Introduction
- Scientific name: Ctenocephalides felis
- Named because its primary hosts are varying species of cats
- Will also go after dogs, other household pets, and humans
- Found worldwide except in Antarctica
- Reproduce rapidly
Identification
- Average size of one to two millimeters
- Reddish brown color
- Are compressed laterally to slip through hairs easier and to lower visibility
Mannerisms
- Are a parasite that feeds on the blood of cats, dogs, other household pets, and humans
- Females lay up to twenty to thirty eggs every day and can lay between two thousand and eight thousand eggs during their adult life span.
- The eggs are dispersed into the environment and the larvae emerge from them after two to seven weeks.
- Live up to two to three months
- Use strong back legs to jump onto their hosts
Prevention
- Pets infected with fleas should be treated with over the counter anti flea treatments.
- Treating pet bedding and common lounging areas is also an excellent flea pest control method.
- Fleas are attracted to “hot spots” or areas that retain heat for a while after a pet has left them. Vacuuming rugs, carpets, the tops and bottoms of furniture is imperative.
- Vacuuming picks up all stages of fleas and can expose other fleas to be directly hit by pest control products
- Flea traps can attract adult fleas with heat and light. Then the fleas get stuck on an adhesive surface.
- These can be used to pinpoint areas of flea activity, but will not get rid of eggs and larvae.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!