Fleas are bugs that can cause a nuisance; They are small parasites responsible for sucking the blood of pets. They irritate cats and dogs and infect the places where people tend to be (interiors of homes, patios, and living rooms). Getting rid of fleas is one of the most common feelings people experience in these situations.
Some breeds of dogs are allergic to flea bites, resulting in intense scratches. Fleas are pests that are only responsible for bringing discomfort to pet owners and cause the infestations in homes. According to many professional studies, fleas prefer to animal hosts, and yet they can bite humans.
Life Cycle of the Fleas
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The first step that the people must take is to identify fleas. These insects have about four stages that complete their life cycle: Eggs, larvae, chrysalis, and adulthood. Fleas that are adults live on animals such as people’s pets (dogs and cats) and are responsible for digesting blood.
Female fleas can lay up to 2,000 eggs; these hatch in 1 to 10 days and spread throughout the garden or house.
After the eggs hatch into larvae, they can move agilely on the skin of their hosts and, in addition, feed on their blood.
Finally, they form cocoons during the pupal stage, where they wait for several days (even years) on surfaces with ideal comfort: carpets, beds, or sofa.
After that, they become adults and can begin to infest their hosts (dogs or cats). Therefore, you must know all these stages of fleas and then understand how to remove them naturally.
You need to read the labels of any flea control product and follow all the instructions that helps eliminate the fleas.
Fleas Breeding
Fleas sometimes lay their eggs wherever they are, either on a host (pet) or on surfaces. The flea eggs are smooth, and this is what allows them to glide all over the body of the pet chosen as a host.
After one to two weeks, flea larvae can weave silk cocoons; they do this with the adhesion of pieces of earth and debris.
In the case of the abundant food, adult fleas emerge after a week; otherwise, they may be in the cocoon for a year. Flea larvae and well-formed adults have vastly different feeding and rearing patterns. Depending on the foods they eat in their upbringing process, there is the impact of diseases transmitted to pets or people.
Flea breeding can be carried out in certain places where people have a physical presence with their pets. So, it is necessary that you need to make your pets safe in the places where fleas are found.
What to do if you have fleas in your house?
If people’s pets are carriers of adult fleas, their homes may already be infested with the fleas. It is estimated that only 5% of flea infestations in homes are attributed to adults and are hosted by pets. These lodgings are involuntary, and the remaining 95% are eggs, cocoons, and larvae scattered throughout the house.
To avoid any presence of fleas in homes, pets must be treated very well about their hygiene. There are many ways to prevent fleas from breeding, hatching, and spreading throughout your home. For example, using powerful vacuum cleaners on any floor or carpet will eliminate tiny, deep flea hiding places.
Using steam cleaners on upholstery and carpets will end one of the flea life stages. The combination of soap and intense heat are natural control solutions to fleas. Washing bedding and pet clothes with hot water will also help fleas remove their presence in homes.
Also Read: How to Get Rid of Fleas Naturally
How to Get Rid of Fleas Fast?
Far beyond being a nuisance, fleas are insects that can be dangerously transmitters of diseases and parasites. To eliminate all fleas in homes in the fastest and most effective way, the first step that people must take is to kill the adults. Adult fleas are the only ones that can lay new eggs, so it is necessary to do so, and this will temporarily stop the reproduction cycle.
Treating pets is essential to prevent fleas from continuing to breed and unintentionally spread through homes. Although many flea products are ideal for all pets, you have to follow the instructions dictated by the veterinarian, and that’s it.
How Long Does It Take to Get Rid of Fleas?
Perhaps one month may sound like a very long time, but flea life cycles are extremely fast. However, this depends on many factors such as temperature, humidity, and food disposition on the surfaces or the host where they are.
It take about 3-4 months to remove the fleas. Because fleas can go from newborn to old age in about three weeks, and there are times when they can take much longer.
Pupal fleas are very difficult to treat since they last for several weeks in their cocoons with no intention of wanting to emerge. People need to be patient enough to fully see that fleas are no longer present in their homes and pets. Although fleas can only live for three weeks, fleas can live for 180 days if they need to.
Final Words
Detecting flea infestations can be extremely shocking to many people, but they need to do something at once. Fleas can be completely eradicated from homes and pets if the most appropriate and quick measures are taken. It is important for people always to remember to consistently treat their homes, gardens, and pets at the same time.
These repeated and moderate actions are what will help prevent any flea reinfestation. However, the enemy should never be underestimated, and fleas are insects that never give up, so people should not lower their guard. The prevention and elimination of fleas in homes and pets are possible with the best-applied methods.
