Fleas are small, very specialised parasitic insects that belong to the Order Siphonaptera. This insect order is fairly small, having some 2380 species know worldwide, with only about 90 species being represented in Australia. Adult fleas are blood suckers, the majority feeding on mammals ( eg dogs, cats, pigs ) and some feeding on birds.
Fleas prefer warm, humid conditions and hence are often a pest during summer. High humidity favours the development of larvae, which may be populous both indoors and outdoor, where sandy soils ( particularly if under cover from rain ) are favoured. When climatic conditions are favourable, the development of larvae outdoors can be very widespread.
For best results, the pet(s) and their environment should be treated. The life cycle of the flea is similar to that of a moth – egg, larva ( caterpillar ), pupa ( cocoon ) and adult. A newly hatched adult flea is unfed, small, black and aggressive, the larger adult fleas have had a blood meal and may be laying eggs on your pet. For every flea on your pet there may be hundreds waiting to emerge.
In summer, a flea may be ready to hatch from the pupa about 7 – 14 days after it is formed. This hatching is triggered by movement. In a vacant house, a flea can remain dormant in its pupa for more than 18 months. Fleas will continue to hatch from their pupae after the pest control treatment, unfortunately insecticides cannot penetrate the flea pupal case. The adult flea will die after a few hours contact with the residual treatment – both on your pet and in the environment.
Householders sometimes believe flea treatments are ineffective because the pupae are quite resistant to chemical treatment and fleas continue to emerge from pupal cases even after being treated. Ten fleas can potentially reproduce to 250, 000 in only 30 days.
Latest research shows that adult fleas do not leave the pet to lay eggs. The white eggs are laid on the pet and fall onto the ground, carpet etc. The eggs hatch and small, blind larvae emerge. These larvae move away from the light, burrowing down into the carpet, cracks in the floor or the soil. Here they feed on protein, such as flea droppings of partly digested blood, and moult three times before pupating. The larva changes into the adult in the pupa.
When this metamorphosis is complete, the flea is ready to emerge. Fleas can remain dormant in the pupal stage for over 18 months. Hatching of the flea from the pupa is triggered by movement nearby predominantly during warm, moist weather conditions. The newly hatched unfed flea is small and black ( it is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a ground flea ). After feeding on its host for two days, now bigger and lighter in colour, it is ready to mate and lay eggs. The female flea is capable of laying up to 500 eggs over a lifetime which may span several weeks.
TREATMENT MUST INCLUDE ALL AREAS FREQUENTED BY THE PET.
1: Remove toys, clothes etc from the floor.
2:Some insecticides will affect fish. Cover the fish tank and turn off the filter prior to treatment.
3: Remove pets from areas to be treated – return after treatment has dried.
4: Do not avoid flea areas after treatment, ( especially the spare room and the shed ), stimulate fleas to hatch out the pupae.
If you remove the pet, the flea problem will appear to become worse – as you are the only potential host.
So leave your pet in the flea infested areas – it will attract the fleas. Retreat your pet regularly according to label to control fleas hatching from pupae in treated and untreated areas. Eg. When you walk the dog.
TREATMENT
Chemical spraying of foliage and areas suspected of harbouring fleas is the most effective deterrent along with the recommended methods to facilitate exclusion.
FLEAS
