Fleas

Adult FleaIf you have pets, or know people who do, you know about fleas. They are probably the third most hated pest behind roaches and ants. There are some 2000 species of fleas in the world but only about 10 are bothersome to humans. The most common is the Cat Flea which infests both cats and dogs. This is the same pest that was responsible for the Black Plagues of the middle ages. Fleas are also the cause of numerous allergies, and can carry the dog tape-worm that can infect humans as well as pets.

the Life Cycle of a FleaThere are four developmental stages in the life cycle of the flea. The adult female lays eggs at a rate of about 25 a day, usually in groups of 3 to 15, after a blood meal. One female flea can lay over 800 eggs in her lifetime. The eggs hatch within 12 days into the larval form which resembles a whitish worm 1/16" to 1/5" long. This stage lasts from 8 to 200 days depending on the conditions where they are. Larvae subsist on dried blood defecated by the adults. Finally, the larvae spin a cocoon and transform into a pupae. The pupae stage can last from one week to nearly one year. The adults emerge from this form and immediately seek a blood meal. Adults can live several months without blood and can survive up to eight months with only one meal.

Of the thousands of flea species, the one that causes the most problems with humans is the cat flea. The flea's saliva has an anti-coagulant that aids it in feeding by preventing the host's blood from clotting. Besides this function, their saliva causes an allergic reaction in both humans and animals. The reaction in people varies from immediate itching and skin lesions, to no reaction at all and in pets, itching and scratching up to hair loss.

To add to the complexity of responses is the differences in attraction to hosts caused by skin secretions and carbon dioxide, both exhaled or exuded. For humans, immediate relief can be gained by placing an ice cube, menthol, camphor, or calamine lotion on the bites. There are also allergens available for those that are hypersensitive. Aging, stress, and diet can alter the affect of bites on pets.

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