Fleas

Fleas are common parasites of dogs and cats. Their adults are voracious blood-feeders as they consume up to 15 times their body weight in blood in a day. Whether you have a pet or not, fleas are a significant concern. So, you must understand how to protect your home from infestation. Here, we share information about how to identify fleas, adverse effects, and steps to prevent them from infesting your home.

APPEARANCE

Fleas are small, wingless insects with rigid cuticles, flattened spines, and several bristles. Adult fleas are usually about 0.1 to 0.32 cm in length and often feed on blood, including birds and humans. Their bodies are typically reddish and shiny in color. They have microscopic hair, usually compressed to allow easy movement through animal fur. Even though they are wingless, they are still capable of crawling and jumping long distances. Their eyes are simple; they depend on their antennae for the sense of smell and navigation.

Fleas have extended mouthparts designed for piercing and sucking that helps them to feed on the host blood. There are over 2,000 species, yet they are still small compared to many other groups of insects. You can find them in tropical, polar, and temperate regions.

HABITAT

Fleas prefer to live in warm-blooded animals, especially dogs, cats, humans, and other rodents. You can find them in areas densely populated by potential hosts. They also thrive in regions that are of high humidity and temperature. When there are prolonged periods of wet weather, they gain entry into the home forcefully. Their harbourage sites are primarily in cracks, crevices, and pet beds.

DIET

Fleas depend on warm-blooded hosts for their nourishment. Their adults are parasites that like to feed on blood from their host. On the other hand, their larvae prefer to feed on organic debris, especially the feces of their adult fleas. 

Fleas like to feed on hairy mammals like dogs, cats, squirrels, rabbits, mice, rats, etc.

SIGNS

A lot of things can indicate flea activity in your home. However, some of the indicators are:

1. Pets Scratching – As soon as you notice that your pet repeatedly groom or scratch themselves, this shows one thing – they are uncomfortable because of the activity of adult fleas that feed on their blood.
2. Fleas Feces – One of the indicators of flea activity is the dirt they leave behind. Flea dirt looks like coarse ground black pepper. You can see it in pet beds, rugs, carpets, and other areas that the host resides.
3. Bites – Itchy bite mark is a clear sign of flea infestation.
4. Flea Eggs – You can find them in areas like bedding, carpets, behind or under furniture, in cracks and grooves in the floors. They are laid by the female adult and fall off the pets as they move or spend time in a particular area.
5. Adult Fleas: You can see fleas when they are in their adult stage.

THREATS TO HUMANS

Fleas feed on their hosts to cause itchy and swollen marks. They cause allergies in some and transmit diseases in many. According to a recent CDC statement, fleas’ bites have tripled the number of illnesses in the world between 2004 to 2016.

Sometimes not all fleas prefer to make humans their host. Instead, they will bite and leave, especially cat fleas. However, they make man their host when there is no other alternative for nutrition. Fleas are also effective disease carriers amongst animals like dogs. Also, they are intermediate hosts for parasitic tapeworms.

PREVENTION

The best way to prevent an infestation include:

1. Clean and vacuum your home regularly. It works because fleas spend most of their time in carpets and furniture.
2. Keep your yard clean of pet dropping and garbage.
3. Protect pets by giving them lots of baths, keeping them on a leash, giving them regular flea and tick treatments, and ensuring to take them to the vet at least once a year.
4. Limit the contact you have with domestic and wild animals.
5. Seal all cracks and crevices in your home.
6. Trim the trees and grass in your yard because they are one of the attractions of fleas to your home