Fleas
Overview:
Fleas are one of the more important groups of insect pests because they not only cause discomfort by biting, but they can transmit several diseases such as plague and murine typhus. Cat fleas are the most common domestic flea. Other fleas that are rarely encountered are the Dog flea and the Human flea but the Cat flea accounts for almost all the fleas found on cats and dogs in the United States.
Facts:
• Flea fossils date back to the Lower Cretaceous period, meaning fleas have been around for about 100 million years!
• Some fleas can jump 150 times their own length. That compares to a human jumping 1,000 feet. One flea broke a record with a four-foot vertical jump.
• The female flea can lay 2,000 eggs in her lifetime; if all 53 million dogs in the U.S. each hosted a population of 60 fleas, we'd have more than six trillion flea eggs surrounding our pets. Laid end-to-end, those eggs would stretch around the world more than 76 times!
• The female flea consumes 15 times her own body weight in blood daily.
• Flea larvae are blind.
• The cat flea, which infests both cats and dogs, is a tropical insect and cannot tolerate freezing temperatures for long periods of time. However, it is well adapted to indoor living.
• The largest recorded flea is the North American Hystrichopsylla schefferi, measuring 12mm in length -- almost half an inch!
Identification:
They are very small and wingless, and can usually been seen jumping against a white background.
They are brownish-black to black, but reddish black after a blood meal.
Biology:
Both males and females bite and suck blood.
They need a blood meal in order to fertilize eggs.
They have a complete life cycle; egg à larva à pupa à adult.
They can live for 1 year or more
They have the ability to go “dormant” for long periods of time (up to 6 months).
Their bodies are extremely thin, and are covered with a series of backward directed spines or bristles which facilitate forward movement through fur, hair or feathers.
Habits:
Adults spend majority of time on the host.
Eggs are laid on the host, then usually fall or are shaken/scratched off.
Eggs fall into small cracks, carpeting, furniture, etc.
Larva will feed on any organic material it finds in the nest of its host (including adult flea feces) or in homes where the eggs were laid.
Pupa are sensitive to vibrations, will stimulate the emergence of the adult.
They prefer to live in warm moist environments, thrive when humidity levels are above 70%.
If host animal dies, fleas will leave for another host. If the original host died from a disease, the fleas can spread that disease when they bite.
They generally travel by jumping. They can jump about 13” in distance and 8” high.
They do not like light.
Treatment:
The homeowner must prepare for the flea service PRIOR to the scheduled appointmant.
follow these steps fully:
Pick up everything from the carpeted floors other then the furniture; floors of closets, under beds, toys, stuffed animals, books, magazines, dirty socks etc.
Strip bedding and wash.
Thoroughly vacuum: all carpeted areas, under beds/ furniture, take cushions out of couches/chairs, vacuum “where the money falls,” curtains up about 3 feet from floor, and any obvious cracks/crevices along baseboards, wood or tile floors.
PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO WHERE THE PET SPENDS MOST OF ITS TIME!
Immediately after vacuuming, remove the bag, seal and place in garbage OUTSIDE.
This should all be done as close to the appointment as possible.
The pet should not be allowed in the house during or after the vacuuming.
Pets needs to be treated, preferably by a Vet or groomer and not allowed in the untreated house.
FAQ’s:
"My wife is getting bit but I'm not, why?"
The reason insects "bite" you is that they are attracted to the carbon dioxide that you are excreting through your sweat glands and the breath that you are exhaling. It tells them that you have blood. Generally, females will excrete more carbon dioxide than males as they tend to have a higher metabolism rate. It is for this reason that women and girls will usually be the first in the family to be bit.
“Do I have to worry about my food, dishes?”
You should not have any food out. Place food into refrigerator, cupboards, etc. As long as dishes are in the cupboards it should not be a problem.
“We just came home from vacation and we’re getting eaten alive!”
Fleas can go dormant for long periods of time (such as during vacations, or in vacant houses waiting to be sold). The vibrations of people opening doors, vacuuming, walking, talking, etc. stimulate the fleas and make them very active.
