Do fleas bite and live on humans?

Fleas have been around for a long, long time and have been an annoyance for people and animals for all of that time. If you have had to deal with fleas in your home, more than likely it's because you have pets and you have had to get them flea treatments or flea medicine to remove or prevent fleas. Perhaps you've had the unfortunate experience of finding a number of fleas on your pet and having to get them washed using a "flea dip" to get rid of them.

Do fleas bite humans? The simple answer to the question of, do fleas bite humans, is yes.

If you have a problem with a flea infestation around the home, you need to contact your local Ehrlich Pest Control office and set up an appointment to remove the infestation.

What do fleas eat?

Fleas are blood feeders. Female fleas require a blood meal in order to lay eggs. Normally, these insects consume blood and then, 36-48 hours later they lay eggs.

When the flea eggs hatch, the larva will feed on organic debris left behind on their prey's skin. They will not require another blood meal until they reach adulthood and only the females will need to consume blood in order lay more eggs. Fleas grow rapidly and can reproduce rapidly, as well.

How do fleas bite people?

Fleas feed on blood and they want blood from mammals. This includes pets, sure, and other animals, but they are more than willing to feed on humans, too. Fleas will bite a human to get at the blood vessels below the skin and their bodies are built to do so.

The first thing you need to understand is how the flea mouthparts work. These parasitic insects have mouths can pierce the skin and find the blood vessels, making sure that blood flows so they can feed.

A flea's mouth is made from three parts that act like tiny needles. Two of the needles pierce the skin and cut all the way down to the blood vessel. They pry open the wound and then the center needles jab into the blood and start to suck down their meal. Once they do this, their salivary glands open up and use the same mouth parts done for feeding to inject an anticoagulant so the blood will not clot and keep flowing down into their body.

How do fleas get onto humans?

The same way your pets can end up with fleas, people can end up with fleas. Pets out in the wild, in tall grass and in the wilderness can end up with fleas. Fleas cannot fly as they do not have wings, but they can jump many times longer than their own body length. Thus, they are able to jump onto a passing animal or human and latch on their body hair and skin. Fleas are very flat and capable of navigating through fur and hair and can find the right spot where they can most easily reach the blood.

However, fleas can very easily jump from pets onto people. Once the fleas start to produce eggs, they will fall off and, as they grow, look for a new host. If there are enough fleas, they will gladly hide in carpeting, within the cracks of hardwood floors, or furniture. The pests will then climb or jump onto a person and start looking for a place to feed.

Are flea bites dangerous?

Flea bites are usually just red bumps and often quite itchy to those bitten. The itchiness is a reaction to the saliva injected into the bloodstream and skin. The irritation causes the bumps to get very red and itch and scratching can put dirt and bacteria on a person's fingers into the wound which can lead to infection.

There are certain species of flea that have been known to carry diseases. For example, oriental rat fleas are the infamous carriers of the Bubonic plague. Some species of flea, like the Chigoe flea, carry bacteria which can lead to serious infections of the wound and it often leads to limb amputation. Cat fleas have also been known to carry bacteria and plague.

Ehrlich Pest Control stops fleas

Fleas are notoriously tough. They have an hard outer shell, or exoskeleton, which makes getting rid of them very hard. They also are small, can easily hide in carpet fibers or within the cracks and crevices of furniture. This is why the best way to get rid of fleas is to contact an expert in flea removal at Ehrlich Pest Control.

An Ehrlich flea specialist will listen to what you have to say about where you have seen fleas and figure out how they got into your home, where they are hiding, and the best way to get rid of them. Once we get rid of the fleas, we can help make sure they don't come back.

If you have spotted fleas on your pets or flea bites on your body, contact the local Ehrlich Pest Control office near you today and start the process of ridding yourself of these pests.