FLEAS AND YOUR PET

FLEAS: WHAT EXACTLY ARE THEY?
Fleas, according to the definition provided by The National Pet Health and Care Network (NPHCN), are small and wingless insects that feed themselves by sucking the blood of their ‘hosts’. They usually live on the skin of most mammals like cats or dogs and, in rare occasions, birds. Fleas place their eggs below carpets, in curtains, in piles of garbage, and other places that offer them food and shelter. They are known to survive in these settings for months while waiting for a victim.

Although there are many different species of fleas, the most common type are the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, and the dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis. Fleas are most common from spring through fall. They like temperatures that range between 62 and 83 degrees Fahrenheit with 52 to 92 percent humidity— just about the same temperatures under which we keep our homes.

A FLEAS’ LIFE-CYCLE
According to the NPHCN, the typical flea population consists of the following: 50 percent eggs, 35 percent Larvae, 10 percent Pupa, and 5 percent Adults. Fleas have a four-stage life cycle which presents the following stages: A female flea can lay an average of 40 to 50 eggs daily. Fleas will remain as eggs at this stage for about one to two weeks, depending on certain conditions such as humidity or temperature or the surroundings. After this period, the eggs then turn into larvae, feeding itself from organic tissue. A few days later, they turn into pupae or a cocoon. Adult fleas emerge from these cocoons a few weeks later. The adult will remain in the cocoon until vibrations indicate that a victim is close by, a waiting process that can extend the life cycle. Fleas’ long and powerful legs allow them to jump up to relatively high altitudes.

Read more about fleas and your pets.