Fleas are a common pest control problem that are a nuisance to your home, pets and even you. They hitch a ride while you are out on a walk, and feed off of your pet. Did you know that they can also feed off of humans? Fleas don’t discriminate when it comes to a meal, and that means you as well. If conditions are right in your home, fleas will make themselves comfortable and stay a while. It is important to catch fleas early, or know what to watch for over the course of their lifetime and treat accordingly, or reach out to your local pest control professional for effective flea treatment. To know what you’re up against, it’s always a good idea to have an understanding of whatever pest you are battling. Here is some information about fleas life cycle and trouble they can cause.
Life Cycle of Fleas
Egg
Like many species, fleas start out as eggs. Mother fleas can lay up to 4-8 eggs per meal. Fleas eat up to 8 hours per day, and that could mean 4-8 eggs per day. Flea eggs take around 12 days to hatch. Oftentimes when fleas make their way inside your home, they lay their eggs in the carpet. The eggs are mostly undisturbed, and will mature into a larva soon after.
Larva
Flea larvae are small and semitransparent. They have a white tone to them, but they are hard to see amongst the carpet, since they hide inside of it. The larvae don’t have eyes or legs, and their body is reminiscent of a maggot. Slowly as the larva feeds, it will become darker. Once away from their mother, they seek shaded locations, like cracks in floors, in carpet, or in pet bedding. Sometimes even under furniture or in plant soil. Flea larvae survival depends on relative humidity and temperatures, and can’t survive relative humidity less than 45-50 percent, or soil temperatures greater than 95 degrees. Larva can also make their way into the crawl space, where the cycle continues due to the conditions of most crawl spaces.
Pupae
After the 18 days of larva-hood, pupae spin silken cocoons and enter the pupae stage. During the time within the cocoon, fleas go through a complete metamorphosis to pass to an adult stage. Most are finished with this stage of life within 4 days. But there have been frequent cases where it has taken up to a year to reach adulthood. In those cases, the environmental conditions are not right for emergence, and the cocoon protects the young flea.
Adults
Fleas begin searching for food the moment they come out of the cocoon. Fleas will stay stationary until a suitable host is found. Then they are able to jump, and hitch a ride and feed. At this point in time, they now have their color. Fleas are dark, until they feed. Then they will grow lighter, and larger, and take a more recognizable flea shape. If adult fleas are left undisturbed and without a meal, they can live up to more than 100 days. But, indoors, if conditions continue to be favorable, fleas can live up to one year. Female fleas consume 15 times their body weight at least once a day, and lay eggs 36-48 hours afterwards.
What Diseases Fleas Carry
Fleas may seem more of an annoyance than a health threat, but unfortunately, fleas carry a multitude of diseases.
Bubonic Plague
The most well known flea transmitted disease is the bubonic plague, also known as the black death. It is still carried around by many pests today, mice included. Though there are only a handful of cases, it still occurs yearly. It is a simple treatment, but still a pain for you and your pet.
Murine Typhus
Murine Typhus is rare in North America, but a few cases are reported each year. Fleas spread the disease to rats, who spread it further. But, they can still spread the disease to you and your pet. Murine typhus’ symptoms show up 7-14 days after exposure, and should be treated quickly. Symptoms of typhus include, fever, headache, chills, nausea, vomiting, weakness, body aches, and rash. If left to its own devices, Murine Typhus can cause neurological decline and disorders.
Tularemia
If left untreated, tularemia can be a serious illness. Tularemia can cause skin ulcers, painful or swollen lymph glands, inflamed eyes, sore throat, mouth sores, diarrhea, or pneumonia. If not treated with antibiotics, tularemia can be fatal to both people and pets. It is spread through tick and flea bites.
Green Pest Management Flea Treatment
It is important to keep an eye out for fleas for the safety of you and your pets. Fleas can spread illnesses, and infest homes quickly. Here at Green Pest Management, we offer a reliable flea treatment to rid your home and property of fleas. Give us a call at (302) 777-2390 for any questions, concerns, or quote requests.
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