Tibetan Mastiff Dog Scratching Flea
There are thousands of different species of fleas throughout the world; here are the most common ones that are in America, Cat Fleas, Chicken Fleas, Rat Fleas, Oriental Rat Fleas, Human Fleas and Sand Fleas. Fleas go through the four life cycle stages of egg, larva, pupa, and imago (adult). Adult fleas must feed on blood before they can become capable of reproduction. The flea life cycle begins when the female lays eggs after feeding. Eggs are laid in batches of up to 20 or so, usually on the host itself, which means that the eggs can easily roll onto the ground. Because of this, areas where the host rests and sleeps become one of the primary habitats of eggs and developing fleas. The eggs take around two days to two weeks to hatch.
Once the flea reaches adulthood, its primary goal is to find blood and then to reproduce. Flea populations are evenly distributed, with about 50% eggs, 35% larvae, 10% pupae, and 5% adults. Their total life span can be as short as one year, but may be several years in ideal conditions. Female fleas can lay 5000 or more eggs over their life, allowing for phenomenal growth rates. Fleas attack a wide variety of warm-blooded vertebrates including dogs, cats, humans, chickens, rabbits, squirrels, rats, ferrets, and mice.
The flea cycle can occur almost anywhere. It will occur on the animal, in the yard, in a carpet, in a litter box, in a bed, in a garage, in a basement, in a crawl space, in an attic, in a doghouse, on furniture, etc. The rule is simple: any place a warm blooded animal spends time can become a flea infested location. And it’s important to understand that fleas can feed on most any animal that’s warm blooded. Fleas are a nuisance to their hosts, causing an itching sensation which in turn may result in the host attempting to remove the pest by biting, pecking, scratching, etc. Getting rid of fleas from inside your home and off your pets is not the end of the story when it comes to removing fleas. As long as fleas are on the outside of your home, in your lawn, there is a big chance that your free roaming dog or cat would catch fleas all over again. It is therefore necessary to remove fleas from your yard.
Flea infestations can make people and pets miserable and should be removed from all stages in their life cycle, Call Swatter Pest Solutions LLC to protect your family and pets.