Do Fleas Need a Mate to Reproduce?
WouterFleas are reddish-brown insects with flattened bodies that make them easy to jump and move through a host’s hairs. Their long legs are well-adapted for jumping, and they have a thick coat of hair and short spines that point backwards. Adult fleas have mouthparts that are designed for sucking blood from the host.
Female fleas reproduce by laying eggs. A single female flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day, and when they are unkilled, this number quickly rises. The presence of more than one flea in a home or on a pet can result in an infestation.
Once the flea lays its eggs, it takes anywhere from two days to a week for the larva to develop. If the temperature and humidity are right, the eggs will hatch. They then develop into larvae, which look like worms and feed on predigested blood and organic debris.
Adult fleas prefer to feed on a host animal, but they can also bite humans. They can detect body heat, movement, and breathing, which allows them to detect the presence of a human host. Once they have infested a human host, they can spread their fecal matter, which transmits germs. Flea feces can also contaminate open wounds.
Fleas have four life stages, including an egg, larva, and pupa. Adult fleas are approximately half an inch long and white with three segments. They develop in four to eighteen days and then spin silk cocoons. Once this stage is completed, they are ready to reproduce.
