Top Signs of a Flea Infestation

Have you noticed your pet scratching or licking their skin more than usual? Have you noticed any unusual bites on your skin that are red, swollen and uncomfortable? Identifying a possible flea infestation can often be simple, while eradicating a flea infestation can prove to be a very difficult and extensive process. Here are a few signs that you may have a possible flea infestation.

1. One of the clearest signs of a flea infestation is a change of behavior from your pets. This can include, but is not limited to, excessive scratching. If your pet is scratching excessively, you may want to inspect areas such as the hind parts for dogs and the head for cats, since these are typical places for fleas on pets.
2. Looking at your pet’s skin and bedding for black droppings. This is ‘flea dirt’ or adult flea feces and looks somewhat like black pepper. A good tip is to use a flea comb and put it in on a white surface to make it easier to see the small black specs.
3. The presence of flea bites is also a sign of a flea infestation. If you or your family is experiencing small, itchy bites you have might have a flea infestation.
4. It is also important to be aware of flea season. Flea season typically peaks during the hot days of Summer; however these pests can actually be a year-round problem. It is recommended to be aware of fleas, and even take preventive measures to safeguard your pets from them, especially during the spring, before prime-time flea season.

A flea infestation is a complicated and extensive process that requires time and effort to remove. Dealing with an infestation requires treating infected animals, cleaning flea infested areas and taking preventative measures to keep fleas from returning to your home again.

What Fleas Look Like

• Fleas are small, roughly 1mm to 3mm long
• Wingless insects with flattened bodies capable of jumping long distances
• Reddish/Dark brown in color, especially in adult stage
• Seek a host (mammal) for blood in order to survive

Flea life Cycle

Fleas complete a cycle from egg to adult through several larval stages and a pupal stage. Fleas pass through four stages: eggs, larva, pupa, and adult. Cycle length ranges from several weeks to several months and is largely dependent upon environmental conditions.

Fleas lay between four to eight eggs after a meal, with the highest concentrations of laying occurring within the last few days of the female’s life. Flea eggs hatch into larvae within one to 12 days. Flea larvae complete three larval instars and depending on their environment will range in length from about 3 to 5 mm long. They have no eyes or legs, and their body is maggot-like and whitish, but turns progressively darker as the larvae feeds on feces excreted by the adult fleas. Unlike adult fleas, larvae do not take a blood meal directly from a host. The flea’s larval stage is completed within about 4 to 18 days. One of the last activities of flea larvae is to spin a silken cocoon and then enter the pupal stage. The pupal stage may be complete within three days, or it can last as long as one year. Adult fleas begin searching for food when they emerge from the pupal stage. While fleas are noted for their jumping abilities, they will remain stationery when a suitable host is located. Females begin laying eggs within 48 hours of the first feed, thus beginning the life cycle again.

How Fleas Get into Your Home

Fleas are very tiny, but a small amount of them can turn into an infestation that can transfer to all areas of your home. It is important to take initiative to stop a possible infestation of these annoying, and potentially harmful pests.

Fleas, more often than not, come from a pet dog or cat. The pests can attach when the pets spend time outdoors, and then infest the fur, which leads to them being carried inside the home. Being outdoors can lead to exposure to other animals that are not treated and have fleas.

Fleas seek a host for blood in order to survive. On some occasions, fleas may become and inside problem when the host they previously fed on is no longer around, and they would then direct their attention to finding a new host, which could be you or your family, if it has become an indoor flea.

Health Risks from Fleas

Flea bites on humans is a sure sign of a flea infestation, but a majority of the time it’s your beloved pets which first become victim to flea bites.

As with all insect bites, itchiness and swelling will occur around the bitten area, and that’s generally the greatest discomfort from the presence of fleas. However, because fleas are recognized disease and parasite carriers, they can also cause more severe health problem and allergic reactions. it is important to know about the different possible diseases that can be transmitted through fleas.

Fleas may transmit diseases while taking a blood meal from a human or animal host or via contaminated fecal pellets. The number of flea-borne disease cases is relatively minor in the U.S. but with the increase of people traveling internationally, potential spread of diseases by flea species is now a potential issue and can affect more people than ever before.

Fleas are known to transmit parasites, such as tapeworms, which primarily affect pets. Adult fleas infected with tapeworm may be accidentally ingested by cats or dogs, and they can run health risks. They can also cause anemia and iron deficiencies resulting from a large population of blood-feeding fleas.

Some of the known diseases fleas are known to carry and spread include:

The Bubonic Plague

• The most well-known flea transmitted disease is the bubonic plague. It became an epidemic in the 14th century, killing 25 million people, which at the time was around 50% of the European population.
• Today, the plague still occurs worldwide but there have only been a handful of cases each year reported in the U.S. The plague is carried by rodents and transmitted to fleas that bite them, which is how it is transferred to human and pets.

Murine Typhus also known as Flea-Borne Typhus

• This is a rare disease in North America but there have been a few cases reported each year, including recently with some cases reported in the Los Angeles area. This disease typically occurs in rat-infested areas, where fleas become infected by rats and then pets bring infected fleas into the home.

Tungiansis

• This disease is rarely diagnosed in North America but due to people continuously traveling internationally, there is potential for the spread of this disease. It is typically transmitted by the burrowing flea (which is also known as the sand flea), where the flea anchors itself onto the skin and burrows into the epidermis.

Tularemia

• Occurs in areas in North America and has the potential to be a serious illness. It is caused by bacteria and is often found in animals, such as rodents. It can then be transferred to humans by an infected flea or tick bite.

Bartonellosis also known as Cat Scratch Disease

• Transmitted to humans from the bites of the oriental rat flea and cat flea but can also be transmitted by contaminated bites of animal, scratch, and ingestion.

Vector-Borne Disease

• Vector-borne diseases are those transmitted by fleas or ticks, as well as other parasites, that infest dogs and cats which can then go on to affect people.