Do Fleas Need Water to Live?
WouterDespite their name, fleas do not need water in order to live. They are able to survive for a few days or even a week under water. This is possible due to their wax-covered cuticles, which make them non-wettable and repel water. This wax coating also prevents water from entering their respiratory system.
Fleas’ eggs are capable of remaining dormant for months, but only if their host animal remains intact. However, if the temperature remains below mid-thirties for too long, they will die. This means that the best way to combat fleas is to treat them as early as possible.
Water fleas are a special type of flea that live in vernal pools. They eat algae, bacteria, and other organisms present in water. During the wet season of the vernal pool, female Water Fleas lay fertile eggs in their brood pouch. This pouch is the size of a knapsack and can hold up to twenty eggs. During the egg-laying period, the female Water Flea swims up and down until the eggs hatch. The resulting larvae are identical to the mother.
If you drop a flea, you must immediately remove it. It is very difficult to catch a flea if it is underwater, but you can drown it by putting a container of dish detergent in the water. In this way, you’ll drown the fleas faster than you would if you were dropping one. However, you should be aware of the fact that the egg shell of fleas is designed to keep them from drowning. This is because the plastron is a mesh-like gas layer inside the egg shell. This allows the flea to get oxygen from the water, but it also prevents water from getting into the egg.
