What do they look like?
Adults fleas are normally 1 – 4mm long, brownish in colour, without wings but with powerful legs adapted for jumping. Female fleas can live up to two years, during which time they can lay up to 1000 eggs each.
Where do they live?
Adult fleas live exclusively as parasites of warm-blooded animals. The females lay their eggs close to or on the infested animal. Wall-to-wall carpeting and soft furnishings also provide a relatively undisturbed environment for fleas to develop. They can also live in cracks and crevices in bare floors.
What do they eat?
Larvae feed on debris and adult flea droppings. Adult fleas feed solely on blood.
Pest status
- Disease transmission; Fleas are not thought to transmit any serious illnesses to humans.
- Flea bites; Although not all people are affected by flea-bites, they can cause severe irritation.
Control
- Hygiene; Regular cleaning, particularly with a vacuum cleaner, will help prevent the build-up of infestation by removing eggs and larvae from floors, furniture and where pets sleep.
- Treatment of pets; In order to achieve effective control, pets MUST also be treated with a product approved for veterinary use.
- Chemical; The standard treatment for infested premises is the application of a residual insecticide, either as a powder or a liquid spray. The insecticide is applied to all floor surfaces, (Patience is needed as these areas must not be vacuumed or washed for at least 10 days after the treatment, or longer if possible). Although new adult fleas may still be emerging from cocoons up to a month after treatment, there should still be sufficient insecticide to kill them off.
When using pesticides always follow the instructions on the label