Whether you have fleas, have had them, or are just trying to gross yourself out, everyone has questions about fleas, so we thought we would try to answer them with our quick facts about fleas.
Fleas are so disgusting,but so interesting, trying to hitch a rid on our best friends…our pets! The only way to get rid of them is to bath our pets, wash their bedding and spray the house. Here are 10 quick facts about fleas that everyone should know.
10 Quick Facts About Fleas
1. Flea life cycle
Fleas go from tiny egg to larva to pupa then they become adults. This takes about 12-22 days when conditions are ideal. Facts: most of the flea problem in your house and on your pet is due to eggs and larva not adult fleas. Your flea treatment and prevention must be designed with this in mind. The eggs, larva and pupa must also be exterminated, not just the adult fleas or the cycle will continue.
2. How many eggs do fleas lay a day?
Fleas lay up to 50 eggs per day. They need to feed off a pet or human before they begin laying eggs and can suck up 15 times their body weight in blood EVERY DAY. How many fleas are considered an infestation? If you are seeing fleas or being bitten, you should do something about it. There is no specific number of fleas to consider yourself infested. But, fleas lay so many eggs that you’ll be infested before you know it.
3. How high can fleas jump?
According to Wikipedia, a flea can jump 7 inches straight up and up to 13 inches horizontally. This makes them the 2nd best jumpers in the animal kingdom, compared to their size. Do fleas ever crawl? Yes, fleas crawl around on your pets skin and bite them. If they need to get onto your pet, or move around larger distances, they will jump.
4. How long do fleas live for?
On average, fleas live 2 – 3 months! Fleas are the kings of the hunger fast: they can live 100 days WITHOUT blood aka FOOD that they get by biting their host pet or human.
5. Some animals are allergic to fleas and their bites!
This can cause your pet to itch and itch and itch until they are raw. They will develop hot spots, hair loss and scabs. First step is you must get the fleas under control fast to provide your pet with immediate relief. Usually giving them a bath with proper flea shampoo kills fleas and eggs on your pet. Take your pet to the vet for assessment if you suspect they are allergic to fleas.
6. How big are fleas?
Apparently, female fleas are larger than male fleas. Female fleas also outnumber male fleas. Female fleas outweigh males at 2.5 times the males weight. GROSS.
7. What Are Fleas Attracted to?
According to Flea Science (yeah that’s a thing!) fleas are attracted to light, the color of the light, movement, air currents (together with the other things), warmth, and the carbon dioxide in our breath.
8. Can fleas live on Humans?
YES! There is a species of flea that can actually live in human hair. Thank goodness it is NOT the same species that you find on your cats and dogs. They would jump in human hair and lay eggs, just like dog and cat fleas. So gross. You should wash your hair with the same shampoo used for human lice and repeatedly wash your hair and bedding for weeks until the problem is gone. Do fleas crawl on humans? Oh yeah, they will give you the creepy crawlies and bite you if they can.
9. Do fleas die in the winter months?
According to Flea Science (again!) adult fleas can survive if they are on hosts and their eggs, larva and pupa can survive cold temperatures as long as they are protected from frost and direct freezing. Does frost kill fleas? If a flea is outside without a host, and its cold out, it will die.
10. Do hot temperatures kill fleas?
YES! Fleas cannot survive the heat in your dryer. You can wash and dry your bedding on the highest setting and drown and kill the fleas. Do fleas die in hot weather? No, not unless it’s as hot as the inside of your dryer.
Is there anything good about fleas? They do provide a source of food for small birds, insects and lizards.
If you have a tip or trick to get rid of fleas, let us know what works in the comments below!