Fun Facts

Fleas

Photo: CDC.gov

Fleas are a parasitic tiny insect 1/16-1/8 long that live on cats, dogs, and warm blooded animals. The wingless red-brown hard polished bodies are covered with backward facing spines and hairs. Their hard body prevents elimination by scratching pressure. Their tall and narrow body allows them to move among the hairs of their host, while their sharp and pointed mouths perfect for biting and sucking blood which they live on. Their strong claws are strong to grasp and hold onto their host. Fleas do not have command eyes but a ;simple convex lens and some have no eyes at all. The eggs are tiny the wormlike larvae feed on the feces of the mature fleas which contain dried blood.

Fleas are not picky and attack poultry, cats, dogs, foxes, woodchucks, squirrels, rats, mice and many other animals. Fleas may carry many diseases plague, typhus, tapeworm, and affect both man and beast.

Flea bites appear as tiny red dots different from a tick bites that developed into a “bulls eye” circle which may lead to Lyme disease. The bite irritation causes itching and or scratching but human bites last a short time for fleas do not live on humans. They do survive on carpets, couches and lotion as their way to a host.

How to fight fleas. A Veterinarian approved flea collar is a very good step as well as checking your pet daily for “flea dirt” and any sign of eggs. Vacuuming furniture surfaces and corners is critical and dispose of the bag when done and frequency is key here in the battle. Thoroughness and persistence is the winning formula.

Source: Wikipedia, Britannica