There are about 2000 species of fleas in the world. Each species is adapted to its carrier, that is, the host, whose blood they will feed on and multiply on his own body.
Often in St. Petersburg the following types of fleas are found:
- human;
- feline;
- rat;
- canine.
But that doesn't mean that cat flea will not bite a person, but on the contrary, will gladly drink human blood.
Where do fleas come from in the apartment and how to get rid of them?
The main ways of distribution of fleas:
- Contacts of pets on the street with homeless animals. Contact with other pets that are already infested with fleas. Most fleas living in big cities do not care who will be the source of food - a cat or a dog, so they are easily transmitted from dogs to cats and vice versa.
- Backyard lawns in summer. In the warm season, fleas actively breed and lay eggs, which often, along with wool or in contact with grass or shrubs, fall into the grass, where they are picked up by uninfected animals - brought home on their paws or wool.
- Cellars of houses. Warm and damp basements inhabited by rats, mice, stray cats, homeless people, and take off basement fleas. If you do not pay due attention to cleanliness in the house, then fleas will successfully spread to the entrance, and then on their own, in animal hair, on people's clothes, they will get into apartments.
With the onset of a harsh time - a drop in temperature or lack of food, they are able to hibernate for several months. When conditions return to normal, the fleas become active and begin to voraciously drink blood from their prey.
Where do fleas hide in the apartment?
Many mistakenly believe that fleas settle on their prey, for example, on a cat or dog, this is not so. Fleas do not lead a flocking lifestyle and do not form nests, but they, like free hunters, attack the victim to quench their thirst for blood, after which they hide in secluded places.
If cats or dogs live in the apartment, then right in their thick wool after the next feeding they lay their eggs. Sticky flea eggs at first securely stick to the wool, but then the mucus dries up and the eggs fall on the floor in the apartment, and where this will happen is not predictable.
The main places where you should look for fleas in an infected apartment:
- floor and all adjacent surfaces at a height of up to one and a half meters;
- behind skirting boards, in cracks and crevices, behind wallpaper extending from below;
- bedding, carpets and other favorite resting places for pets;
- in cases when there were a lot of fleas in the apartment- beds, sofas and bedding.
Unsanitary conditions and uncleanliness of the inhabitants of the apartment only exacerbate the problem and give fleas every chance of successful survival and reproduction in the room with the capture of new territories - neighbors.
Signs of fleas in the apartment
To be sure determine the appearance of fleas in the apartment and not confuse them, for example, with bed bugs, you should check the apartment for the most obvious signs.
- Scabies and unusual behavior of a pet - concern, irritability of a cat or dog.
- There were inflammations on the skin, similar to allergies or insect bites, especially if it was on the legs.
- We noticed small black dots on the floor or furniture that move in sharp jumps.
If at least one of the above signs is clearly expressed, then the next step is to determine the extent of infection of the apartment. This will help a thorough examination of the animal and its bedding, combing the wool on a white sheet. White sheets of paper on the floor.
If a large population of fleas is found in the apartment, a simple wet cleaning using dichlorvos is no longer enough, but you have to organize a full-fledged flea persecution.
Why are fleas dangerous to humans?
The appearance of fleas in the apartment ultimately leads to unpleasant consequences and unpleasant bites are only a small fraction of what everything can turn out to be.
The enzyme, which is contained in the flea's saliva, not only causes swelling at the site of the bite, but also delivers an unpleasant itch and can heal for a long time and painfully. In this case, an infection can get into the wound. Moreover, complications in the form of severe allergic reactions are possible.
Poor health of a pet with possible complications, including infestations with worms. Constant itching from bites makes animals nervous. Pain is excruciating. Various skin diseases are possible, the treatment of which will also bring suffering to animals.
Destruction of fleas in an apartment in St. Petersburg
If one or two individuals are found in an apartment where there are no pets, it is quite possible to get by with folk methods of getting rid of fleas. Fleas do not tolerate strong odors, most often they use wormwood or Persian tansy leaves, pine sawdust or shavings, a mixture of salt and soda, or ordinary turpentine are suitable. The main thing is to endure these smells steadfastly and patiently or leave the apartment for a couple of days.
However, folk remedies will no longer help from a large colony of fleas in an apartment or house; professional flea disinsection using modern drugs will be required.
Flea disinfection gives instant result. Due to the small size of insects, as well as their activity at any time of the day, the action of the drug leads to the rapid destruction of all individuals in the fog-treated room.
How long a flea can live without feeding on blood outside the animal depends on environmental conditions and on the stage of the insect's life cycle. To begin with, let's establish how many years, months or days earthen fleas are able to live in different circumstances - favorable and extreme.
How long do fleas live in artificial conditions
In the laboratory
Under laboratory conditions, adult cat fleas live for months. In one artificial system, the maximum lifespan was 86 days. In another experiment, when fleas were fed human blood, their lifespan reached 139-185 days!
On an animal
The flea lives on the body of the host for a long time, provided that the animal does not take care of itself. For example, one experiment showed that 94.1% of females and 89.2% of males survived on cats for 14 days. In another experience, the cats had their nails trimmed and tapered collars were put on to prevent hygienic grooming. After 50 days, 85% of females and 60% of males were still alive. And after 113 days, 76% of females and 50% of males were still living on cats.
How long do fleas live and how do they die in natural conditions
Animal hygiene habits are a major factor in flea mortality
How many fleas do cats clean out
How long does a cat flea live without a cat
Some animals take better care of themselves than others.
Animal age factor
How long does a flea live outside the animal at extreme temperatures
Cold and frost
Sub-zero temperatures are deadly for fleas. At a temperature slightly below zero, adults that have emerged from cocoons die within 5 days. At 3-5 degrees above zero, fleas die within 10 days. The lower survival limit is +8 degrees - at this temperature, 50% of fleas survive for 20 days. So in winter, fleas do not live on the street without an animal. Immature fleas are more sensitive to cold than adults. Eggs and larvae will not develop if the temperature does not exceed +13 degrees.
Heat and dryness
Heat above 35 degrees is deadly for fleas. At low relative humidity, fleas die within 2 days. In addition, the larvae at this temperature die inside the cocoons. The flea population does not survive outdoors if the heat is above +35˚C for more than 40 hours in a month.
How long can adult fleas live without food?
After emerging from the cocoon
At home, adults newly emerging from cocoons must drink their first blood within a week so as not to die of hunger. In a number of experiments, they survived longer, but two weeks is the ceiling. 95% of young hungry fleas at +24˚C and 78% relative humidity die in 15 days, and at +22.5˚C and 60% relative humidity in 12.3 days.
Fleas that do not feed on blood survive much longer, up to 40 days, in a humid environment at a relatively low temperature. In cool, damp air (62%), young fleas can survive even 70 days without animal blood. But such conditions are found only in the basements of apartment buildings, and not in residential premises.
Discarded from the master
Once on the host, fleas immediately begin to feed. During the day, the insect doubles in size and triples the supply of proteins in the body. Once dropped from the animal, the flea loses its accumulated weight and protein supply in 12 hours. After 12 hours of fasting, death can occur as a result of malnutrition. If fleas only have access to food for 2-3 hours a day, they are malnourished.
blood addiction threshold
When feeding on a host, at some point fleas pass a milestone beyond which they need a constant source of blood to survive. It's like a drug addiction. Removed from the animal after 5 days of feeding, males die within 48 hours, and females - 96 hours. Survival outside the animal increases dramatically (up to 14 days) if the initial feeding period is limited to 12 hours, as in this case the dependence threshold is not reached.
Where do fleas live in an apartment if there are no animals (photo)
In the absence of animals, flea habitation in the apartment is limited to shaded, cool areas on the floor, where they are not too noticeable.
Can fleas live in the hair and on the human body
Fleas do not live on a person, unlike head and pubic lice, after feeding on blood, they immediately leave the human body. If the flea is disturbed during feeding, the insect may linger on the clothes from the underside. In rare cases, a flea stays in clothes for 1-2 days without finding a way out, and occasionally bites. Fleas do not prefer humans as hosts because of their scanty hairline.
It is unlikely that a flea will lay its eggs in human hair. Firstly, these insects are physically unable to get to the head, fleas jump to the level of the ankle. In addition, having hit a person, a flea does not travel over it - it immediately bites to drink blood, and immediately gets out.
How many live and where do eggs and flea larvae live
How long does it take for flea eggs to hatch
In an apartment, most flea eggs end up in floor carpets and animal bedding. Incubation of eggs requires a combination of suitable temperature and humidity, and the microclimate inside the carpet pile is ideal. In an apartment at room temperature, the larva emerges from the egg in 2-3 days. In less comfortable conditions, the period of egg development lasts 8-12 days.
How long do flea larvae develop
The period of development of the larva, depending on the conditions, varies from 5 to 45 days. In addition to a comfortable temperature and humidity, flea larvae need enough food. The larvae feed on semi-digested dry blood, which is excreted in the form of imago excrement. In an apartment where an infected pet lives, carpets and bedding abound in both eggs and flea excrement.
As a rule, in an apartment, the period of development of the larva to pupation is 7-12 days. In a cooler and drier environment and with poorer nutrition, the larvae develop for 28-45 days.
How long is the pupal stage
The pupal stage consists of three stages: prepupa, pupa, and preimaginal stage. These stages take place inside the cocoon and usually last 7-19 days in total. Males develop 14-20% longer than females. With a decrease in environmental temperature, the period of development of the pupa increases. For example, at a temperature of 27˚C, the female develops for 8 days, the male for 10 days, and at a temperature of 15˚C, the female develops for 27 days, and the male for 32 days.
The timing of pupal development is also affected by relative humidity and how well the larva fed. The more abundant the food was at the larval stage, the longer the pupal stage lasts. This is due to the fact that the biological mechanism for exiting the cocoon is triggered when the body's fluid and nutrient reserves reach a critical level. In one experiment, a larva that was starving before pupation passed the pupal stage in 8 days, and a larvae that was richly fed in 56 days.
But the preimaginal stage, when an adult flea has developed from the larva, but has not yet emerged from the cocoon, can last much longer - up to 5 months. The trigger mechanism for the exit of the adult from the cocoon is the presence of the future host, which the insects recognize by temperature and pressure when they step on. The flea will not come out of the cocoon until it receives these signals.
How quickly fleas die during insecticidal treatment
After synchronous treatment of the premises and pets, adult fleas die within 1-2 days. But deep into the carpet, where eggs, larvae and pupae hide, the insecticide does not penetrate. In addition, the cocoon reliably protects the pupa from chemical attack.
After how many days to do re-treatment from fleas
When using contact preparations of prolonged action, adults emerging from cocoons will die within 3-4 weeks. However, over time, the properties of the chemical weaken. It is recommended to re-treat the premises in 2-3 weeks. As a rule, two or three treatments are enough to bring out a colony of domestic fleas.
Sources:
- Wade, S. E. & Georgi, J. R. Survival and reproduction of artificially fed cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis Bouché (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) // J. Med. Entomol. 25, 186–190 (1988)
- Kern, W. H., Koehler, P. G. & Patterson, R. S. Diel Patterns of Cat Flea (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) Egg and Fecal Deposition // Journal of Medical Entomology 29, 203–206 (1992)
- Rust, M. K. Interhost movement of adult cat fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) // J. Med. Entomol. 31, 486–489 (1994)
- Hinkle, N. C., Koehler, P. G. & Patterson, R. S. Host Grooming Efficiency for Regulation of Cat Flea (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) Populations // Journal of Medical Entomology 35, 266–269 (1998)
- Dryden, M. W. Host association, on-host longevity and egg production of Ctenocephalides felis felis // Veterinary Parasitology 34, 117–122 (1989)
- Dryden, M. W. Biology of Fleas of Dogs and Cats // The Compendium on Continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian 15, 569–578 (1993)
And yet, each species of flea has its own characteristics, so a few sentences, of course, cannot be a sufficient description for several insects of this order at once. The following describes in detail the types of fleas with photos and their key characteristics. This information will help you figure out:
- What do fleas look like at different stages of development?
- How they breed
- How are they different from each other
- What danger do
- Who gets bitten the most
- Where are they found
This article discusses the official scientific classification of the mentioned species. In everyday life, people often give names to fleas on their own, focusing on the place or carrier on which the fleas were found. This approach has nothing to do with the actual definition of species. Cat, dog, human, rat and sand fleas are not fleas that live only on cats, only on rats or only in sand, they are quite specific species with specific features.
In order to avoid confusion with Russian names, the description of each flea species will contain the Latin name of the insect in question.
- The official scientific name of the species in Latin is Pulex irritans.
- Also called house flea.
- The species is believed to be native to South America, where guinea pigs and artiodactyl peccaries were its first carriers.
- The species is currently distributed throughout the world.
- An adult insect has dimensions ranging from 0.5 to 4 millimeters.
- The color of the insect can vary from light beige to dark brown.
- Without magnification, a human flea looks like a dark moving dot.
- Moves by jumps up to 2 meters and even more.
- Lays eggs that look like whitish rice grains, but no larger than 0.5 millimeters in size.
- Human flea larvae up to 0.6 mm long are covered with hairs.
- The entire life cycle can take from 3 months to 1.5 years, depending on environmental conditions and external circumstances.
- Causes pulicosis, can carry plague, leprosy, typhus and rat fever, tapeworms and other helminths.
- It bites people, dogs, cats, rodents, ungulates, birds, wild animals.
- The official scientific name of the species in Latin is Ctenocephalides felis.
- For the first time, the species was officially mentioned in 1835 in the scientific works of the German botanist and entomologist Peter Friedrich Busche.
- Now cat fleas are common throughout the world.
- An adult insect usually measures 1-2 millimeters.
- The color is red-brown, females may have beige stripes due to the visibility of eggs with offspring, which she carries inside herself for some time.
- Visually, without magnification, cat fleas look like dark moving dots.
- Eggs up to 0.5 millimeters in size, the flea lays 20–30 eggs per day.
- In a lifetime, one flea is capable of laying from 2 to 8 thousand eggs, but in reality this figure rarely exceeds a hundred.
- Cat flea larvae are small caterpillars, up to 2 millimeters long and covered with hairs.
- The pupae are immobile, brown in color, resembling already fully formed insects.
- The entire life cycle can take from 3 months to 3 years, depending on environmental conditions and external circumstances.
- It can cause pulicosis, cause flea allergic dermatitis, carry rickettsiosis, brucellosis, mouse typhus, Lyme disease, tapeworms.
- It bites people, domestic cats, dogs, wild predators and omnivores.
- The official scientific name of the species in Latin is Ctenocephalides canis.
- The species was first mentioned in the scientific writings of the English entomologist and illustrator John Curtis in 1826.
- Currently distributed throughout the world.
- An adult insect measures 2 to 3.5 millimeters.
- Color varies in tones of brown.
- The body is flattened on the sides and covered with hairs directed along the body, which allows the flea to move freely in the animal's coat.
- Dog fleas are difficult to notice due to the structure of the body, visually they look like barely visible dark dots.
- They lay pearl-colored eggs ranging in size from 0.1 to 0.5 millimeters.
- In a lifetime, it can lay up to 4 thousand eggs.
- The larvae are worm-like, 1.5 to 5 mm long.
- Including all stages of transformation, dog fleas can live from 3 months to 1.5 years.
- It differs from the cat flea in the shape of the head and some features of the arrangement of the hind limbs.
- It can be a carrier of Marseilles fever and rickettsiosis, cause ctenocephalosis, provoke dipilidiosis, and be a source of trypanosomatides.
- It is more selective in food than human and cat fleas, prefers to bite dogs, can bite cats, people, rodents, raccoons and marsupials.
There are two types of rat fleas: southern rat fleas and northern rat fleas.
Northern rat fleas
- The official scientific name of the species in Latin is Xenopsylla cheopis.
- May also be referred to as oriental rat fleas or tropical rat fleas.
- The species was discovered and first described in 1903 during an expedition of banker Nathaniel Charles Rothschild and entomologist Heinrich Ernst Karl Jordan to Egypt.
- The species has spread throughout the world thanks to rats climbing on merchant ships.
- Currently distributed throughout the world.
- In Russia, it is more common in large metropolitan areas.
- Color is dark brown.
- The adult is about 2.5 mm long.
- The flea lays eggs ranging in size from 0.1 to 0.3 millimeters on the days when it manages to get enough blood.
- Under favorable conditions, the female can lay up to 50 eggs per day, up to 600 in a lifetime.
- Dirty white larvae up to 2 mm long are extremely mobile.
- A flea can live from 4 months to 1.5 years, depending on environmental conditions.
- The southern rat flea is capable of jumping up to 50 centimeters.
- It is a carrier of bubonic plague, rat rickettsiosis, mouse typhus, spotted and Marseille fever, anthrax, helminthiases.
- Prefers to drink the blood of rodents, but can also bite humans.
House fleas are not a separate type of insect, but one of the names of the human flea. The official scientific name of the species in Latin is Pulex irritans. See its description and photo in the "Human flea" section above.
sand flea
Earth fleas are not a separate type of insect, but one of the names of the sand flea. Fully it sounds like "Brazilian earthen flea." The official scientific name of the species in Latin is Tunga penetrans. See its description and photo in the "Sand Flea" section above.
There are many insects that annoy both humans and animals. One of them is a flea, everyone knows. It belongs to the order of blood-sucking hematophagous insects, which contains about 2000 species. The insect is very ancient, lived in the Paleocene period. With the advent of different types of animals on earth, new types of bloodsuckers appeared. What they look like, what danger they pose and other facts are presented here.
Human flea - what it looks like, photo
Life cycle and reproduction of fleas
- laying eggs;
- Exit of larvae;
- chrysalis transformation.
- hatching of the formed insect - imago.
Fleas, being in the form of a larva, gnaw out a hole for themselves to exit with sharp teeth. They have a very strong natural survival rate, but there are factors that can kill the larvae:
- Long-term low temperatures - up to -50 degrees.
- High temperatures - up to + 40 C.
- Permanent presence in the water.
- Exposure to direct sunlight.
Reproduction of blood-sucking insects is complex. Mating can last 8-10 hours. This process in fleas begins after filling their body with the blood of the “donor”. After the act of fertilization, females lay eggs in batches. An individual can lay 10 eggs at a time, and 500 in a lifetime. Hides its clutch of fleas in rags, dust, woolen products, and other suitable places. The eggs are small, white as grains of rice. Fleas appeared in the apartment, what they look like larvae: similar to helminths, no eyes and limbs, but they are very mobile. The body is covered with micro-hairs. Young animals feed on dried blood, feces of adult relatives and other biological substances. Fleas breed quickly, so you need to take this into account in the fight against them.
What fleas can harm a person
Basically, all types of known fleas live in houses and apartments: cat, dog, human. Each of them can pose a threat:
There is a danger from bites, but serious consequences are extremely rare.
Flea bite: what it looks like, treatment
When the bloodsucker bites, it leaves behind a small speck of a pinkish hue. The flea secretes its saliva into the blood, which causes allergies in some people. A human flea leaves a trail, like a cigarette burn. First, blisters swell, then quickly disappear, and in their place a small blood smudge appears. The strength of harm to the human body depends on personal tolerance and immunity. Dried wounds may not heal for a week.
Bed flea bites usually localized on the legs and feet. An attack is also possible in other open places if the person was sleeping. Treatment primarily boils down to disinfecting the bite site, eliminating itching. For the treatment to be effective, step-by-step actions should be followed: wipe the wound with an antiseptic, then put ice, then smear the affected area with an ointment or compress from a decoction of herbs. Often, such events are sufficient. But in exceptional cases, a visit to the doctor is required. This condition can be determined by a deterioration in general well-being, the release of pus from the hole, and an increase in body temperature.
Allergy to flea bites
A reaction to blood-sucking insects occurs in many. If there fleas in the house, what do they look like symptoms of complications after bites:
- hyperthermia - up to 40 degrees;
- liquid stool;
- chills;
- intermittent breathing;
- feeling of anxiety.
Worst of all, anaphylactic shock may develop. The above symptoms are a reason for urgent medical attention.
What diseases do fleas carry?
In medicine, cases of infection with 25 types of diseases are described, some of them are especially severe, for example:
- Hepatitis - C, A.
- Typhus.
- Tick-borne encephalitis, tularemia.
Insects also infect with worms. To do this, it is necessary that the eggs of helminths enter the digestive tract. Cat and dog lovers become victims of infestations through contact with pets.
Ways to deal with fleas
Chemicals
Folk ways
During the coexistence of people with harmful insects, more sparing human body means of combating fleas were found. This is the only way out for allergy sufferers, families with children, those who have breathing problems. Folk recipes have been tested for years, so they are worthy of attention. Bed fleas how to get rid of: an excellent effect is given by the freezing of linen, taking out all the accessories in the cold. In the summer you can dry your laundry in the sun. There are simple home methods for self-expulsion of bloodsuckers:
Salt and soda- both components are divorced in the calculation: 1st. spoon of each means in 200 gr. water. It is sprayed on the surfaces of furniture, floors. The solution corrodes insects without harming people and animals. Here you can see what do linen fleas look like.
Oranges, lemons -uh essential oil irritates bloodsuckers, forcing them to leave the room. Citrus peels are laid out in the rooms, where do bed fleas come from, furniture and things are sprayed with juice.
"White"- also fights pests with its pungent odor. You can wash the floor with the addition of bleach and a few drops of ammonia.
You can also successfully use any perfume liquids, lay out plants in the house - tansy, wormwood, mint. If they annoy bed fleas how to get rid of at home can be viewed on the internet.
Causes of home fleas
Human housing is inhabited mainly by bed, human, basement fleas. As separate species they do not exist, their names imply: cat, rat, dog fleas. The reasons for their appearance:
First floor of the house- this is the most favorite place for pests, they settle in the basement. Spread along with the release of rats. Warm conditions allow an instant population increase.
Man- brings fleas into the home on clothes, shoes, in bags. A few individuals are enough and in a month they will breed in huge quantities.
Ventilation- insects can enter the home without outside help. They move through the air hole and calmly reach the rooms in the house or apartment. Then you have to long and hard to expel them.
What do bed fleas look like?
How to spot bed fleas
Prevention of fleas in the house
It is not difficult to prevent the appearance of biting insects. If work or leisure activities involve animals, sprays with a repellent should be used before contact. All clothing should be treated, as well as exposed parts of the body, except for the face. It is advisable to inspect your pets more often, as dogs run around garbage dumps and communicate with other animals. It is better to play it safe, buy protective equipment for cats and dogs, and just in case, an allowance : how to remove bed fleas. Now collars, drops, sprays are sold in veterinary pharmacies, which process the animal's hair. Do not create heaps of garbage near the house.
Watch a video of what a flea looks like under a microscope:
The body of fleas is laterally compressed, narrow, smooth, is equipped with bristles and spikes that help to move and stay in the thick wool and between the feathers of the hosts, in the folds of clothing, as well as in the substrate of their nests and in burrows. The head and thorax often have serrated ridges ( ctenidia).
The size of the flea varies from species to species. from 1 to 5 mm, but in females of some species it can reach 10 mm due to hypertrophic growth of the abdomen after the start of feeding.
Antennae are always located behind simple eyes and at rest are placed in special recesses - antennal fossae.
The antennae may be used by males to hold the female during copulation.. Flea mouthparts piercing-sucking type.
It is characterized by transformation into stylets of the epipharynx (unpaired stylet) and lacinium (paired stylets), which articulate with the maxillary lobes.
The lower lip with a pair of labial palps has been transformed into case flaps for proboscis components. Mandibles in adult fleas are completely lost.. The chest is equipped with strong limbs, which provide the insect with rapid movement in the integument of the host, the ability to stay on rough surfaces at any angle.
They often move in jumps, using the second and especially the third pair of legs to push. In the back of the abdomen, behind tergite VIII, there is a peculiar sensory organ that is available only in fleas - abdominal sensillium, or pygidium, equipped with trichobothria (tactile hairs) and capable of picking up air vibrations.
According to the nature of changes in ploidy, the following are distinguished types of life cycles:
- Haplophase: the organism during the whole cycle has a single set of chromosomes (n, haploid); these life cycles are characteristic of many bacteria and protists that do not have a sexual process.
- Haplophase with zygotic reduction: after the formation of the zygote (2n), meiosis occurs, and the remaining stages of the life cycle are haploid (this life cycle is typical for many green and other algae, as well as most other groups of protists and fungi).
- Diplophasic with gametic reduction: all stages of the life cycle are diploid (2n), only gametes are haploid (n) - a life cycle characteristic of multicellular animals.
- haplo-diplophase: both at the diploid and haploid stages, mitotic divisions occur, leading to reproduction or growth, and diploid and haploid generations are present in the life cycle - a life cycle with an intermediate (sporic) reduction, characteristic of all higher plants, as well as foraminifera and some other protists.
By the number of generations (ontogenies) in the life cycle:
- Simple: The cycle includes one generation.
- Complicated: cycle includes two or more generations; such a life cycle is typical, for example, for many cnidarians (alternation of generations of polyps and jellyfish), for most trematodes (alternation of generations of maritas, sporocysts and radishes).
Appearance
However, the worst thing is these little creatures. With the help of a special piercing-sucking apparatus, the flea pierces an inconspicuous hole on the surface of the skin of its host and is saturated with its blood.
Signs by which you can recognize an insect are a smooth body that has a narrow texture and is somewhat flattened on the sides. It is also worth paying attention to the bristles and small spikes that are located throughout the body and serve to ensure that the flea has the opportunity to move and stay on the fur of its victim.
The head and chest of the insect are covered with so-called toothed combs or ctendia. As for the size of an adult, it ranges from 1 to 5 millimeters. And the females, who managed to get enough, sometimes reach 10 millimeters in length.
The head of the flea is equipped with special antennae, which, if not needed, hide in the antennae pits, and when the insects go hunting, they reappear in order to find the most vulnerable spot.
How many legs does a flea have? The flea makes its jumps with the help of three pairs of strong enough paws which are located on the belly. The sensory organ, which is located on the back of the body, is designed to instantly capture air vibrations in the environment.
Today there are approx. It is also interesting that the representatives of this family often deprived of the organs of vision or have the simplest manifestations of it.
More about such types as:,.
Studying the vital activity of fleas and the characteristics of their body is possible only with the help of a microscope. The largest collection of copies is in the British Museum. It was collected in Tring by scientists N. Rothschild and K. Jordan.
A photo
What a flea looks like, close-up photo:
Where do fleas live?
A very large number of flea species is determined by suitable climatic conditions. It is widely believed that the number of fleas varies depending on the season.
When the cold period comes, the number rarely decreases, and vice versa, - with the advent of warmth, insects are active. The hot summer months are especially active in this respect.
The greatest danger is fleas, which are capable of harming them. Fleas often nest in rodent burrows.. As for residential premises, they are most often found in small cracks in the floor, under covers and in dusty places where a person is not able to penetrate.
It is noteworthy that in a lifetime, a female flea is able to lay about 400 eggs.
Fighting methods
Behavior and detection of fleas
Fleas are enough active and very well feel the approach of danger thanks to sensory organs that catch the slightest shudders of the air. That is why the flea almost impossible to disarm with bare hands.
It is highly likely that she will move to another owner and continue to be saturated with his blood. It should also not be forgotten that most fleas are not on the animal itself, but in its environment, which makes it difficult to control the pest.
As you know, it is easier to prevent than to cure later. This will help you with special collars for animals, which are impregnated with insecticides.
How long does a flea live?
The optimal temperature regime for the development of a flea is 18 - 27 degrees, and the most suitable humidity is 70 - 100%. In such conditions, the flea grows in 20 - 49 days.
If the humidity drops below 60%, then the larva stops the development process, and they die in the water.
It is interesting that if the environmental conditions cannot be called favorable, then the period when the flea remains clogged in a cocoon can be significantly longer.
Complete metamorphosis- this is how fleas develop. This means that the larva appears first from the egg that hatches as an adult. This larva then turns into a pupa. The larvae do not become a great danger and unable to harm.
This is only a transitional stage, the ultimate goal of which is an adult insect, which in the scientific world is called an imago. It is these latter that maintain their vital activity by feeding on the blood of animals and people.
The adult flea produces eggs that have a dry surface and usually fall into the insect's nest or onto the floor. The larvae that emerge from the eggs after some time whitish in color and lack legs and organs of vision.
They can be observed in the cracks of the coatings or in the carpets. If their immediate carrier lives in the basement, then attention should be paid, first of all, to heaps of garbage and various household rubbish.
Flea larvae that threaten cats, dogs and humans sometimes settle on green lawns. There they have the opportunity to receive nourishment from the juice of plants.
Also, they are thus protected from the harmful effects of sunlight. Very often, owners of farms where pigs are bred become victims of fleas.
The period of egg development varies from several days to several weeks. depending on environmental conditions. The life cycle of the larva is approximately two to four weeks.
When this period ends, the larva begins to build a cobweb cocoon, which becomes its refuge until the time comes for rebirth into an adult flea that can get its own food on its own.
In a clogged state, the insect can stay up to several months.. It often happens that even the imago does not want to get out of the protective cocoon and does this only when it senses a potential victim.
Human harm
The main impetus for the study of fleas was the fact that they can carry the plague.
In modern conditions, the reason that makes us consider this problem with special attention is also pets. This is can even lead to real illness(for details on whether fleas are dangerous to humans and what diseases they carry, read).
The fact that fleas sometimes they are intermediate carriers of some types of worms that can seriously disrupt the functioning of some human organs and lead to the loss of a significant amount of nutrients. Probably no one will be happy to hear that fleas carry deadly infections.
Sometimes there are so many fleas in a room inhabited by pets that people are simply not able to withstand their invasion. This fact can quite strongly affect the nervous system of the owners of the house. In addition, a reaction that appears on the skin is possible.
There are times when a fertilized female settles under the skin of the host. As an example, we can designate a sand flea, because of which wounds and sores often appear on the body, located to suppuration.
Adhering fleas are not limited to single manifestations, but prone to forming entire colonies on bird heads or cat ears.
An equally dangerous disease that fleas can spread is endemic typhus, potential victims of which are residents of port cities.
Interestingly, adult fleas infected with a certain infection do not pass it on to their offspring, but they themselves are able to remain carriers of dangerous diseases all their lives.
Tularemia, erysipeloid, pseudotuberculosis, brucellosis, melioidosis, pasteurellosis, anthrax- this is not a complete list of the diseases that fleas can bestow on a person.
