Fleas Need an Animal to Survive
WouterFleas cannot survive without a host animal. Adult fleas look for shelter in upholstered furniture, bedding, carpets, and other places where they can find a dark and warm environment. Fleas can also live outside in grass and overgrown foliage. Some outdoor fleas may live in pet houses and sheds. Fleas can’t swim, so they rely on their sense of touch and body heat to locate a host animal.
In an ideal environment, fleas can live up to a year, but they are most active when they find an animal to live on. Fleas lay eggs that hatch and feed on organic debris. After about two weeks, the larvae then progress to the pupae stage, which they live in for weeks or months. During this time, they can lay eggs. If the host animal is killed, fleas are not able to lay eggs, and the population would decline.
Fleas need a host to reproduce, and they need blood to feed their young. During the first few days after their first blood meal, female fleas can lay eggs on the animal they’re infesting. Moreover, each time a female flea feeds, she needs a blood meal to keep her metabolism balanced. If she’s left without a host, she won’t lay eggs, because she doesn’t have the energy to support the new life.
Fleas undergo four different stages in their life cycle. While in their larval stage, fleas lay up to 40 eggs a day. The eggs will hatch in two to twelve days. The larvae are tiny and lack appendages. However, they have strong mouths and can live for 200 days. Adult fleas are about one eighth of an inch in length. They feed on their host’s blood as well as organic debris such as dead skin cells and hair.
