Fleas
• Life cycle of a flea
o The flea has several stages to its life cycle.
o Adult fleas spend most of their time on the dog – they must be dislodged to leave since they will not do so voluntarily.
o When the flea population on the dog becomes excessive, humans tend to be an acceptable alternative to the flea.
o The average life span of an adult flea is probably about 6 weeks, but fleas can live as long as a year under certain conditions.
o A female flea can lay 20-30 eggs a day.
o She may lay several hundred over her life span.
o These eggs fall off the pet and develop where they land.
o They are small and can even develop in the cracks in wood floors or other small crevices.
o Larvae hatches from the flea egg.
o It takes as few as 9 days to as long as 200 days to go through its growth stages.
o At this time it forms a pupa and waits for the right time to hatch.
o Fleas prefer temperatures of 65-80 degrees and humidity of 75-85%.
o This range determines the period of time that fleas are a problem in your particular area.
§ For some of the country, this is all year.
§ In others, the flea season is relatively short.
o It is estimated that for every adult flea found on the pet, there are about 10 developing fleas in the pet’s environment.
o Because of the life span and the variations of the life cycle, it is important to remain vigilant, even when a flea problem is thought to be under control.