How Long Do Fleas Live?
WouterWhen you have a flea problem, one of the first questions you should ask is, “How long do fleas live?” The life cycle of fleas is much shorter than the life cycle of other insects. It involves four stages – egg, larva, pupa, and adult. This process can take a couple of weeks or several months, depending on the environment. The life span of adult fleas in dogs and cats is usually between two and three months, but they can live for several months if they’re in the right environment. They can also live for up to a week without a host.
Adult fleas lay their eggs inside the fur of the host they wish to infest. They lay as many as 50 eggs in 24 hours. The number of eggs depends on how much blood the mother flea can draw from its host. The blood provides the energy that fleas need to reproduce.
Adult fleas prefer shady areas and moist environments. They will hide in upholstered furniture, carpets, bedding, and sheds. Outdoors, fleas live in grass, bushes, and other areas with high humidity. They also live on shoes, pant legs, and blankets, and can easily be transferred from one host to another.
In addition to humans, fleas also transmit the deadly Yersinia pestis bacterium. In the 14th century, a disease known as the black plague was spread by fleas and killed up to 25 million people. In the years before the discovery of antibiotics, fleas caused 200 million deaths around the world.
