How Fleas Have Babies
WouterFleas are small, wingless insects that are about a tenth of an inch long. They are brown or black in color. Their hind legs are modified for jumping, so they can jump up to eight inches vertically and sixteen inches horizontally. The adult fleas’ bodies are made up of thin, compressed scales, and they are covered with spines. The spines are used to aid movement and to resist pulling while the flea is attached to a host.
Fleas reproduce by depositing eggs. They can lay up to fifty eggs per day in the ideal conditions. In order to lay the eggs, an adult flea must live in an environment where the temperature is between 75 and 95 degrees, and humidity is between sixty and eighty percent. A single flea can lay up to 2,000 eggs in her lifetime.
Once an adult flea hatches, it will begin the development of its young. It takes between five and twenty days for the larva to emerge from the cocoon. They feed on skin cells and flea droppings. Once they have the first meal, they will begin laying eggs. Within a few days, they will begin to breed.
After feeding on an animal, fleas lay eggs. The eggs need a moist, warm environment to hatch. The eggs hatch within 12 days, and the temperature should be seventy to eighty percent. Flea eggs can survive a few days in a warm environment, but if the temperature and humidity are too high, the larvae may die before hatching.
