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Once the flea reaches adulthood, its primary goal is to find blood and then to reproduce. [15] Female fleas can lay 5000 or more eggs over their life, permitting rapid increase in numbers. [16] Generally speaking, an adult flea only lives for 2 or 3 months. Without a host to provide a blood meal, a flea's life can be as short as a few days.
The human flea (Pulex irritans) – once also called the house flea [1] – is a cosmopolitan flea species that has, in spite of the common name, a wide host spectrum. It is one of six species in the genus Pulex ; the other five are all confined to the Nearctic and Neotropical realms . [ 2 ]
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After three larval stages they pupate. Fleas newly emerged from the pupa need to have a blood meal within a week, otherwise they will die. After that they can survive for many months without feeding. The optimum temperature for the flea's life cycle is 70 °F to 85 °F (21 °C to 30 °C). [4]
The most infamous flea-to-human transmitted disease is the bubonic plague, ... (0.04 to 0.15 inches), wingless, blood-sucking fleas that live on the body of the host they infest.
The dog flea is troublesome because it can spread Dipylidium caninum. Although they feed on the blood of dogs and cats, they sometimes bite humans. They can live without food for several months, but females must have a blood meal before they can produce eggs. They can deliver about 4000 eggs on the host's fur. [2]
The flea remains a pupa from one week to six months changing in a process called metamorphosis. When the flea emerges, it begins the final cycle, called the adult stage. A flea can now suck blood from hosts and mate with other fleas. A single female flea can mate once and lay eggs every day with up to 50 eggs per day. [5] [6] [citation needed]
Don't let fleas take over your house. Follow these expert tips on how to get rid of fleas on pets (dogs included!), furniture, bedding and even in your yard.