Flea

Facts & Information

About the Fleas

Fleas are tiny, wingless parasites that feed on the blood of warm-blooded hosts. There are over 2,000 known species of fleas, but the most common type we see in our homes are Ctenocephalides felis, also known as cat fleas. These fleas don’t only affect cats, however. They will feed on dogs, and humans as well. Since fleas are flightless insects, they have extremely strong legs that allow them to leap up to 13 inches horizontally and 7 inches vertically (150 times their body length!), making them one of greatest jumpers in the animal kingdom. With female fleas producing around 2,000 eggs in their lifetime, flea infestations can get out of control very quickly – and that’s just what one flea can do!

TIPS FOR CONTROL

Controlling a flea infestation successfully requires four steps:
→ Preparation for treatment
→ Treatment of pets
→ Treatment of the inside premises
→ Treatment of flea activity sites outside

Obviously, the pet is critical to minimizing flea infestations, and regular grooming helps to limit fleas on the pet. For this reason, customers need to keep the pet groomed and treated with on-animal flea control products. Consult your veterinarian for assistance in treating your pets for fleas and ticks.

Step One: Any flea extermination will be less effective if the home is not prepared properly by completing the following steps:

Remove all items, such as toys, clothes and pet food from all floors
→ Wash or replace pet bedding.
→ Vacuum all carpets and rugs thoroughly, including beneath beds and upholstered furniture.
→ Clean all wood, tile and linoleum floors by sweeping and mopping.
→ Clean concrete floors with soap and water in the garage, basement or enclosed patio where pets rest or stay.
→ Remove all pets including birds and reptiles. Cover fish tanks with a damp towel and turn off the air pump. (Note: saltwater tanks cannot have pumps disconnected.)
→ Replace any pet bedding outdoors and make all shaded areas, crawl spaces, etc. available for treatment.
→ Arrange to be out of the home for several hours until the treatment has thoroughly dried.

Step Two: The homeowner needs to arrange for treating the pet, and this should be done at the same time that the home is treated. A number of on-animal treatment products are now available. Treatment of pets should be done under the direction of a veterinarian.

Step Three: In homes with an active flea infestation, a residual treatment combined with an insect growth regulator should be applied. Out professionals flea extermination service know how to get rid of fleas by using the latest flea control products. Efforts should be focused on the areas where pets rest or sleep, as these are the sites where the most fleas will be located.

Step Four: Outside, treatment is typically applied to shaded areas and beneath shrubs and decks where pets rest or sleep.

Flea

If you have pets that go outside frequently, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise when fleas get into your home. While outside, our cats and dogs often wander into locations where fleas commonly hide, and those fleas will 'jump' at the opportunity to get a blood meal. However, even if you don’t have a dog or cat, you can still end up with fleas in your home. This is because fleas will also feed on the blood of smaller mammals such as mice, rats, or squirrels. If you’re finding fleas in your home and you don’t have pets, you probably have another pest issue on your hands.

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Their bodies are shiny and reddish brown in color, covered with microscopic hair and are compressed to allow for easy movement through animal fur.

Fleas are small, wingless and about 2.5 mm long.
No wings: Fleas do not have wings, although they are capable of jumping long distances.

Reproduction
Eggs are not attached to the host. Eggs will hatch in the following places:
→ on the ground
→ in rugs
→ carpet
→ bedding
→ upholstery
→ cracks in the floor
→ Most hatch within two days.

One female flea can lay about 18 eggs a day and just 20 fleas on a dog can produce 360 eggs per day and over 2,000 eggs in a week. After the home is treated with flea control products, it may take up to two weeks or more before fleas are no longer seen. Vacuuming as often as possible after the flea extermination can help shorten this time period.

What do they eat?
Adults are parasites that draw blood from a host. Larvae feed on organic debris, particularly the feces of adult fleas, which contain undigested blood.

Fleas commonly prefer to feed on hairy animals such as:
→ dogs
→ cats
→ rabbits
→ squirrels
→ rats
→ mice
→ domesticated animal
→ wild animals

Fleas can live on any warm-blooded animal, but seem to prefer to live on humans, cats, dogs, opossums, rats and other rodents. They can also be found on shoes, pant legs, or blankets.

Flea infestations often come from a pet dog or cat. The pests attach to the animal when it's outside, and then infest its fur and the places it sleeps indoors. Flea prevention for both the home and yard can be difficult. Without a proactive approach, any pet owner is vulnerable to an infestation.

Seek a host for blood
Fleas depend on a blood meal from a host to survive. On some occasions, fleas may become an inside problem when the host they previously fed on is no longer around. Then fleas focus their feeding activity on other hosts that reside inside the home. An example of such a situation is when a mouse inside the home is trapped and removed, the fleas that previously fed on the mouse are then forced to feed on pets or people.

Flea Diseases Affecting Humans and Pets
Flea-Borne Diseases in Humans
According to a recent CDC statement, the number of illnesses caused by mosquito, tick, and flea bites tripled between 2004 and 2016. Though rare, the disease fleas most commonly spread is plague. Still, fleas can be difficult to control and remain a major cause of worldwide sickness.

Fleas may transmit diseases while taking a blood meal from a human or animal host or via contaminated fecal pellets. Some of the more commonly encountered flea-borne diseases affecting people worldwide include:
→ Plague – transmitted by the oriental rat flea in areas of the world where the rat flea vector and rats that harbor the disease are found.
→ Flea-borne typhus, also known as murine typhus – transmitted by the bacteria-infested feces of infected cat fleas when the bacteria enters the body at the time of a flea bite or from scratching the area of the bite.
→ Bartonellosis (cat scratch disease) – transmitted to humans from the bites of the oriental rat flea and cat flea.
→ Flea tapeworm – most often transmitted when children accidently eat an infected flea or come in contact with infected flea feces.
→ Tungiasis – a tropical ailment caused by the chigoe flea when it burrows into the skin and takes a blood meal. The bite of the chigoe flea often results in secondary infections and itching.

Risk of Infection
There is a risk of secondary bacterial infection if the skin where bites occur is not kept clean and disinfected. The more that bites are scratched, the more likely infection will result.

Flea Diseases Affecting Cats & Dogs
Some of the more common and serious flea-borne diseases affecting pets include:
→ The possibility of contracting plague from eating a plague-infested rodent
→ Getting murine typhus from an infected flea
→ Parasitic dermatitis caused by a pet’s allergy to flea saliva. The animal’s skin is itchy and inflamed and has rounded bumps where the flea bites. Given a situation where fleas are not controlled, the irritation may end up in hair loss and infection. Flea-related dermatitis is one of the most common disease problems brought on by fleas.
→ Cat scratch disease - Bartonella henselae in cats which is transmitted by cat fleas.
→ Flea tapeworm - Dipylidium caninum. An infection that forms in cats when they ingest an infected flea during grooming.
→ Anemia and iron deficiencies resulting from a large population of blood-feeding fleas.

Fleas are best known for spreading the Bubonic Plague. They also transmit the bacterial disease murine typhus to humans through infected rats. Their saliva is an allergen that can cause allergic reactions in pets and humans. Fleas can also transfer tapeworms and cause anemia in pets. Flea bites cause painful, itchy red bumps.

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