FLEA FACTS

Skin problems: Flea bites cause flea allergy dermatitis, the most common skin allergy in dogs. They can also cause skin infection.

Internal parasites: Fleas transmit tapeworms, one of the most common internal parasites seen by pet owners.

Anemia: Puppies , kittens, older and sick pets infested with fleas can become anemic. Heavy infestations can even cause death.

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW

ABOUT FLEAS AND FLEA EGGS:

Adult Fleas

· In just 30 days, 10 female fleas can multiply to over a quarter million different life stages.

· Newly emerged adult fleas live only about one week if a blood meal is not obtained.

· Adult fleas are about 1/16 to 1/8-inch long, are wingless, have three pairs of legs, and are flattened vertically.

· Fleas can jump vertically up to seven inches and horizontally thirteen inches.

· Some fleas can jump 150 times their own length. That compares to a human jumping 1,000 feet. One flea broke a record with a four-foot vertical jump.

· Fleas have piercing-sucking mouthparts and spines on the body that project backward.

· Adult cat fleas feed on their host’s blood.

· Undisturbed and without a blood meal, a flea can live more than 100 days. On average, they live two to three months

· Adult fleas begin defecating flea feces (digested blood) in as little as 8 to 9 minutes of initiation of feeding. This fecal material looks like pepper (black flecks on the skin of the host which when dampened with water will appear as tiny blood stains).

Flea Eggs

· Female fleas start producing eggs within 24 to 48 hours after taking their first blood meal and can lay up to 40 to 50 eggs per day.

· Females lay eggs in the hair coat and are designed to fall off into the pet’s environment. Flea eggs are smooth, oval, and white and can hatch as early as 2 days.

· The female flea can lay 2,000 eggs in her lifetime; if all 53 million dogs in the U.S. each hosted a population of 60 fleas, we'd have more than six trillion flea eggs surrounding our pets. Laid end-to-end, those eggs would stretch around the world more than 76 times!

Flea Larvae

· Flea larvae can be found indoors in floor cracks & crevices, along baseboards, under rug edges and in furniture or beds. Outdoors, flea larvae live in the soil (moist sand boxes, dirt crawlspace under the house, under shrubs, etc.) or where the pet may rest or sleep.

· Flea larva are often found in carpet and furniture fibers.

· Optimum conditions for flea larvae are 65-80 degrees Fahrenheit with shaded areas and high humidity.

· The larva can move around in the environment to find the appropriate climate (heat, humidity, darkness) and will die in dryness, direct sunlight or heavy rain.

· Flea larvae are 1/4-inch long.

· Flea larvae are wormlike and have bristly-haired appearance.

· Flea larvae has 13 body segments.

· Flea larvae are legless and have chewing mouthparts.

· Larvae feed upon digested blood from adult flea feces, dead skin, hair, feathers, and other organic debris.

Flea Pupae

· Flea pupae are in the cocoon stage and are resistant to environmental changes such as freezing, drying, and both insecticides and insect growth regulators.

· Flea pupae can lie dormant for months or years or can change into adult fleas in as few as 5 days.

· Flea pupae are stimulated to become adults with changes in appropriate environmental conditions. Once stimulated they need to feed immediately and usually find a host within seconds of emerging.

· Pupae are enclosed in silken cocoons covered with particles of debris.

HOW TO CONTROL THE FLEA POPULATION IN YOUR HOME:

1) Vacuum your home weekly. Don't forget the crevices of couches and chairs and cracks in basement cement floors. Best bet: a vacuum cleaner equipped with a "beater bar" that is powerful enough to suck up adult fleas, larvae and eggs. Seal the bag and toss it outside in a garbage bin (with a lid) as soon as you've finished vacuuming.

2) Run a flea comb through your animal at least twice a week. With each stroke, dip the comb in a bowl of hot soapy water or diluted rubbing alcohol. Fleas can't swim.

3) Toss your pet's bedding in the washer weekly in hot water. Include your pet's favorite rugs and towels.

4) Scrub your pet's favorite chew toys, collar, and litter box pan in hot soapy water weekly.

5) Patrol your yard weekly. Clear out sun-blocking vegetation near the home, rake up wet leaves and wet grass clippings, and do not store garbage under porches. All of these conditions attract fleas.

6) Use a Veterinary approved topical flea control product. The products that you find in retail stores do not work as well and could potentially harm your pet if not used properly.

IMPORTANT: Hartz brand topical flea products for CATS cause’s seizures. Hartz has NOT pulled this product from stores, but has stopped making the product.