Just like your curiosity over other pests and parasites, you might have some questions about fleas that may concern not only your pets but your entire family as well. Getting to know more about your enemy will give you more advantage to completely get rid of fleas. Below are some of the common questions and their corresponding answers.
Do cat flea also affect dogs?
The answer is yes. Also known as, Ctenocephalides felis, this kind of flea affects both dogs and cats as well as other pets like ferrets, rabbits, and guinea pigs. So, don’t get confused with the name alone. It may have a cat in its name, but it is considered the number one fleas to all pets.
With these, it is necessary that you look for remedies for cat fleas and work on getting rid of these pests as soon as possible.
Has the Ctenocephalides felis developed to certain products?
Yes. The Ctenocephalides felis is now resistant to various flea products. However, their resistance will decrease by rotating the use of various products.
Are wild animals attacked by fleas?
Just like pets, these parasites also plague wild animals. Aside from adult fleas, these animals can also carry and spread larvae and flea eggs in your yard. Without your knowledge, your pets can pick up fleas that these wild animals left in your yard.
Do they jump on and off different animals?
Contrary to common beliefs, fleas don’t transfer from one animal to another. Once it finds its host, it will stay on the host throughout its entire life cycle. They lay eggs on the hosts, but these eventually fall off as the host move around.
What is flea dirt?
A female flea can consume blood that is about 15 times her overall body weight. As they feed, the blood they eat passes through the digestive system and is then defecated out the skin. These are comma-shaped fecal matters. Females lay their weight in eggs every day and do this for more than 100 days.
How do fleas bite and suck blood?
Fleas suck blood by using two of their mouthparts. One of the parts will squirt saliva along with partially digested blood. The other part sucks blood alone.
By biting and sucking blood from the host, fleas are able to transmit pathogens such as tapeworms. This is common when fleas are staying for a long time on your pets.
Can fleas kill pets?
Aside from affecting your pet’s health, a flea problem can also kill your pets. This can happen if there is a high flea population on your pet’s body. Fleas can take enough blood that can kill puppies, kittens, goats, calves, and lambs.
How fast can fleas suck blood and get a full meal?
There is approximately 60% of fleas that can start feeding 5 minutes upon jumping onto their hosts. Almost 100% are able to engorge with their blood meal within an hour of staying on the host.
How fast can they reproduce?
In the flea life cycle, females can lay new eggs within 24 to 36 hours after the first blood meal. One female can lay a maximum of 50 eggs each day and is equivalent to the weight of their body.
They are able to lay this certain number of eggs because of their ability to suck high amounts of blood than their weight. Their lust for blood can last for about 3 months.
How quickly can flea eggs hatch and enter a new life cycle stage?
When the humidity is around 70% and the temperature is approximately 35 °C, the eggs can hatch within the next36 hours. If it is around 12°C, it will take 6 days for half of the batch can hatch.
Can young fleas live even before they can find a host?
A humid environment allows more than 60% of newly hatched fleas are able to live even without a host for approximately 2 months. Under cool and dry conditions, about 10% of these can live without finding a host. The survival of these pests depends mainly on the level of humidity.
How fast can fleas go through their entire life cycle?
It can only take about 3 weeks for a flea to go through their life cycle.
How long will it take for a flea infestation to develop?
A full-blown infestation may happen within 6 weeks. In the first 3 weeks, a single flea can go through its life cycle and lay about 100 eggs. It is during the next 3 weeks when the eggs will start hatching and lay a thousand eggs each.
This means that within the span of 6 weeks, it is possible for a million fleas to start infesting your home.
Why do fleas prefer pets than people?
This is because fleas like dark areas and they gravitate to most haired parts of your pet’s skin. Since pets are hairier, they are able to hide easily on pets, unlike people.
As you try to look for them, they will scatter and easily hide. This is the main reason why they are more difficult to find.
