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Fleas
What are Fleas?
Fleas are tiny blood-sucking insects that live on the external body of a host.
They are a constant annoyance for cat and dog owners; more than a billion dollars is spent every year on treatment.
While their bites generally cause nothing more than itching and pain, they have been known to transmit diseases to people.
They were largely responsible for the transmission of the bubonic plague from rats to humans in the Middle Ages. People can also develop allergies to repeated bites.
Fleas normally take avian or mammalian hosts, but some species infest reptiles as well.
This article will cover some interesting facts about the identification, prevention, habitat, and diet of the common flea.
What Attracts Ants to Your Home?
- Fleas are extremely tough. They may have evolved to withstand immense pressures when the host tries to crush them.
- Fleas pass through four different life stages: eggs, larvae, pupas, and adults. The larval stage involves a series of three molts to grow progressively larger, while during the pupa stage, they weave a silk cocoon to transform into an adult. It takes about three to four weeks to reach the adult stage. They can live anywhere between two months and a year.
- One of the most interesting facts is that fleas can leap up to 7 inches vertically and 13 inches horizontally. Given their small size, it’s one of the most impressive jumpers relative to body size in the entire animal kingdom.
Interesting Fact
The scientific name for the flea order is Siphonaptera.
This is derived from the combination of two Greek words: siphon, meaning tube (their blood-sucking apparatus), and apteros, meaning wingless.
There are an estimated 2,000 species spread across more than 240 genera.
Some of the most common types include cat fleas, bird fleas, and rat fleas.