Do Fleas Drink Human Blood?
WouterIf you’ve ever seen a flea, you’ve probably wondered whether they actually drink human blood. While it’s true that fleas prefer blood from animals such as cats, dogs, and humans, it’s important to remember that they don’t actually need human blood to survive. In fact, fleas can survive up to 100 days without a host. Without a blood meal, fleas cannot lay eggs, and their population would drastically shrink. Luckily, they’re able to lay eggs almost immediately after a blood meal.
Fleas are warm-blooded creatures, and they are attracted to the warm liquid in our blood. Unfortunately, most humans don’t have enough hair to be a suitable flea host. But even if they’re not able to feed on human blood, they will still bite.
Fleas are wingless insects that prefer to feed on animal blood, but they will also feed on human blood if the opportunity presents itself. Fleas are tiny, ranging in size from a tenth of an inch to one-sixth of an inch, and have long claws on all six legs. They have very powerful legs and can jump long distances. The average flea can jump eight inches high and sixteen inches across.
Fleas lay up to 40 eggs per day, and one flea can lay up to 2,000 eggs in their lifetime. Fleas are not only irritating and annoying, but they can transmit dangerous diseases, like plague, bartonellosis, and typhus. In fact, plague is so dangerous that parts of a Denver suburb were shut down after fleas infected prairie dogs. One teen even died after coming into contact with plague-infected fleas.
