Do Fleas Need a Male to Reproduce?
Fleas cannot reproduce without a male. Water fleas are one exception to this rule. A female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day and this can quickly turn into an infestation. The eggs will not develop into adult fleas and will only be used by larvae.
Fleas are classified into several superfamilies, but the number depends on the classification system used. The common system recognizes 10 superfamilies, including the Pulicoidea, Malacopsylloidea, and Ancistropsylloidea.
Fleas are attracted to animals with fur or feathers. They can burrow into these fluffy bodies and become a significant flea infestation on your pet. This is why it is important to get rid of fleas as soon as you see them. However, you should not wait until you notice that they have started feeding on your pet.
Females often embed themselves in clusters. This gives the male a better chance of finding them. When the male finds several females in a cluster, they will have more chances to reproduce. This is especially important if they live together. If a male does not find all the females, they will have fewer opportunities to mate.
Sand fleas live for most of their lives on the ground. The male does not embed themselves in the host until they are mature and ready to mate. However, they mate with females before they are fully embedded in the skin. The researchers found that a female flea may be fertilized before it embeds itself. This finding makes a lot of sense based on the evolutionary perspective.