Fossil fleas have been found in Baltic amber and Lower Oligocene deposits near Aix (France). To collect and study these animals, they are fixed on glass slides, since they have to be examined under a microscope. The world's best collection of fleas, now kept in the British Museum, was collected in Tring (England) by N. Rothschild and K. Jordan.
Life cycle.
The development of fleas occurs with complete metamorphosis, i.e. a larva hatches from the egg, which becomes a pupa, and from that, in turn, an adult insect (imago) emerges. Only adults are bloodsuckers, and the larvae feed on the feces of adult fleas and various organic debris. They receive the coagulated blood necessary for development in the form of undigested particles released from the anus of the imago. The flea “shoots” dry, oval, whitish eggs; if this occurs on the host's body, from there they usually fall into its nest or onto the ground. The eggs hatch into thin, whitish, legless, eyeless larvae. In flea-infested homes, they can be found in floor cracks or under carpets. In basements where cats or dogs frequent, fleas live among the garbage. Cat, dog and human fleas are found on lawns where the larvae feed on plant or animal debris in sheltered areas. Sometimes farmers are very annoyed by human fleas that inhabit pigsties in large numbers.
The development of the egg lasts from two days to two weeks, and the larvae - from a week to several months. After this, the larva spins a cobweb cocoon around itself, in which it pupates. The pupal stage also lasts from a week to several months, and the imago, depending on the circumstances, can remain inside the cocoon for months, for example in empty houses, where the insect goes hunting only by reacting to the vibration of the floor under the feet of a rare visitor.
Damage caused by fleas.
In houses where cats or dogs are kept, there are so many fleas that it is almost impossible to live there: the bites of these insects greatly bother most people. The reaction varies from practically zero to allergic: the bitten area becomes very swollen and inflamed. By piercing the skin, the flea injects saliva into the wound, which causes itching or more serious consequences. Flea allergies can be so severe that a special “flea antigen” has been developed to alleviate it.
Most fleas spend a lot of time away from their host, but in some species, fertilized females burrow into the host's skin. Example - sand flea ( Tunga penetrans), which can lead to the appearance of sometimes festering ulcers on the human body. Another species, the suction flea ( Echidnophage gallinacea), forms entire clusters on the heads of birds or on the ears of dogs and cats.
Being intermediate hosts of worms, such as the pumpkin tapeworm, fleas can cause helminthiasis in humans. This worm usually lives in the digestive tract of dogs and cats. Its posterior egg-filled “segments” (proglottids) are released into the environment with the host’s feces or independently crawl out of the anus and become accessible to flea larvae. The worm eggs they swallow hatch into larvae, which then encyst. These cysts, or fins, are present in the adult flea emerging from the pupa. When a dog bites off fleas that irritate it, it often swallows whole insects or parts thereof along with the fleas, which develop in its digestive tract into an adult worm. Remains of chewed infectious fleas can get from a dog's muzzle onto a person's hands, and from them into his mouth. As a result, infection with worms will occur.
Among the diseases, besides the plague, fleas spread, for example, endemic typhus.
The word “flea” and its derivatives are included in the popular names of some jumping insects, which belong to completely different orders. Examples are flea beetles, or flea beetles (beetles of the leaf beetle family), and psyllids (Homoptera). The water flea (Daphnia) is a small crustacean from the group of Cladocerans, moving through the water in jerks that resemble flea jumps.
07.01.2016
Fleas are insects, the fight against which has long become commonplace for those who keep pets or engage in agriculture . However, recently these insects have begun to appear in apartment buildings, bringing a lot of trouble to residents of apartments on the lower floors. The statement that fleas live on humans cannot be called correct, since they are only capable of attacking people in search of blood, but cannot remain on the human body for a long time. We will tell you how long fleas live and what features their life cycle has in this article.
Life cycle of a cat flea
Cat fleas, despite their name, willingly settle on dogs, and are also capable of biting humans if there is no more suitable victim nearby.
A peculiarity of the life cycle of fleas is that they live more than half of it outside the body of their victim.
This feature caused the wide distribution of these insects, as it provided them with a more diverse food base.
The life cycle of a cat flea consists of the following phases:
- egg;
- larva;
- chrysalis;
- adult.
An adult insect can begin to mate and lay eggs only after drinking blood. Usually, mating becomes possible a few hours after the first successful hunt, and the first clutch appears two days after it. Flea eggs are smooth and translucent. They are not able to stay on animal fur and are scattered in different places, which allows the female to provide her offspring with a more extensive food base and lack of competition. Each clutch contains from 3 to 15 eggs, and in just one day a well-fed female can lay up to 50 of them. OVER its entire life, this prolific insect can give birth to 300-1000 new individuals.
Eggs with sufficient humidity and temperature hatch into translucent worms - larvae - after 2-14 days. The larvae live inside the burrows of wild animals, as well as in carpets, bedding, hay, sawdust or straw from the enclosure, old dirty rags and other objects on which you can easily find food - dead organic matter. The larvae are also able to eat flea excrement, which consists of undigested blood. The duration of this stage ranges from one to eight months.
The larval stage proceeds with three molts. After each, the larva increases in size. It ends with the formation of a pupa - a cocoon, inside which the worm transforms into an adult insect.
The duration of the pupal stage can vary from 2 months to a year. Pupae are highly resistant to adverse environmental factors. In this state, they are able to survive winter and lack of food.
Adult fleas live from 3-4 weeks to one and a half to two years. In the first case, the insects are large in size, in the second they become very small.
Lifespan of fleas
Since it is difficult to see a dead flea on a pet without using insecticides, these insects seem to be able to live indefinitely. This is wrong. However, the duration of various stages of the life cycle of these insects can increase significantly under unfavorable conditions.
If there is a food base
Usually fleas live no more than 2-3 months. During this time, in favorable conditions, males and females fulfill their biological function and die. Life expectancy is inversely related to the rate of reproduction. Therefore, it is clear that the more favorable the conditions, the shorter the life cycle and the more offspring are born per unit of time. Significantly reduces the lifespan of these insects heat. In summer, at temperatures above 35 o C, they live no more than 3-4 weeks.
Under conditions of starvation
Without blood, fleas can live up to one and a half years. This applies to adult insects, as well as eggs and pupae. The larvae are the most vulnerable stage of the life cycle; they suffer greatly from hunger and die quickly if they have nothing to eat. Remaining viable in the absence of food, fleas lose their ability to reproduce.
When figuring out how long fleas live without an animal, you should take into account how favorable their other living conditions are. High humidity and temperature can support the life of these insects for up to one and a half to two months. Low temperatures extend the life of pupae and eggs to several years.
The main factors influencing the lifespan of fleas
The main factors that determine how long fleas live are the following:
One of the natural enemies of fleas in apartments is red pharaoh ants. They effectively hunt flea larvae and quickly remove them from the premises.
Fleas (Siphonaptera) are an order of blood-sucking arthropod insects with complete metamorphosis. The flea is a carrier of pathogens various diseases humans and warm-blooded animals.
The color of a flea can be yellowish, reddish, dark brown and even almost black.
Thanks to 3 pairs of long, strong limbs, fleas often move by jumping, which is ensured by powerful pushes of the second and third pair of legs. Some types of fleas have relatively short legs and practically never leave the host's body. Each limb consists of 5 segments and ends in sharp forked claws.
There are simple eyes on the head of the flea, and antennae grow behind them, with the help of which males hold females during mating. The flea has calm state the antennae are immersed in small antennal fossae.
A distinctive feature of the structure of fleas is the presence of a pygidium - a special sensory organ located in the back of the abdomen. Tactile hairs covering the pygidium sensitively detect the slightest vibrations in the air and signal danger.
The reproductive organs of a female flea consist of oviducts, ovaries and a spermatic receptacle, which resembles a curved flask. Males are endowed with a copulatory organ - the genital claw.
How long do fleas live?
On average, fleas live from several months to 3 years. The lifespan of a flea depends on its species and ambient temperature. With increased temperature conditions(when the air is warmed up to 30-35 degrees) the life cycle of the flea is reduced by almost 40%, and at lower temperatures, on the contrary, it increases, since the development of the flea slows down.
The development cycle of a human flea from egg to imago (adult) lasts from approximately 16 days to one year. Cat fleas live on average 2 years, dog fleas live up to one and a half years.
Strong, hardy and very tenacious, fleas are found on all continents, including Antarctica. Most flea species live in temperate and subtropical climate zones of Europe, Asia and North Africa. Fleas are active at any time of the year, and their habitats are tied to the nests and burrows of warm-blooded animals living underground (gerbils, jerboas, gophers and other rodents), on the ground (wild and domestic animals: cats, dogs, rats, horses, cows , rams, camels, etc.) and above ground (birds, squirrels). Some fleas live on humans.
Fleas of both sexes suck blood, and the process can last from 1 minute to several hours. Fleas of some species are saturated with blood in reserve; as a result, they do not have time to digest everything, and the remaining blood is excreted in excrement.
Species of fleas that need frequent feeding live on the animal’s body constantly, and in between meals they wander in the fur of the owner. Fleas, which do not have the need to frequently suck blood, spend most of their lives in the substrate of the host's nest. In the absence of a food source, insects can starve for several months. Most flea species do not have a specific host choice and can exist on different animal species, with the exception of bat fleas.
Types of fleas, photos and names
Currently, there are from 15 to 22 families of fleas, including many species:
- human flea(Pulex irritans)
Human flea (female on the left, male on the right)
- (Ctenocephalides felis)
found on all continents and is a carrier of plague, brucellosis and other infections. It feeds on the blood of cats, dogs, rodents, many other animals, as well as humans. Larval development occurs in animal fur and litter. The average size of a flea is 0.75-5 mm, the body length of a female with eggs reaches 1.6 cm. Adults have a short proboscis and a flat forehead. The lifespan of a cat flea ranges from 3 months to 3 years.
- (Ctenocephalides canis)
- Southern rat flea(Xenopsylla cheopis)
a particularly dangerous type of flea, a carrier of plague, mouse and rat tapeworm. It is found throughout the world, but to a greater extent in countries with tropical and subtropical climates. The female flea has a body length of 1.8 to 2.7 mm, males grow from 1.4 to 2 mm in length. The color of the flea can be light or dark brown. Fertilized females lay eggs in the nests of rats and gerbils - animals whose blood they feed on.
Rat fleas (male left, female right)
- Tien Shan flea, she's the same alakurt(Vermipsylla alakurt)
Tien Shan flea (male on top, female on bottom)
- Penetrating flea, she's the same sand flea or Brazilian ground flea(Tunga penetrans)
- Glaciopsyllus antarcticus
- Malacopsylla grossiventris
Flea reproduction and development
Soon after fertilization, the female flea is ready to lay eggs, which occur in small portions. A well-fed female lays 1-2 portions of 4-10 eggs per day, but usually laying occurs once a day or every other day. The process of laying eggs is interesting. The female flea forcefully pushes out the eggs, which are scattered at a considerable distance from each other, which also makes sense: the risk of competition between the hatched larvae is minimized, and most of them will survive, having enough food.
Fleas are insects with complete metamorphosis; their life cycle consists of several stages:
- egg,
- larva,
- doll,
- imago (adult).
Flea eggs are white and very small, looking like grains of rice under a microscope.
The development of flea eggs lasts about 14 days, after which translucent worm-like larvae, devoid of legs, are born, which, writhing, burrow into the litter of the host's nest.
The larvae feed on rotting organic matter, desquamated skin epithelium, or the remains of undigested blood in the excrement of the parents.
After 3 molts, the flea larva turns into a pupa, surrounding itself with a strong silk-like cocoon.
Depending on weather conditions, the pupal stage lasts from 5 days to several months. In many species of fleas, pupae overwinter, and in some, emergence from the cocoon is timed to coincide with a specific season.
An adult flea emerging from the pupa immediately begins searching for its owner. The active life of an imago lasts on average 1.5-2 months, but at sub-zero temperatures an adult flea can fall into a state of suspended animation for an indefinite period.
House fleas
Once in a private household or apartment in a high-rise building, fleas take a liking to the bedding of pets, the pile of carpets and rugs, cracks behind baseboards, soft toys, furniture upholstery, mattresses and linen (it is this fact that has led to the fact that pet fleas are sometimes called bedding or furniture fleas) .
How to detect fleas in an apartment?
Flea bites, photo and description
Flea bites cause stabbing pain when the skin is pierced and a strong desire to scratch the affected area. People are usually bitten by a human flea, and at the site of the bite a characteristic swelling appears, like from a cigarette burn. After the flea has eaten and detached itself, the edges of the wound converge, preventing blood from flowing out, and a pinpoint hemorrhage forms under the skin.
The main method of protection is the destruction of fleas in the house and apartment, as well as prevention of bites when traveling outdoors.
Reaction to flea bites
The reaction to flea bites is individual for each person: for some, the itching and swelling disappear within an hour, for others, the skin of others remains red for a long time, hardens and peels, which is one of the symptoms of pulicosis. With pulicosis, the bite site swells, ulcers may appear in the mouth and throat, and the central part may also be affected. nervous system. If you are allergic to flea bites, a person may experience fever, chills, and an upset stomach.
What diseases do fleas carry?
Flea bites can be very dangerous because fleas are carriers of disease. Fleas themselves cause two diseases in humans: pulicosis and sarcopsillosis (tungiasis), but at the same time insects can transmit pathogens of other serious illnesses, some of which are deadly. Diseases transmitted by fleas:
- plague (including bubonic);
- typhus (typhus and relapsing);
- encephalitis;
- hepatitis B, C;
- toxocariasis;
- trypanosomiasis;
- tularemia;
- listeriosis;
- pasteurellosis;
- intestinal yersiniosis;
- brucellosis and others.
Fleas in the apartment. Where do they come from and how to get rid of fleas?
Flea treatment in the apartment
- Aerosol preparations imply large-scale treatment of the premises with preliminary evacuation of all inhabitants of the apartment, subsequent ventilation and wet cleaning.
- Contact powder preparations long-acting sprays are scattered under baseboards, cabinets, and behind beds.
- Liquid microcapsules They are good for fleas because they don’t wash out even after cleaning.
The best and effective means against fleas at home:
After fleas have been destroyed in a house or apartment, it is recommended to carry out wet cleaning by adding a few drops of eucalyptus or ammonia to the water. Under beds and closets you can put dry branches of wormwood, lavender, tansy or bags of pine sawdust, the smell of which fleas do not like.
Most often, pet owners encounter fleas. As a rule, they do not attach much importance to all the dangers that these insects cause to pets and people. Some people believe that dog or cat fleas do not attack people, but this is not true. In this article we will talk in detail about existing types fleas, their lifestyle and habitat, as well as the harm they can cause to people and animals. Here are tips on how to get rid of fleas in the house on your own using insecticides or traditional methods. Schoolchildren will be able to find many interesting points for writing an essay about fleas.
Interesting! During the process of evolution, many animals have changed in appearance. Scientists have found that the modern flea looks almost the same as its ancestors.
Fleas do not have wings, and they move by jumping with the help of three pairs of long and strong limbs. Some species have shorter paws, so they are constantly on the host's body. The paw consists of five segments and ends with sharp bristles-claws, forked at the end.
In the posterior part of the abdomen there is a pygidium - sensory organ, covered with tactile hairs. They react to small changes in air and warn of danger.
Reproductive system females consist of an oviduct, ovaries and spermatic receptacle (in the shape of a curved flask), males - a genital claw (copulatory organ).
There are antennas behind the eyes. With them, males hold onto females during mating. The rest of the time they are in the antennal fossae.
Type oral cavity- piercing-sucking. After biting the skin, the flea enlarges the wound, secretes saliva, which prevents blood clotting, then penetrates deeper and moves to the blood vessel, where it sucks blood. A flea cannot crawl completely under the skin.
Lifestyle and behavioral characteristics
Interesting! A flea's jump is about 100 times longer than its body length.
Types of fleas
There are about 22 families of fleas, which include various species.
There is a species called the bed flea, which lives on upholstered furniture and bed linen (another name for linen flea). They bite a person at night in the areas of the body with the thinnest skin.
Where do fleas live?
Fleas live on all continents, including Antarctica, in nests and burrows, on the body of animals and humans. They are active at any time of the year.
- egg;
- larva;
- chrysalis;
- imago (adult).
The most comfortable temperature for breeding is 18-25 degrees (then they breed all year round). In cold weather they live but do not reproduce. Before mating, partners eat. The female climbs onto the male's back and takes the genital claw into the spermatic receptacle. Mating lasts several hours, and the seed moves into the female’s body within 15 minutes.
Eggs are laid in small portions. The female ejects small white eggs from her body; they are located quite far from each other. After two weeks, they hatch into translucent larvae without legs, similar to worms. They make their way inside the nest and feed on rotting organic matter, skin epithelium, and blood residues from the excrement of their parents. After three molts, the larva becomes a pupa (it wraps itself in a silk-like cocoon). This stage lasts from 5 days to several months (it depends on the climate). When a flea emerges from a pupa, it immediately looks for its owner.
How long do fleas live?
On average, life expectancy ranges from several months to two years. It depends on the type and climatic conditions. The higher the temperature, the shorter the fleas live. At low temperatures, fleas slow down in their development, which means they live longer.
The danger of fleas to humans and animals
The main danger of insects is the various infections, bacteria and diseases they carry. In the body of some species there are more than two hundred viruses and bacteria that cause fatal diseases. In addition, you may develop an allergy to flea enzymes with characteristic symptoms(inflammation, itching, fever).
What diseases are carried
Fleas can infect humans with pulicosis and sarcopsillosis. They carry:
- plague;
- encephalitis;
- hepatitis;
- salmonellosis;
- fungal infections and others.
Fleas suck the blood of not only healthy organisms, but also sick and dead ones. Viruses enter the blood through a bite with saliva and spread throughout the body.
Interesting! In the Middle Ages, the bubonic plague claimed the lives of many people. The source of the disease was fleas, which were brought along with rats on ships.
How do fleas bite humans?
Each person reacts to a bite differently. For some, the itching goes away quickly, while for others, signs of inflammation persist for several days. With pulicosis, the skin swells, ulcers appear on the oral mucosa, and the central nervous system is affected. At allergic reaction Human bites cause fever, chills, and stomach upset.
Where do fleas come from in an apartment?
How can you tell if there are fleas at home?
House fleas are not separate species. This is the name given to insects that have settled in an apartment. They are not detected immediately. To determine whether there are insects at home or not, you can conduct an experiment. You need to spread a white sheet on the floor and look at it after some time. Dark insects are clearly visible against a light background. Another sign of the appearance of “uninvited guests” are red, slightly swollen spots that appear in the morning and are very itchy.
How to get rid of it?
Chemicals
The most popular and effective are:
After killing insects, you need to do a wet cleaning by adding ammonia or ammonia to the water. essential oil eucalyptus. It is advisable to place branches of wormwood and lavender under the bed.
Folk remedies
You can get rid of insects using folk remedies. They can be combined with chemicals or used for prophylactic purposes.
Important! If you are unable to remove the fleas on the second attempt, it is recommended to contact the sanitary and epidemiological service.
Thus, fleas pose a great danger. They affect not only animals, but also humans. At the first sign of insects, disinfestation should be carried out.
In the territory Russian Federation Approximately 500 different species of fleas have been discovered. The most common are rat, dog, cat, and human fleas. About 30 species of these insects are capable of living in apartments. The size of one individual varies from 1 to 5 mm. Not every person knows how fleas reproduce. The information presented will help you understand this issue.
Life cycle of insects
The lifespan of fleas can range from a year to a year and a half.
A distinctive feature of the insect development cycle is the possibility of a flea remaining in the pupal stage for a long time under unfavorable conditions, up to several months. Even when the insects appear as adults and have reached the adult stage, the flea may continue to live in the cocoon, waiting for the right moment to hatch.
No one can say exactly how long fleas live. The duration of existence directly depends on food supply, living conditions in the environment, as well as the type of fleas. In general, insects do not live more than 6 months. During this time, the individual is capable of biting its victim more than 200 times.
The life cycle of fleas is as follows:
- Eggs;
- Larva;
- Transformation into a chrysalis;
- The formation of an adult, or as it is otherwise called an imago.
The flea, like some other insects, is in the larval stage, which looks completely different in fleas. It has sharp jaws that can gnaw eggs from the inside.
The larvae may die, this happens due to several factors:
- Low ambient temperature (about -50 C);
- Ambient temperature is too high (above 40 C);
- Constant water treatment;
- Regular exposure to direct sunlight.
Flea reproduction process
The reproductive system of this insect has a very complex structure. The act of mating can last up to 10 hours. In almost all cases, fleas begin copulation after they have drunk blood from their host. After fertilization, the female begins to lay eggs in portions. A flea can lay up to a dozen eggs at a time. Total number laid eggs can reach more than 500 during the entire development cycle. Reproduction occurs in conditions favorable for insects; eggs are laid in rags, dust, woolen items, cracks in the floor, dog kennels, clothing and other hard-to-reach places. The female has no particular preference for the laying site. The eggs are white and oblong in shape, resembling a grain of rice, but much smaller in size.
Fact! The female flea is not able to carefully remove eggs from her belly; she “shoots” them over long distances. Thus, insects have less contact with each other, which reduces natural competition and promotes the survival of offspring.
Larval development
After approximately 3–11 days, a larva appears and is still continuing its development.
Fact! If the temperature in the environment is high enough, the larva can appear within a few days.
Newborn fleas look like worms and have no limbs, but are still active and mobile. The larvae have no eyes, and the entire surface of the body is covered with microscopic hairs. The larvae's diet consists of dried blood, feces of adult relatives and various organic substances. Complete blood nutrition is not yet available to them.
When starting to fight fleas on an animal or indoors, it is important to consider that insects reproduce quite quickly. Sometimes a female can lay eggs even on the fur of a pet, after which they can fall to the floor in different parts of the apartment.