Everything You Need to Know About Fleabites
Fleas are tiny, wingless insects that feed on the blood of animals including dogs and humans. These small pests can be hard to spot without a microscope, but fleabites are easier to detect with the naked eye. Flea bites cause red raised welts on skin, often in clusters or lines. The itching from flea bites is likely caused by an allergic reaction to saliva injected during feeding or skin irritation from their mouthparts.
People who suffer from chronic allergies may experience more severe reactions to flea bites than those who don’t have any allergies at all! Fleas typically live for around two months before dying off naturally; they’re also dependent upon warm weather conditions like heat and humidity for survival. Read this blog post about how you can get rid of this tiny pest. You can also check our blog on how flea bites.
What are fleas?
A flea is a small wingless insect from the order of insects called Siphonaptera. They are tiny jumping insects that can be found on the back of cats, dogs, wild animals and even humans. Fleas are hematophagous, which means they feed on blood, more precisely on the blood of their host. They can transmit various diseases to both humans and animals.
Even though they are tiny, fleas can cause a lot of discomfort, and in some cases even transmit diseases. Unfortunately, they tend to infest homes and public places in the hundreds and thousands if not treated promptly.
What do fleas look like?
A flea is a small insect that lives on the skin of a host animal and feeds on its blood. This insect has strong hindlegs, to help it jump up to 18 cm in height; when not in use, these legs are folded under the body. They have 6 legs in total – 4 hind legs that are powerful for jumping, and 2 front legs adapted for eating.
The body color usually matches the host animal’s fur, but there are exceptions. For example, the cat flea looks just like a cat’s tongue. The human flea is red-brown in colour, with a prominent band of white spots. The dog flea has bright reddish-orange markings on its back and sides, while the oriental rat flea is grey to dark brown in colour.
Fleas can be seen with the naked eye. They have a tapered head and a hard shell-like body which helps resist water loss.
A flea’s body is flattened laterally and can be described as roughly oval or rod-shaped. The flea’s body is complex, as it needs to withstand tremendous pressure as the flea jumps.
The flea’s rigid body is covered with many hairs and thick bristles that help its movements. These structures also have a different function – to trap air bubbles next to the flea’s body, giving it some air for breathing. This helps a flea breathe while sucking up the host’s blood.
The rigid body is also covered with fine hairs to help it move through the host’s fur. These are called setae and have a firm root in the flea’s abdomen so they can move quickly while not being lost. The flea can raise its front and back ends at will, allowing easy movement between hairs and around the host’s body or nest.
At just 1 mm long, the flea body is quite small, but it still has many important organs to help it live its life as a parasite of warm-blooded animals. Fleas have a well-developed nervous system that has separate nerve cords running through their bodies. They have no lungs; instead they breathe through their skin. The flea has a beaded gut, which breaks down the blood it drinks quickly so it can be excreted in an easy-to-pass liquid form.
What are the signs and symptoms of a flea bite?
The most common sign of flea bites are small, itchy bumps on the skin. These bite can be identified by a red area with a central black dot. People who have been bitten may also experience a localized reaction at the site of the bite, such as swelling and itching.
The first sign of a flea problem on your pet is often you see your pet itching or scratching, but sometimes the first indication is finding small reddish brown fecal stains (flea dirt) on your pet’s bedding and other areas in your home. If you live with pets, it’s always best to check for evidence of fleas before they become a problem.
It’s not normal for cats or dogs to scratch themselves frequently, but it is normal for them to occasionally scratch after being outside. If your pet begins scratching frequently without an obvious reason, fleas are probably the cause. Common places where pets normally scratch against furniture and walls include the neck and belly. Pet owners should also check pets’ ears for fleas or ear mites.
Flea bites often occur on the ankles, wrists and face because these regions of your pet are easy to reach when trying to remove a pest from fur. Pets that have been swimming or bathing may also develop lots of new bites around their belly. Fleas tend to accumulate in these regions of your pet because they’re warm, humid and have lots of fur.
How do fleabites differ from mosquito bites and bedbug bites?
Flea bites typically produce small, red bumps that appear in clusters on any part of the body. Mosquito bites often also produce small clusters of bumps, but they are usually much larger than the bites from fleas or bedbugs. Mosquito bites may also cause itchiness or welts that are filled with blood. Bedbugs are harder to distinguish from mosquito bites, since their bites appear as small red bumps as well. If you can see a dark spot of blood in the middle, however, it is a sign that you have been bitten by a bedbug.
Bedbugs produce red bumps in clusters that appear anywhere on the body, much like fleabites. Bedbug bites may also cause itchiness, but they will never contain blood.
Fleabites are often mistaken for bug bites. Fleas do not jump very high. Mosquitoes can also cause an itchy bump if they suck your blood but the bumps are different in size and shape than those caused by a flea. Unlike mosquitoes, bedbugs will often leave a dark red or purple mark with a sore center that has been said to last from two weeks to four months. Fleabites are often mistaken for bug bites because of this.
How do you deal with fleabites?
Flea bites are not generally harmful to humans, but they may cause some irritation or itching. Eliminating the fleas on your pet can dramatically reduce the number of bites you receive.
A cat can become infested with millions of fleas within just a few weeks by coming into contact with an infected animal in its neighborhood. Check for signs of infestation-sensitivity around cats’ head and neck area. Seek assistance from your veterinarian if any symptoms exist so he or she can put you on a flea prevention program based on what’s best for your pet’s environment and habits. If your cat does have fleas, you’ll want to rid your house of any problems as well.
You do not need to resort to harsh chemicals and pesticides. All you need is a little bit of understanding and patience and some simple home solutions for getting rid of fleas from both your pet and the environment.
How to prevent fleas?
The best way to deal with fleabites is prevention. Fleas can cling to your pet’s fur and then leap on you or other pets once they get close enough. It’s important always to wash your hands after playing with a pet for this reason alone, but also because flea dirt from the claws of cats and dogs ends up on their paws and then gets transferred to skin when they scratch or groom themselves afterward.
You should also deal with any dirt or droppings your pet may have brought into the house as these feces can contain an abundance of the insects. Vacuum every corner and crevice and discard the contents in a sealed bag. Wash all of your household’s pets bedding to help kill any remaining eggs.
Fleas are tiny insects that live on the bodies of pets and feed on blood. They can also jump onto your clothing or be around to bite you, so it’s important to get rid of them by calling a licensed pest control professional as quickly as possible before they spread Lyme disease.
You can get rid of these fleas with our pest control service in Nashwille.