Fleas

Natural Habitat

Fleas live on the bodies of their hosts (pets like dogs and cats, rodents, birds, and sometimes humans). In homes, they can be found in carpets, upholstery, pet bedding, cracks in floors, and anywhere pet dander and flea dirt accumulate.

Diet & Feeding

Adult fleas are obligate hematophagous parasites, meaning they feed exclusively on the blood of their warm-blooded hosts (mammals and birds). Larvae feed on organic debris, including adult flea feces (flea dirt), which is dried blood.

Behavior Patterns

Fleas are excellent jumpers, able to leap great distances relative to their size. They are attracted to warmth and carbon dioxide emitted by potential hosts. Their life cycle includes egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages, with adults typically living for several weeks to months if they find a host. They spend most of their time on the host, but eggs often fall off, leading to infestations in carpets, bedding, and pet resting areas.

Risks & Benefits

Risks include causing itching, skin irritation, and allergic reactions (flea allergy dermatitis) in pets and humans. They can also transmit diseases like tapeworms (Dipylidium caninum) to pets and, less commonly, to humans, and historically, bubonic plague (via oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis). They offer no known benefits to humans or ecosystems in domestic environments, being considered pests.

Identified on: 8/10/2025