cocoon, the female can be fertilized almost immediately. At the same time, just one meeting with a male is enough for her to subsequently lay eggs throughout her life. But for laying she needs fresh blood, as a result of which she will look for a victim.
Routes of infection
Fleas are brought indoors either by pets or by rats and mice, where they fall from dirt and leaves lying on the ground. Once indoors, they will settle on carpets, furniture, house plants, and draperies. A warm and humid habitat is ideal for them. Cold temperatures slow down their life cycle, so summer is the ideal time for them to reproduce and develop.
Fleas can also migrate from neighboring infested premises, from building basements and entrances.
Life cycle of a flea
On average, fleas Pulex irritans, Ctenocephalides felis, Ctenocephalides canis, Xenopsylla cheopis or other types of similar bloodsuckers live 1-1.5 years. Moreover, they remain in the pupal stage for a very long time - under not the most favorable temperature conditions, bloodsuckers remain in this state for several months.
Even when this small pest becomes an adult and enters the adult stage, it continues to live in its small cocoon and waits for a specific moment for further hatching.
The life span of a flea directly depends on their type and size of the flea, food and living conditions in the natural or other environment. Most often, such bloodsuckers live for about 6 months. During this time, this small pest bites its “carrier” more than 200 times.
The life cycle of a human or other flea consists of 4 stages of development:
- the birth of a bloodsucker in an egg;
- the appearance of flea larvae;
- transformation of an insect into a pupa;
- hatching from the pupa into an adult flea - “imago”.
These small pests, like certain other parasites, also go through the 2nd above-mentioned stage of development of a cat or other flea - the appearance of a larva.
What do the larvae of these bloodsuckers look like? The flea larva has sharp small jaws that gnaw the egg from the inside.
Larvae of small pests Pulex irritans die due to the following factors:
- low or high air temperature - about -50 or above +40 degrees Celsius, respectively;
- constant exposure to water;
- daily exposure to direct sunlight.
Where do fleas live
Depending on the stage of development, fleas can be found in different places.
- The eggs are laid directly in the animal's fur, where they fall down carpets/upholstery/furniture/floor cracks in the floors and crevices in the walls. They go through their developmental stage in these secluded places, from where, having become an imago, they return to animals again.
- The larvae love narrow, inaccessible, dark and dusty places, which provide them with safety during their development. Flea pupae can only be found in the area of floors and carpets.
- Adults spend most of their time on food sources—animals with fur.
Folk remedies
Folk remedies for parasitic insects are the experience of generations, folk wisdom and knowledge. After all, today not everyone knows the properties or even the smell of this or that plant, the great capabilities of kerosene, or what “tar” is. But all this works. Of course, such methods are good as a preventive measure or when the number of “little vampires” has not become a natural disaster. The methods are safe for adults, children and allergy sufferers, so they can be safely used to combat jumping parasites.
Soda and salt
They are excellent desiccant absorbers. A mixture of these substances can simply be poured onto the carpet, then their crystals, when rubbed, will destroy the insect's shell, get inside and dry out the parasite, leading to its death.
Mix salt and soda in equal quantities (200 g each), place in a container (you can just use a glass jar) and add 2 liters of water. Mix everything well and leave for several hours (10-12), then the product can be applied to the carpet and left overnight. A dry mixture of soda and salt (1:1) is used in almost the same way: mix, rub into the coating, leave for 8 hours, vacuum thoroughly.
Diatomite (mountain flour)
It is also successful in the fight against bloodsuckers. The advantage of the powder is that it is safe for pets.
Vinegar in mixtures
The most common two options are:
- Mix vinegar and camphor alcohol in a 1:1 ratio. Treat floors, baseboards, cracks and floor coverings with the composition.
- A mixture of vinegar (3%), camphor alcohol and floral cologne is suitable for treating carpets, baseboards, and cracks in the floor.
Ammonia
Thanks to its pungent, pungent odor, it is able to actively destroy parasitic insects. In undiluted form, just drop a few drops behind the baseboards or in the cracks. To treat floors, walls and furniture, you need to prepare a solution of warm water (5 l) and ammonia (25 drops), which must be handled very carefully, since alcohol vapors are toxic.
Borax powder
Can be used as a stand-alone product or as a mixture with water. Apply the composition to the surface of carpets, paths or rugs and leave overnight. In the morning, vacuum the treated items well.
Bleaching
Bleach in different types (the best option is “White”) is perfect for treating the floor. To improve the effect, it is worth adding a few drops of ammonia, in which case the pungent odor will drive out fleas, and the alkali will destroy them.
Boric acid
Causes dehydration of insects and their subsequent death. The powder is evenly distributed over the surface of rugs and carpets, left for 48 hours, after which it is removed with a vacuum cleaner. Interestingly, boric acid actively kills flea larvae.
Kerosene
You can find different options for using kerosene in the fight against fleas:
First. Dilute 100 ml of kerosene in a bucket of water, then apply the mixture to the carpets, close all doors, leave the apartment, and wait a few hours. Upon returning home, it is necessary to wet-clean the carpets to get rid of flea corpses.
Second. Purified kerosene is used to prepare an emulsion, with which you can destroy not only adult insects, but also larvae. For preparation:
- 40 g of washing soap (brown) is dissolved in 200 ml of hot water,
- the resulting solution is poured into a container and 1 liter of kerosene is added in small portions,
- mix everything thoroughly to obtain a homogeneous mass,
- the finished emulsion is mixed with 10 liters of water and the flea control product is ready.
Tar soap
It needs to be crushed (you can grate it), add it to warm water and make a soap solution, which needs to be used to treat furniture, wash panels, window sills and floors. To improve the effect, grate the soap on a grater with large holes, pour it into mesh bags, which are placed on the floor, behind furniture and in other “vulnerable” places.
Pine sawdust
They have a pungent odor that repels fleas. They must be left until the morning, scattered on the floor, and to maintain a constant aroma, they must be regularly sprayed with water. Many pet owners use sawdust to arrange a pet's resting place or to fill its bedding: the pets feel comfortable and are not attacked by parasites.
Garlic and yeast
Grind 3 cloves of garlic and 30 g of brewer's yeast and prepare the mixture. Spread the pulp in secluded places, rub it into the carpet and leave to work until the morning. The smell will be quite specific, but it will repel insects. After a night of “aromas,” you need to organize a good cleaning.
Tansy in different combinations
This plant is used together with others in different ways:
- Tansy and celandine , taken in equal proportions, must be poured with boiling water and allowed to brew for 12 hours. Treat the apartment with the resulting infusion using a spray bottle.
- Pour 200 ml of boiling water over a mixture of tansy, wormwood and eucalyptus Then spray the room in the same way as the previous method.
- Wormwood and tansy can be used fresh or dry. You can use them to make tinctures, decoctions, or simply place them around the house. The specific smell and essential oils of plants successfully repel insects.
Tansy is poisonous, so it is unacceptable to use it in rooms where there are small children. You also need to be very careful when bathing your pets.
Essential oils
Oils repel adult insects. They cannot kill a flea or destroy its eggs and larvae, but they can force the parasites to leave the apartment. Add 25 g of essential oil (you can use several different ones) to warm water (5 l). Use the resulting solution to treat walls, furniture, floors, walls, etc. After three days, repeat the procedure until the fleas completely disappear. The most effective oils are:
- mint and lemon balm,
- juniper,
- lemon and orange,
- cloves and basil,
- eucalyptus and lemongrass,
- lavender and thyme,
- wormwood and cedar,
- tea tree and rosemary.
Dishwashing liquid
Almost folk, but it helps a lot when you need to remove fleas from upholstered furniture, clothes or bed linen. Apply the foamed gel to the slightly moistened surface of the sofa and leave for 10-15 minutes, then rinse everything thoroughly and dry with a hairdryer - the insects die. In the case of clothes, they need to be soaked in diluted dishwashing detergent and then washed at fairly high temperatures.
It is possible to fight against parasites and win. When choosing folk remedies, you should not forget that all procedures must be carried out regularly (at least once a week), and the destruction or expulsion of insects will take a certain period of time. But if you try, success is guaranteed.
Where do fleas live on the street?
Fallen leaves, grass in the shade under bushes and trees are ideal places to attack animals
Outdoors, fleas live in tall grass, sand, garbage and other places where they can find shelter and where there is sufficient moisture. Therefore, tall grass in the bush area is ideal for them to go through all three stages of development. In addition, animals often like to hide in the shade on hot days - exactly in those places where fleas live.
On shelves and cabinets
Cat owners know that sometimes their pets can easily jump to the very ceiling. Therefore, the presence of fleas on bookshelves, kitchen furniture and other high places should not be surprising. Remember that flea eggs fall everywhere where your furry friend moves.
Forecast for solving the problem
Removing fleas on your own can take a very long time. It is worth considering that most household insecticides do not act on their eggs, and in the case of developed resistance, even on adults. The whole cycle will repeat again and again ad infinitum. If the number of insects is so large that the entire apartment is infected, then the use of a highly toxic insecticide cannot be done 100%, and, as mentioned above, it is not a fact that its one-time use will be enough (even with professional help).
What do flea bites look like?
Externally, flea bites are similar in many ways to mosquito bites, but they take much longer to heal. Flea bites, unlike tick or ant bites, have only one puncture. Within half an hour, the bite site swells, turns red and itches very much. After one or two days, the area turns into a small wound or abscess and may even bleed.
What distinguishes flea bites from bedbug bites is their chaotic location.
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.
Flea prevention
- regular examination of pets;
- regular brushing and washing of animals;
- regular inspection of the premises: carpets, draperies, furniture, animal beds, in rare cases - bed linen if you allow animals on the bed;
- vacuuming all hard-to-reach places, especially cracks and breaks in the floor, eliminating dust accumulations in the apartment;
- washing and drying animal bedding.
Cold living conditions lead to the fact that the larvae die without going through the pupation stage. Humidity below 45% will also cause death.
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.
Methods for killing fleas
Fleas are resistant to most insecticides, but preparations containing fipronil, fluvalinate, cypermethrin, and cyfluthrin are effective. Also, to combat fleas, insecticidal preparations based on FOS (chlorophos, karbofos, fenthion), carbamate (propoxur), pyrethroids (permethrin, deltamethrin, cypermethrin, fenvalerate, cyphenothrin), neonicotinoids, etc. are used. A complete list of drugs used by our service for extermination fleas, written in simple language, can be found here. You can read instructions on how to kill insects yourself here.
To order the destruction of fleas in apartments and premises in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, call: 8
Are there fleas in the house?
The first evidence of the presence of insects will be bites. Small redness in the form of dots on the legs and arms indicate the presence of fleas in the apartment. The bites are closely spaced and very itchy. But, even without detecting obvious traces, you can conduct a series of experiments that will confirm or refute the proximity to fleas.
After collecting dust after cleaning, you need to dissolve it in water. If the liquid turns pink, it means there are fleas in the apartment. The color of the water is due to the fact that flea feces contain remnants of eaten blood.
Sweet water or honey will attract fleas. The container with honey can be left overnight on the floor. In the morning, trapped individuals will definitely be found in it. If the plate is clean, then there are no fleas in the house.
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.
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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.
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Fleas.
