Fleas in pets are not unpredictable. If your pet walks freely on the street and comes into contact with other cats or dogs, then he is likely to bring home. Are they a potential danger to humans? Most will say no. In fact, any warm-blooded animals can be bitten, especially if the fleas are hungry. Today we’ll talk about whether fleas live on people in more detail.
Varieties
It is believed that these insects are transmitted from cats and dogs to other pets, and people are bitten only by accident. Let's figure it out together. To date, there are only two varieties of the human flea:
- Tunga penetrans (this species, fortunately, practically does not occur with us) - when attacked by representatives, a serious disease develops. The fact is that the female lays offspring, biting under the skin.
- Pulex irritans - These fleas can live almost everywhere.
In addition to them, there are about 30 more varieties that can live in an apartment for a long time.
Do fleas live on people? No, they don't live. Why do people periodically attack these insects and suffer from their bites? The answers to these questions lie in the biology of the bloodsucking creature.
In nature, they live on the ground and visit their owners only at the time of feeding. Bloodsuckers can use a person as a source of food, but they will not live on it. If fleas have chosen an apartment, they will lay their eggs in separate corners that they like. They hatch into larvae that feed on organic matter. In unwashed dog litter, there are usually more of them than necessary. The larva turns into a pupa, from which an adult emerges. It is she who, getting out in search of food, can casually bite anyone.
It becomes clear whether fleas live on people. They cannot spend a long time on the human body. Unlike a dog or a cat, he has no fur, and she will simply have nowhere to hide. The longest they can linger on the head in the hair, but they will not be able to live like that. Usually, after biting their victim and receiving a dose of fresh blood, they leave their temporary "master" and return to the floor, to the bedding or to a secluded corner.
Flea Bites: Fact or Fiction
If you still have doubts about whether fleas live on people, then you can safely forget about them. They do not have suction cups or hooks with which insects could be held on the body. But any warm-blooded creature can become a victim of these bloodsuckers. They use everyone who gets into their habitat, although they are adapted to do without food for some time.
They will bite anyone. The only selection criterion is warm-bloodedness. Therefore, the question of whether fleas pass to humans can be considered in two ways. They will not live on it, but they will not refuse to feast on blood. Only accessibility matters. By the way, bloodsuckers are always more active in the warm season, in hot weather.
What is worth knowing
In order to understand in time what you are dealing with, you need to know what flea bites look like in humans. Only in this way will you be able to distinguish them from mosquito bites, bedbugs or an allergic reaction to food. Fleas cause the most discomfort when they bite. After a few hours, allergic edema may occur. Its intensity will depend on the individual characteristics and inclinations of the person. In addition to the fact that the affected area itches, it also hurts a lot.
Since flea bites in humans look the same as mosquito bites, it is the soreness of the bitten area that makes it possible to understand that this is a trace from another insect. Unlike mosquitoes, these bloodsuckers do not inject an anesthetic. Instead, only irritating saliva enters the body.
Individual characteristics
Of course, each person will have their own reaction. There are people who are completely insensitive. They simply won't notice the bite and will claim that their fleas didn't bite. Other family members who do not have this property of the body may notice slight discomfort. Allergy sufferers are the worst. On their body, each bite will turn into a huge bubble that will itch and hurt. Antihistamines will help to improve the condition a little, but the problem will not go away completely.
dangers
But in itself, redness of the skin area does not pose any threat to life and health. Why are fleas dangerous to humans? The fact is that these bloodsuckers are carriers of terrible diseases. These are bubonic plague already mentioned above, anthrax and encephalitis, tularemia and typhus. The consequences of "communication" with fleas can be various types of fungi.
Of course, not every cat or dog flea is a carrier. The probability of meeting such a person in your home is negligible. But we must not forget how dangerous fleas are for humans. Every year, thousands of cases are recorded in the world when a flea bite became the cause of a dangerous disease.
What to do
Plain water may not be enough. In order for the treatment to be successful, all surfaces must be treated with a solution of Butox or Neostomazan or their analogues. They are sold in veterinary pharmacies without a prescription and are supplied with detailed instructions.
Instructions for action
You can get rid of insects in the apartment with the help of various drugs that are freely available today. These are "Raptor" and "Raid", "Combat" and a number of analogues. Read the instructions carefully before use. You will have to process all things, floors and walls, furniture. Follow a few simple guidelines. Before processing, be sure to vacuum the entire apartment. Throw away all the garbage at once, because they can remain in the dust. Just in case, treat the apartment or house twice. If fleas have settled in human hair, be sure to treat them with a special shampoo.
Pet protection
Dogs and cats must wear collars with repellent components or use special drops. If you do not allow the appearance of insects in your pets, then the chances of being bitten by a person are much less. Cat fleas on a person in most cases appear when their pets go for a walk, to visit less well-groomed representatives of the genus. To avoid this, the bedding is carefully washed, then wormwood is laid out on them. The animals themselves need to be redeemed in a Butox solution.
Instead of a conclusion
There are no separate ways to get rid of fleas in humans. But this is understandable, because bloodsuckers do not live on our body. It is simply not recommended to comb the wounds so that the infection does not get into them. It is better to treat bites with any disinfectant solutions. Itching may require the use of any soothing ointment. And in any case, it is much easier to prevent them from appearing in your home. If prevention does not work, you will need to make every effort so that the treatment is single and effective.
Few people suspect that there is a detachment of human fleas. For a visual example, enlarged photos of what a human flea looks like are presented.
Preferred Victims
In fact, there is a separate detachment of the Pulex irritans pest family - this is a human flea that prefers human blood as its main source of nutrition.
Although they do this only in cases of urgent need, in the absence of another victim within the reach of the jump, these cases cannot be called rare.
Differences from other types
For example, the chiton cover of Pulex irritans is very hard, the color of the shell is almost black, so they often hide in the victim's hair. See photos of human fleas on a person's head.
Many take this disguise for a settlement of lice. But lice, unlike fleas, do not move, but are attached to the hair shafts on which they live, where they lay offspring.
Despite the fact that lice and fleas look very similar, especially in the color scheme of the cover, they are easy to distinguish. The louse is not able to jump and instantly disappear from view, it will not be difficult to catch plus destroy it.
The human flea looks peculiar. This wingless insect, relative to its relatives, is larger in size, the length can reach 5-6 mm. Despite such dimensions, the pest is incredibly jumpy, as well as nimble.
The long jump or height jump exceeds its own size by several tens of times. It is assisted by six limbs, the two hind limbs of which are very well developed.
If we look at a human flea under a microscope, we can see flattened lateral segments, a small head with a functional piercing-sucking mouth apparatus, despite the small mouth, the insect easily pierces the human skin.
Life cycle
A few days later, whitish tiny larvae appear from the eggs, resembling a caterpillar in appearance. Development occurs within 2-3 weeks under favorable temperature conditions and humidity levels. During this time, the larvae repeatedly molt and then pupate.
Their feeder is as follows:
- adults feed only on warm-blooded blood, preferring human blood, but if there is no tasty prey nearby, they can attack any animal;
- larvae feed on residual organic matter, adult excrement, dried blood, sewage.
Danger and harm
Firstly, bites bring terrible discomfort and threaten with serious consequences for people:
- profuse continuous rash in the affected areas;
- inflammation of wounds, tumors, compaction, abscesses and suppurations often occur;
- the formation of ulcers in the mouth and throat;
- infection with helminthiasis;
- enlarged lymph nodes;
- often there is an increased body temperature;
- migraines, anxiety, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, up to nervous and mental disorders.
Flea remedies in pharmacies
It is known for certain that in past centuries, due to the invasion of Europe by rat fleas, most of the European population died out. The plague killed millions of people.
Common diseases carried by the human flea include plague, typhus, anthrax, trypanosomiasis, listeriosis, dermatophiliasis, and many others.
The bites of small bloodsuckers are a 100% guarantee of infection with helminthiasis and the likelihood of infection with a serious disease for humans and animals.
Symptoms of the appearance in animals
Reasons for the appearance
The global invasion of flea colonies falls on the summer-autumn period. The risk zone primarily includes private houses and the lower floors of the multi-apartment residential sector.
Settlement locations:
- dirty entrances, which are not cleaned;
- infected pets of neighbors;
- mass populations in basements;
- rodents in basements and garbage dumps;
- you yourself can bring home eggs or an adult on clothes or shoes.
Having found the bite sites on yourself, it is necessary to take certain measures to prevent complications and relieve pulicosis (symptoms):
- treat the lesions with hydrogen peroxide, an antimicrobial special agent or alcohol lotion;
- apply a piece of ice to the affected areas or make a cold compress;
- purchase any antihistamine drug: fenistil gel, psilo-balm, bepanten, etc.;
- purchase sedatives necessary to relieve allergic reactions, burning, itching and inflammation;
- treat yourself with a spray that repels insects, for example: Off-Extreme, Biban, Gall-Rat or Gardex.
Today on sale there are a lot of special products for treating a pet: shampoos, drops, sprays, tablets, powders, collars. each remedy is selected individually, taking into account the age, weight, height, condition and even breed of the animal.
Many people prefer folk remedies using natural products that are easy to prepare on their own.
You will need:
- anti-flea shampoo;
- quality insecticide.
Your actions:
Now you can start processing the room. 
Disinsection will help
You will need:
- soda, saline or insecticidal solution;
- insecticide of your choice: in the form of aerosols, powders, solutions, suspensions, for example: Combat, Executioner, Dichlorvos, Get, Fas, etc.
Action algorithm:
In a private house, cleaning of the premises is carried out in a similar way. Do not forget to process the basement, cellar, attic, outbuildings and the adjacent area.
Get rid of human fleas forever real. To do this, carry out preventive maintenance of the pet and the premises 1-2 times a month. Essential oils help a lot: wormwood, tansy, lavender, coniferous aromas.
You can make a home spray: add 10 ml of each essential oil to 500 ml of plain water. Pour the composition into a spray bottle, spray corners, baseboards and hard-to-reach places in the room.
Try not to pet stray animals on the street. When going outdoors, wear long sleeves and cover your legs. Just be prudent!
They are famous for their miniature size, jumping ability and unpretentiousness regarding the choice of power source. And although adults feed exclusively on blood, they are not loyal to one owner and are able to parasitize both animals and humans. The human flea (Pulex irritans) is no exception, but still prefers human blood. Presumably, its historical homeland is South America, from where it spread to all continents and now it can be found everywhere.
Distinctive features of the human flea
Like related species, the human flea cannot boast of large dimensions and attractive appearance. What do fleas look like on humans?
- length from 1.5 to 3 mm;
- color in brown tones, from light to brown shades;
- a strongly flattened body on the sides and on the back, which makes the insect invulnerable to mechanical stress;
- 3 pairs of well-developed five-segmented limbs, covered with bristles and hooks, providing comfortable movement for fleas in hair and wool.
- there are no wings.
Human fleas are distinguished from their counterparts by the absence of ridges on the head and thoracic segment, as well as by the location of the ocular setae located below eye level. But these differences can be seen only under a microscope or in a photograph. What a human flea looks like in the photo is shown below.
On a note!
Fleas in people's homes hide in crevices, under skirting boards, in the pile of carpets and rugs. They love places with high humidity, often their accumulations are found in bathrooms.
Human fleas reproduce quite quickly. The productivity of each female is estimated at 400-500 eggs.
- The oviposition is very peculiar. The female can even squeeze the embryos out of herself during the jump, due to which they end up in the most unexpected places. The shell of the eggs is not sticky, and they easily roll off vertical surfaces. The dimensions are very tiny and do not exceed 1mm.
- Under favorable conditions, after 2 days, light worm-shaped larvae appear from the eggs, which, as they grow, acquire a dark color and molt three times. At this stage, flea offspring feed on organic remains or adult excrement. The larvae are very mobile, they can be found in the apartment in flower pots, under baseboards, furniture, near household waste buckets.
- 14 days after birth, having reached a size of 4-5 mm, the larva is sealed in a cocoon. Depending on conditions, this phase lasts from 7 days to 8 months.
What are dangerous bites of jumping insects
On duty, I had to go down to the basement. I had no idea that fleas could attack me. Immediately I began to feel that someone was biting painfully, an unbearable itch appeared. Further we go, worse it becomes. The bites merged into a huge red spot. I had to take Suprastin and treat my legs with Fenistil. The pain continued for a week.
Marina, Volzhsky
How to protect yourself from human fleas
Jumping bloodsuckers live in the natural environment, you can encounter them in the basement, on walks in the park and even on the landing. The best protection against fleas will be closed clothing and the use of repellent sprays, which are based on DEET. You can use flea remedies for humans:
- Gardex;
- Off Extreme;
- Biban.
Bouquets of tansy, mint or decoctions of them will help protect against bites from hungry bloodsuckers.
If the attack of insects could not be avoided, the following manipulations will help:
- Bite sites should be washed with antibacterial soap.
- To relieve itching, apply ice or apply a gruel of soda with ode.
- Antiseptics are used to disinfect the wound.
There is no specific flea medicine for humans in pharmacies. To eliminate edema, itching, ointments Psilo balm, Asterisk are used. For children, the Rescuer, Fenistil is suitable.
In case of fever, difficulty breathing, manifestation of allergic reactions, it is necessary to seek medical help.
We recently purchased an apartment on the second floor. The joy of housewarming was overshadowed by the constant bites of insects unknown to us at that time. They covered the floor with duct tape and found it to be human fleas. They began to look for information on how to remove fleas from a person at home, since they did not want to call exterminators. We bought an inexpensive Medilis Ziper concentrate, spent
A person, like a pet, can become infected with fleas anywhere. An insect that has the ability to jump long distances and to any height can get into the house, being brought on clothes or shoes from the street, and your pet may well bring it on its fur.
The sand flea is considered the most dangerous for humans, a small bite of which threatens a person with the formation of a large purulent wound. In this case, the bloodsucker can continue its life and reproduction already directly in the wound, under the skin.
What does a human flea look like
Measuring up to 3 mm in length, a human flea can jump up to three meters in length. The body of the insect is dark brown, flattened from the sides, which allows it to feel free in human hair and does not threaten to be removed from them by a comb when combing.
Blood-sucking eggs are laid in the crevices of the floor or behind the plinth. For one clutch, each individual lays up to 500 eggs, of which, after half a month, new bloodsuckers appear, carrying a threat of infection with deadly diseases.
A flea does not live long - on average up to three months, but long-lived insects live up to a year and a half. During their lives they produce up to half a thousand direct descendants similar to themselves and several tens of thousands of their “grandchildren” and “great-grandchildren”.
It is almost impossible to kill a human flea: it either runs away quickly or hides, making a dizzying jump. Without food, they can live for a very long time. Therefore, the absence of people in the room for a long time does not mean at all that during this time all dangerous insects will disappear from there.
What are the dangers of fleas
It is known that both, and can be on a person. It is worth emphasizing: all types of fleas do not live on the body of their owners - humans and animals, but only jump on it to get food, and, having eaten, hide in bed, linen, furniture, soft toys, carpets.
Biting through the skin of a person, the bloodsucker does not care at all about the painlessness of his attack - his bites are very painful, cause itching, which provokes multiple scratching of the skin. Bites look like small red spots. Quite often, flea bites lead to an allergic reaction - itching intensifies, as a result, abrasions appear in the places of scratching, in case of infection of which pustules form.
In addition to allergies, a person is threatened by infection from fleas with such dangerous diseases as:
- tuberculosis,
- plague,
- encephalitis,
- anthrax,
- brucellosis,
- salmonellosis,
- rat typhus,
- tularemia,
- rickettsiosis,
- dermatophiliasis,
- pulicosis,
- listeriosis.
Fleas are also dangerous to humans because they are possible carriers of helminths.
Scientists warn: the body of a flea carries the threat of infecting a person with more than 200 diseases.
However, much more common consequences of flea bites along with allergies are:
- swollen lymph nodes;
- temperature rise;
- ulcers on the body and in the mouth;
- headache.
The place of a flea bite in a person should be immediately treated with brilliant green or iodine. In difficult cases, you must seek qualified medical help.
Important: after cleaning with a vacuum cleaner, be sure to throw the dust bag out of the vacuum cleaner, since it is he who can become the center for the development of new thousands of dangerous bloodsuckers. Flea larvae are successfully dealt with with the help of dust.
The house should be treated with aerosols: Raptor, Raid, Combat, Dichlorvos, Get, Lambda Zone, Hangman insect repellent. All surfaces should be treated at a height of up to a meter from the floor.
The most reliable way to get rid of fleas is by calling a professional team of disinfectors from the sanitary and epidemiological station.
How to rid a person of fleas
Particular attention should be paid to getting rid of fleas of the person himself. An effective way can be a hot bath, in which you should stay for at least half an hour.
To remove insects in the head, you need to apply shampoo to your hair while taking a bath and hold it there without washing off for a while.
Then, with a frequent and thick comb, comb your hair, starting from the roots. Then you need to wipe your head with a hard towel. For guaranteed disposal of fleas, this procedure must be carried out three times in one day.
In case of severe itching at the bite sites, antihistamines, cooling sprays, and Fenistil gel will help alleviate the condition. In case of strong scratching, to prevent infection, these places should be treated with antiseptic preparations, for example, Chlorhexidine.
Folk remedies for getting rid of fleas
Tar soap, the smell of which they cannot stand, will also help get rid of insects in the head and on the body.
Prevention of flea infestation
The following precautions will help you avoid flea infestation:
The fact that fleas live on humans is a common misconception that has nothing to do with reality. Most of the time they live in hidden places located in close proximity to food sources. Insect larvae are also not grown on living things. Fleas do not reproduce on a person's head. In the process of growth, the "fry" feed on rotting remains (to the question of the importance of hygiene in the apartment) or simply excrement of adults. Until the larvae reach the appropriate age, they do not pose a threat to us.
Why don't fleas live on people? It's just that their nature doesn't require it. Unlike lice, these insects are very mobile, and it is not difficult for them to quickly change their place of residence. Fleas in a person's hair turn out to be only to visit a "catering" point. The rest of the time they try to stay away from us. The standard body length of a representative of this species is 1.6-3.2 mm. The bite can last from a few seconds to two tens of minutes.
Why bites are dangerous
We figured out whether fleas live on people, now let's talk about the danger of their bites. The standard reaction to contact is pulicosis. Its symptoms are similar to allergic ones:
- profuse rashes and inflammation appear;
- enlarged lymph nodes;
- ulcers form in the area of the oral cavity;
- suppuration occurs;
- the temperature rises, insomnia occurs, headaches bother, and unreasonable irritability.
Other individuals
- call a professional team;
- use a special aerosol;
- apply insecticide powders and dusts.
If you do not want to bother with how to remove human fleas, exposing yourself and your family to the danger of coming into contact with toxic substances, it is better to invite professionals. Specialists will make a complete disinfestation of the premises, while destroying all the larvae. However, getting rid of fleas in a person on their own is not so difficult and much cheaper. From aerosols, products from well-known manufacturers Raid and Raptor receive good responses. Powders are also quite effective. To combat the larvae, dusts are used. Will fleas be able to live in a person's hair after such a treatment? No, but nothing will prevent them from returning soon if you do not pay sufficient attention to the sanitary condition of your home. 
Very often, the problem of how to get fleas out of a person is a consequence of his excessive love for outdoor recreation. If you regularly travel out of town for hunting or fishing, always use bug sprays. Ointments are offered as an alternative but are less effective. We know that fleas cannot live in human hair, but finding a harmless area will not be difficult for them. Spraying the spray on the skin is much easier and faster than smearing the body and head. Also, when going out into nature, dress appropriately. Avoid direct contact with animals.
