Human flea

Human dwellings, bedding, carpets, upholstery, and animal resting areas, especially where warmth and organic debris accumulate.

Both sexes feed on blood; adults bite humans and other mammals, while larvae consume organic debris and dried blood in environmental habitats.

Wingless, laterally flattened adults jump efficiently and hide in fabrics or hair. Eggs fall from hosts, and larvae develop in protected debris before pupating; infestations can persist through multiple generations.

Bites cause itchy, inflamed papules and may trigger allergic reactions. Fleas can transmit pathogens, including historically Yersinia pestis and, in some regions, flea-borne typhus; they have little direct ecological benefit in homes.