How Are Fleas Beneficial?
WouterFleas are beneficial for humans and can help control a wide variety of parasitic diseases. The first step in controlling an infestation is to prevent fleas from breeding in your home. Fleas feed on animal waste, including pet hair, and infested animals are prone to infections. During an infestation, an infested animal can shed thousands of eggs, and some species may even transmit harmful pathogens to humans.
A bite by a flea can be painful, ranging from a small welt to a massive sore that can last days. Even one flea bite can make your dog or cat miserable. Left untreated, flea bites can lead to infection, which can be difficult to treat. Fleas can also be harmful to people, who can contract cat scratch fever and murine typhus from flea bites.
Fleas are small, wingless insects that live in the hair and fur of animals. They are about one-eighth of an inch long and have reddish brown, oval bodies with a slender, white proboscis. Fleas lay two to fourteen eggs daily and can lay up to 2,000 eggs in their lifetime. The eggs of fleas are deposited on a pet’s skin or hair, where they hatch after two to five days in the right environment.
Several studies indicate that pet fleas overwinter on wild animals, which is a significant source of pet flea infestation. Furthermore, the same species of fleas can infect domestic pets, which could result in increased levels of pulicosis in household dogs and cats. This makes prevention of an infestation and management a key component of flea control.
