- Fleas have been on the planet for approximately 100 million years.
- There are over 2,000 species and subspecies of fleas (that we know of).
- In most species of fleas, the female is larger than the male.
- In the US the most commonly found flea is the Cat Flea, it is found on both dogs and cats though despite its name.
- The average flea lives a 2-3 month life span.
- Flea eggs are laid directly on the host but aren’t covered in a sticking coating. This results in the egg falling off when the host moves.
- A female flea can consume up to 15 times their own body weight in a single day.
- If a flea remains ideal for long periods of time it can go between 2 months or 100 days without a blood meal.
- If they were human sized athletes participating in the long jump in the Olympics, certain fleas could break the current world record by approximately 970 feet.
- Once an adult flea emerges from the pupa stage it has approximately 7 days to find a blood meal or else it will die.
- Fleas have 4 stages of life egg, larva, pupa, and adult flea or biting flea.
- Pets with fleas may develop anemia, tapeworms, or intense bouts of itching depending on the pet.
- If you think your pet may have fleas the best way to check is by using a flea comb
- A flea can jump nearly 150 times its own height, that is the equivalent of you being able to jump a building in a single bound.
- Rabbit fleas can sense a hormone change in its host body, that tells the flea the host is pregnant. When the host goes into labor the rabbit flea makes its way to where the offspring are being born so it can lay eggs on the newly born.
- An adult flea can lay between 40 and 50 eggs in a single day.
- Fleas have a hard outer shell designed to with stand difficult conditions. This shell is also very thin so they can easily navigate through its hosts fur.
- Fleas can remain in the pupa stage for long periods of time. If you’re busy treating an adult flea infestation and think you’ve taken care of the problem, the infestation may just return in a few weeks time.
- Fleas are between 1/16 and 1/8 of an inch in size when fully grown.
- Fleas don’t have wings but instead use there legs to jump long distances appearing like they can fly.
- Fleas prefer to attack the ankles when hosting off of humans because they love to burrow into socks where its moist, warm, and dark.
- Flea bites only itch because of the bacteria in the saliva they leave behind when biting you.
- When a flea bites you it injects a minor numbing agent to avoid detection when biting.
