Scientific classification: Order Siphonaptera. Dog fleas are classified as Ctenocephalides canis, cat fleas as Ctenocephalides felis felis, and human fleas as Pulex irritans. The rat flea of the tropics is classified as Xenopsylla cheopis; the rat flea of Europe as Ceratophyllus fasciatus. The sticktight flea is classified as Echidnophaga gallinacea.
Flea is the general name for parasitical, wingless insects. The adults of flea feed on the blood of their host they are seen as surface parasites on the skin of human beings, other mammals, and birds. They are found in every situation and place in the world. They lay eggs at the edges of carpets, between floorboards, in the folds of curtains, in refuse piles, and in other places that provide safety and adequate nutrition for the larvae. These eggs become larva in five to seven days and they are armed with biting mouthparts. They nourish for two to three weeks on crude refuse; the larvae spin cocoons and enter a pupa stage which turns to an adult in about one to two weeks. Adult fleas are about 1 to 8 mm in length; they have wide, rather flat, polished bodies, which are light red-brown to very dark brown, short antennae, and piercing and sucking mouthparts. They have minute or no eyes at all. They have long and powerful legs which enable them to leap moderately high into the air.
Now, there are numerous flea species and they infest household pets and domestic animals. The dog flea and the cat flea are two of the most common species, both of which are parasites; sometimes they are on human beings, poultry, and livestock in the absence of their natural host. The human flea, the species commonly found on people, is distributed throughout the world. The dog flea, cat flea, and human flea are all intermediate hosts of a common cat and dog parasite, the cucumber tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum). Tapeworm eggs are deposited in faecal matter, and some of these eggs may clutch to the fur of the primary host. Flea larvae swallow the tapeworm eggs. The worm larva remains within the flea during all its life stages, but becomes infective only in the adult flea. An animal or human being becomes infected when it swallows an infected flea, as, for example, when an animal licks its fur. The adult tapeworm then begins to develop inside the host animal. Human cases are rare and accidental. The rat fleas, in the tropics and in Europe, are important carriers of bubonic plague, as is the sticktight flea, which is also noted for its habit of clinging tenaciously to its host. Dog eczema is usually connected with the presence of fleas.
To control fleas, you have to target the adult and the larva, in summary you have to destroy the adults and making breeding places unsuitable for larval life. Adult fleas are destroyed by judicious application of insecticides or petroleum jelly. These agents must be properly used to avoid harm to the infected animal or person.
Flea is the general name for parasitical, wingless insects. The adults of flea feed on the blood of their host they are seen as surface parasites on the skin of human beings, other mammals, and birds. They are found in every situation and place in the world. They lay eggs at the edges of carpets, between floorboards, in the folds of curtains, in refuse piles, and in other places that provide safety and adequate nutrition for the larvae. These eggs become larva in five to seven days and they are armed with biting mouthparts. They nourish for two to three weeks on crude refuse; the larvae spin cocoons and enter a pupa stage which turns to an adult in about one to two weeks. Adult fleas are about 1 to 8 mm in length; they have wide, rather flat, polished bodies, which are light red-brown to very dark brown, short antennae, and piercing and sucking mouthparts. They have minute or no eyes at all. They have long and powerful legs which enable them to leap moderately high into the air.
Now, there are numerous flea species and they infest household pets and domestic animals. The dog flea and the cat flea are two of the most common species, both of which are parasites; sometimes they are on human beings, poultry, and livestock in the absence of their natural host. The human flea, the species commonly found on people, is distributed throughout the world. The dog flea, cat flea, and human flea are all intermediate hosts of a common cat and dog parasite, the cucumber tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum). Tapeworm eggs are deposited in faecal matter, and some of these eggs may clutch to the fur of the primary host. Flea larvae swallow the tapeworm eggs. The worm larva remains within the flea during all its life stages, but becomes infective only in the adult flea. An animal or human being becomes infected when it swallows an infected flea, as, for example, when an animal licks its fur. The adult tapeworm then begins to develop inside the host animal. Human cases are rare and accidental. The rat fleas, in the tropics and in Europe, are important carriers of bubonic plague, as is the sticktight flea, which is also noted for its habit of clinging tenaciously to its host. Dog eczema is usually connected with the presence of fleas.
To control fleas, you have to target the adult and the larva, in summary you have to destroy the adults and making breeding places unsuitable for larval life. Adult fleas are destroyed by judicious application of insecticides or petroleum jelly. These agents must be properly used to avoid harm to the infected animal or person.
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