Cat flea: what it looks like, what to do

Having pets is not the only reason why fleas appear in your home. Practice shows that they settle not only in private houses, but also in apartments in multi-storey buildings. Although insects are called earth insects, some species are true bloodsuckers that feed on the blood of not only animals, but also people.

The body of these insects reaches a length of five millimeters. It is covered with bristles and flattened on the sides. Due to the structure of their body, fleas are able to firmly adhere to any vertical surfaces, fur, and folds of clothing. Insects have a powerful hind pair of legs. This allows you to make fairly high jumps.

Causes of earth fleas

There are several main ways fleas enter a home:

• Fleas enter first-floor apartments and private houses from the basement, through the smallest cracks in the floor;
• Pets walking through the grass pick up parasites, bringing them into the house;
• Often fleas are brought in by people themselves on their clothes;
• If one of the apartments of a multi-storey building is heavily infested, insects, in search of a larger area, crawl into neighboring apartments;
• Rodents (mice, rats, hamsters) are also carriers of fleas;
• Fleas can enter an apartment through an open door.

Dampness is the main factor influencing the appearance of fleas. This is a favorable environment for parasites, allowing them to live comfortably and actively reproduce. Insects also love warmth, so they can often be found in well-heated rooms in winter. If, in addition to this, the home does not meet hygienic and sanitary standards, you can be sure that fleas will definitely appear in this place.

Fleas do not need to be constantly on their prey. Having had their fill of blood, they are able to hide for a long time in baseboards and other secluded places.

( Video: “How to get rid of fleas in a house or apartment quickly, effectively and safely”)

Linen flea

This is a collective concept. This type includes all fleas that can hide in bedding. Often, linen parasites are fleas from pets or humans that breed and live in beds or furniture. Linen fleas enter the room through animals, on outer clothing, from neighbors, through open doors.

Activity of linen parasites is observed day and night. Usually exposed areas of the body are attacked (back, stomach, legs, arms, etc.). A flea differs from a bug in that it bites at any time of the day, jumps very far, and is red or brown-black in color.

Why are earth fleas dangerous?

It all depends on the type of parasite.
Of course, there are earth fleas that feed on blood. In our region, herbivorous fleas are most often found, but they are not dangerous to humans. But they are capable of causing serious damage to the crop. During the dry season, pests attack cultivated plants, sucking the juice out of them. This leads to dehydration and death of the plants. The main symptoms of the appearance of earthen fleas in the garden plot:

• dark spots on leaves;
• plant leaves are completely eaten away;
• holes appear on the stems;
• a seemingly healthy plant suddenly dries up;
• clusters of small bugs can be seen on the inflorescences.

As for the home, when pests get here they attack indoor plants. Ground fleas can be found on harvested crops, but they do not feed on the fruit, so there is no need to worry about this.

Fleas, like any other parasites, can be carriers of diseases dangerous to humans. Therefore, when insects are found in the house, it is necessary to urgently take measures to destroy them.

What earth fleas look like (photo)

Earth flea

This parasite usually lives in basements or local areas. The life cycle can reach 1.5 years, during which the insect easily tolerates hunger. Insects pose the main danger to residents of private homes. They can penetrate inside the home and quickly multiply there.

One female can breed up to 500 new individuals. After a bite, the body becomes covered with red spots that last for a short time. Like other representatives of fleas, this species carries a number of dangerous diseases. The insect is more active in the summer-autumn period, which is associated with walking pets and gardening.

Earth flea bites can be found on open areas of the body, most often on the legs. After the meal, the insect immediately leaves the victim.

The danger of flea bites is that they are carriers of various diseases. Allergic reactions and inflammatory processes at the bite sites are also possible. But it is almost impossible to identify what type of flea has bitten you.

Earth flea bites on humans

Due to the small size of fleas, without a microscope it is impossible to determine what type of parasite is in your home. People often notice fleas biting their legs. This means that you have a type of parasite that feeds on blood. These fleas are universal. For example, the rat flea parasitizes not only rodents. It can attack pets and humans.

Once inside a home, parasites leave the body of their victim, hiding in basements and other secluded places. When hungry, the insects go hunting again. If possible, they attack not only animals, but also people.

Where do earth fleas live, reproduction and nutrition

The earth flea has an interesting, unusual life. Some representatives are so picky about food that they feed on one specific type of plant, but then eat the leaves so much that the plant quickly dies. The larvae develop in the soil, its top layer and eat the roots of plants. You can see what flea eggs look like in this picture; it shows the entire cycle from egg to adult insect.

“Earth” bugs got their name due to the fact that they overwinter in the ground, less often under leaves and in the bark of trees, and after hibernation, with the onset of warmth, they wake up and appear on the surface. That's when you can see what earthen fleas look like. This is exactly the time when young plants suffer from their jaws; they eat a lot as they prepare to reproduce. Fleas eat the plant from the inside, almost completely eat up the leaves, turning them into lacy greenery, the larvae feed on soft tissues, so that only a dry skeleton may remain of the young shoots. In some cases, the future crop will be destroyed on the vine. And in the south, due to the hot climate, females give birth to two offspring per year. They are especially harmful in dry, hot weather.

Insects lay their eggs, several dozen in number, directly next to the nurse plant in the spring or early summer, it all depends on the climate in the region. After a few days, the larvae appear, and after 4-6 weeks they turn into an adult insect.

Earth fleas can only be brought into an apartment or house by accident; here they can eat indoor plants, but nothing is known about cases of them attacking humans.

Now that you know what earth fleas look like, you won’t confuse them with blood-sucking parasites. If you have basement fleas in your apartment, or your pet brought bloodsuckers from the street, then this is a completely different story that requires continuation in the form of a tough fight and total destruction.

Watch a video about where fleas come from in the basement of an apartment building and how to get rid of them.

Controlling parasites in the home

Regardless of what type of fleas you have in your home, these parasites must be dealt with. If no measures are taken, they will soon multiply, which will lead to severe infection of the house. Naturally, in this case, the fight against parasites will be difficult and lengthy.

There are special chemicals designed to combat these parasites. Also, in some cases, you can use folk remedies. Regardless of which option you use, you need to make some preliminary preparations:

• Determine where fleas are coming from to prevent further infiltration;
• Block all routes through which parasites can enter your home;
• Wash all items at high temperatures.

Remedies for earthen fleas

The following are widely popular:

• "Sinoisan";
• "Effective Ultra";
• "Biorin";
• "Chlorpyrimark."

These remedies have long proven their effectiveness. They come in the form of sprays, aerosols, powders or crayons. There are also other poisons that can quickly solve your problem:

• Preparations containing pyrethrin will help you quickly get rid of parasites. Such drugs have a paralytic effect. They have a negative effect on the nervous system of insects, which leads to rapid death. Such poisons include permethrin, phenothrin.
• Karbofos and dichlorvos are organophosphorus agents. They are designed to treat many surfaces in a residential building.
• Imidacloprid has a nerve-paralytic effect. This substance stops the functioning of all vital organs of the insect.

If pets live in the house, most likely they are the main sources of infection. Therefore, they also need to be processed. To do this, you can use gentle drugs, which include Fipronil, Selamictin, Metaflumizone.

Folk remedies for fleas in the house

If you managed to detect the infection in the initial stages, perhaps folk methods of combating this parasite will help you:

1. Table salt or baking soda.
2. Wormwood and other herbs with a pungent odor.
3. Garlic.
4. Peels of citrus products.
5. Brewer's yeast.
6. Coniferous or pine shavings.

The pungent aroma of these products has a negative effect on many parasites, including fleas. Although this will not kill the insects, it will force them to leave your home.

Description of fleas

A fertilized female flea scatters the eggs or stores them in the fur of the host. After 14 days, the egg hatches into a larva. She goes through three molts and turns into a pupa. An adult flea can live 1.5 years, although its usual lifespan is about 2 months.

Important!

This nonspecific insect can suck the blood of not only the main host, but also other warm-blooded animals if there is no main source of food.

High survival rate and resistance make the flea one of the most common insects. There are several types of fleas, including human, dog, chicken, cat, and rat fleas.

The peculiarity of the parasite is that it prefers warm-blooded animals living in burrows and nests. This is convenient for him, since the parasite is not constantly on the host, but visits him only during meals.

Ground fleas, how to get rid of the area

An integrated approach to the problem provides reliable protection of garden crops from the invasion of earthen fleas:

• During the dry period, do not forget to water the plants, especially young ones;
• Regularly change the places of crops on your site;
• Cruciferous plants are particularly attractive to flea beetles. If possible, it is better to refuse to grow such crops;
• Since the pest does not like lettuce leaves, this plant can be planted between different beds. This way you can prevent the flea from spreading throughout the area;
• Cultivated plants should be treated with effective insecticides. It is recommended to use different drugs every year so that parasites do not develop immunity to them;
• Spray the affected plants with a concentrated decoction of tansy;
• Plant celandine, tobacco, wormwood, anabasis. These plants can repel not only fleas, but also many other pests.

To combat earthen fleas in the garden, there are special preparations:

1. Raptor . The product is presented in the form of a spray. It is used to spray affected plants. The active components will quickly destroy the pest.
2. Antibug . The drug not only destroys earth fleas, but also protects plants from re-infection.
3. Aktofit . The product is based on natural ingredients. The drug quickly destroys not only fleas, but also many other pests.
4. Ratibor . The drug is presented in the form of a concentrated liquid. It has a detrimental effect on many types of garden pests.
5. Aktara. This product belongs to modern insecticides. It combines economy and high efficiency.

Human flea

This species is often confused with lice and bed mites. There is something similar. They feed on blood and hide closer to the place where a person sleeps. They annoy you with strong frequent bites. They do not disdain pets. They live in the fur of pigs.

Chicken or poultry

Affects birds in the wild and in the chicken coop. Free birds can reward domestic chickens. Pests get deep under the feather cover. The behavior of the birds changes, and irritations and bite marks appear on the skin. A person can pick up an insect while being close to birds. However, fleas do not drink human blood for long. They don’t stay in the house, although they bite painfully and unpleasantly.

Ground (or sand) fleas

Wound from earth flea larvae escaping from
earth fleas

These pests are also called basement pests because they settle in dark, damp places and appear in the house even if there are no animals. The lower floors of multi-storey buildings and private buildings suffer especially from the invasion. They appear to be darker in color and slightly shorter in length.

How do earth fleas differ from cat fleas?

Cat fleas have virtually no external differences from other types of fleas. However, representatives of this species feed on blood. Moreover, they choose not only cats for food. These parasites are capable of attacking dogs, other warm-blooded animals, and people.

As for earth fleas, the main harm they cause is damage to plants. As a rule, they live in the upper layers of the soil. They can also hide in basements with high humidity. Private buildings and the first floors of multi-storey buildings are often infested by fleas. They rarely appear on the upper floors. Ground fleas are not able to jump too high. That is why, when fighting them, it is enough to treat not the entire wall, but only a meter from the floor.

Cat flea

The so-called cat lice are constantly on the animal’s body, and fleas move to the cat only for saturation. If there is no cat nearby, the flea can attack a person.

Its digestive system is universal - the flea feeds on the blood of any warm-blooded animal. The insect does not hide in the fur, but inflicts single bites.

Anatomical structure

The cat flea is very small in size - from 0.8 to 4 mm. It is also compressed on the sides, the hind legs are long - this allows the parasite to move instantly. A hungry female flea cannot lay eggs, although the insects can live without food for 1 year.

Important!

When the larva turns into a pupa, its survival rate increases. The flea is not afraid of low temperatures. At this moment, its development simply slows down, and adult individuals emerge from pupae already in the spring with the arrival of warmth.

The cat flea is also a carrier of serious diseases: encephalitis, hepatitis, plague, and epidemiological diseases.

Flea bites are painful, they lead to inflammation and irritation of the skin, because the bloodsucker does not inject anesthetic substances when biting.

Preventing fleas

In order not to encounter the unpleasant problem of fleas in your home, it is recommended to carry out simple prevention:

• Keep your home clean, constantly do wet cleaning;
• Ventilate the room regularly, even in winter;
• Do not allow things to stagnate;
• Treat your pets with preventive shampoos;
• If possible, reduce the number of carpets in your home;
• Sometimes disinfest the premises using special products for cleaning floors;
• A floor that is several decades old should be thoroughly processed;
• You can place wormwood or other aromatic herbs in the corners;
• After adding Bars or another similar preparation to the water, periodically spray the basements;
• Check mattresses and sheets regularly. If fleas appear, you will be able to detect parasites at the initial stage of infection;
• Make sure the basement remains dry at all times;
• All existing leaks must be repaired immediately;
• Take blankets, mattresses, pillows, and winter clothes out into the sun.