A Pest Controllers Guide to The  Flea

Introduction to the Flea.

Fleas as adults are parasites on warm blooded animals. These are known as hosts.

There are around three thousand known species of flea but the most predominant is the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis and is responsible for about 70% of all complaints. Other fleas include dog fleas, bird fleas and very rarely human fleas.

Life cycle of the Cat flea.

Adult fleas feed on blood and after every feed, the female lays 4 to 8 adhesive eggs in the fur or feathers of the host or more usually in its bedding.

Cats bedding may support a flea population of 8000 pre-adult fleas and 2000 adult fleas.

A single female is capable of producing up to 1000 eggs in her two year lifespan. The eggs hatch after about a week, they are then known as larvae, they feed on undigested blood and excreta left by the adults.

After 2-3 weeks of growing they begin to spin a tiny silken cocoon in which they can pupate. Three days later the cocooned larvae moult to reveal the creamy-white pupa, these pupa are capable of remaining dormant for 8 months until the vibrations of a host can be felt, they then hatch and jump towards the source of vibration, this is then the start of the life cycle all over again.