What Fleas Are Attracted To?
WouterWhether you are a pet owner or not, you have probably wondered what fleas are attracted to. While dogs and cats are often the main hosts of fleas, humans can get infested as well. If you have an indoor pet, you should take the necessary precautions to eliminate fleas in your home.
Fleas are attracted to light, which they perceive as a source of food. They will often leap towards a light source that mimics the shadow of their potential host. When the light source is interrupted, the fleas will flee. In the next few weeks, they will be on the lookout for another blood meal.
Although light is a very important factor in flea attraction, it’s not enough to draw the fleas to your trap. Fleas are also attracted to dark areas, such as shadows cast by potential hosts. In fact, intermittent lighting is more effective than continuous light for capturing fleas. Although light is important to fleas, they don’t actually like it. They will jump to a warm place if their host becomes cold.
Fleas are drawn to light by different wavelengths. Cat fleas are attracted to wavelengths between 300 and 600 nanometers. In larval stages, fleas can detect these wavelengths and migrate to a light source within 40 minutes. They prefer green-yellow light, which is why lit flea traps are so effective.
