Flea's Life Cycle

Understanding a flea’s life cycle can be helpful in (1) understanding the importance of preparations one should take prior to a flea treatment, (2) in the decision to choose a professional company to treat that will be using professional grade products, and (3) understanding the necessity of the prevention steps one should take in effectively ridding your property of fleas and keeping them at bay.

A flea life cycle (from egg to larva to pupa to adult) takes from two weeks to eight months. The length varies depending on temperature, humidity food and species with the optimum temperature being 70°F to 85°F and the optimum humidity is 70%.  Ninety-five percent of a flea infestation population is in the immature stages, while only five percent of the population are adults. The breakdown of the immature population consists of 50% eggs, 35% larvae, and 10% pupae.

The process:

Stage 1 – Egg:

• The female, after a blood meal, lays about 15-20 eggs per day – that’s up to 600 in a lifetime – usually on the host.
• Eggs do not stick to the host, so they drop out anywhere, especially where the host rests, sleeps or nests; i.e., on carpets, rugs, upholstered furniture, cat or dog boxes and/or beds, kennels, sand boxes, etc.
• The eggs hatch in two days to two weeks into larvae, and are found in floor cracks, crevices, along baseboards, under rug edges and in furniture and beds, etc.  Outdoor development occurs in sandy gravel soils (moist sand boxes, dirt crawlspaces and under the house, under shrubs, etc.)  Sand and gravel are very suitable for larval development, which is the reason fleas are erroneously called “sand fleas.”

• Takes a week to several months to develop.
• Are blind and avoid light.
• Larvae sustain themselves by eating digested blood from adult flea feces, dead skin, hair, feathers, and organic debris.

• Takes about 5-14 days to develop into adult fleas.
• Silken cocoon is woven by larva.
• Pet hair, carpet fibers, dust, and other debris sticks to cocoon.
• Adults emerge once movement from a potential host is noticed.
• As long as they're cocooned, fully-developed adult fleas can survive without food for several months.  Otherwise, newly emerged adult fleas can only live about one week without a blood feast. 

Stage 4 – Adult:

• Adult fleas may live from two months to one year without feeding, but newly emerged adult fleas only live about one week if a blood meal is not obtained.
• Keep in mind that adults do not necessarily emerge all at once; a second hatching may take place within about 10-21 days; one reason to use Pied Piper Pest Control, Inc., to treat your property professionally.  Pied Piper Pest Control, Inc., will use only professional grade products that contain insect growth regulators (IGR).  This non-toxic compound works at the larvae level and prevents development of one stage to another. The use of IGRs along with the proper preparations and prevention techniques mentioned in this article will effectively rid your property of fleas.  Furthermore, since fleas can be difficult to eliminate, should you experience problems 14-21 days after we’ve treated for fleas, we will come back out at no extra charge and re-treat the premises. 

Preparations for a Flea Treatment:

• Pick up as much as possible from off the floors.  The better the surface area is covered by the treatment, the better results you’ll achieve. 
• Vacuum - The benefits of vacuuming cannot be overemphasized as a means of flea control. Vacuuming picks up all stages of fleas, directly reducing the population. It also removes dirt and spreads carpet fibers that can interfere with the penetration of pesticide applications.
• Put a couple of mothballs in the vacuum bag, and be sure to use the crack and crevice tool and get in all the corners, even vacuum hardwood and tile floors, as well as upholstered furniture. 
• After vacuuming, immediately throw out the vacuum bag in an outside garbage bin as it will contain hundreds if not thousands of flea eggs, larva, pupa as well as adult fleas.
• For outside treatments – pick up as much debris and clutter as possible, and cut grass to a comfortably low level.
• Protect Pets - All pets should be removed from the premises. Birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish are extremely sensitive to many pesticides. Before a flea treatment is made, pets should be removed or their containers tightly sealed. Aquarium filters and air pumps should be unplugged. 
• After your property is treated for fleas, pets and people should be kept off treated surfaces until the surfaces are completely dry.
• Treating Pets (Cats & Dogs)Bathing & Dipping - While the property is being professionally treated and all pets need to be off of the premises, now would be a good time to have the pets (cats and dogs) professionally bathed and dipped as well. 

Prevention:

• Flea Collars - The next day or two, place a flea collar on the pet.  Flea collars are very effective when used as a part of this overall flea-control program. Some special flea collars now contain insect growth regulator (IGR) compounds, and this is a real plus. Flea eggs that contact the collar will be unable to hatch.
• More Vacuuming - Vacuum treated rooms every day after treatment for at least two weeks.  Vacuuming causes the right amount of disturbance that the pupa (flea larva) need in order to emerge as an adult flea, which in turn will allow the flea to come in contact with the treatment. 
• Dusting - Dusting your pet's sleeping area with a good flea powder is a good idea. The use of the on-pet sprays before a walk in the park is good prevention, and the use of IGRs is an advanced way to prevent a problem with fleas in the future. 
• Borate Compounds - Prevention also involves the use the sodium borate compounds in the carpet. These naturally occurring chemicals are safe for children and pets and last in your carpet for almost a year. They are dusted on, brushed in and do not leave a residue. They work at the larval stage, much like the IGRs.