FLEA FACTS
- 1 adult flea can lay 50-60 eggs a day.
- Some fleas can jump 150 times their own length.
- Fleas are often confused with bedbugs, lice and ticks.
Fleas
 | Cat Flea and Dog Flea Ctenocephalides spp.The adults of both the cat flea and the dog flea are very similar in appearance. Although both are found throughout the United States, the cat flea is usually more common. The adults of both species feed on blood with their piercing-sucking mouthparts and prefer dogs, cats or man as hosts, although they may be found on a variety of other animals, including rats. They prefer locations where dust and organic debris accumulate and are found in houses, under buildings and in yards. |
Flea's Life CycleFleas have a complete metamorphosis. The smooth, round, light-colored eggs are approximately ½mm long. The larvae, dirty-white in color, are about ¼" long when fully developed. They have 13 body segments with projecting hairs on each segment, a pair of hook-like appendages on the last abdominal segment and chewing mouthparts but no legs. The cocoon, in which the third instar larvae pupates, measures approximately 1/8" to 1/16" long by 1/64" wide, and is covered with sand, dust or other debris. |