Flea

Found in homes, carpets, bedding, and on domestic or wild mammals and birds.

Hematophagous; adults feed on the blood of mammals and birds. Larvae feed on organic debris and adult flea feces (flea dirt).

Flightless but excellent jumpers; they use powerful hind legs to leap onto hosts. They undergo complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa, adult). Adults spend most of their time on a host to feed and mate.

Risks include skin irritation, allergic dermatitis, and transmission of diseases like typhus or bubonic plague, as well as tapeworms. There are no known ecological benefits to humans.