1. FLEAS
What You Should Know
Diagnosis and treatment
Photos courtesy of Joseph Barger published on Bugwood.org ITP Node

2. FLEA BIOLOGY
► Fleas are from the order Siphonaptera - Siphon, like their mouths “A” which means
lacking and Ptera which means wings.
► They are pests of humans and other animals, but mostly prefer non-human hosts.
► Most species can and do readily feed on humans when infestations are heavy or
when no other hosts are present.
► Small and wingless with an average size of 1/12 to 1/16 inch in length but may be
as small as 1/25 to 1/3 of an inch.
► When viewed from the front an adults body is narrow from side to side.
► The odd shape allows it to move readily between the hairs or feathers on a host’s
body.
► Spines on the body project backwards and make removal of the flea difficult. Even
when scratching.
► Long powerful legs allow the flea to jump as high as 7-8 inches vertically and 14-16
inches horizontally.
► Flea larvae are apods, they don’t possess legs or other appendages.

3. FLEA BIOLOGY
► Fleas have a complete metamorphosis.
► They have piercing-sucking mouthparts through which they obtain blood
meals from their hosts.
► Fleas require a “blood meal” before reproduction
► Eggs take 2 days to 2 weeks to hatch
► completely developed adult fleas can live for several months without eating,
so long as they stay in their pupal cocoon (puparia)
► Noise and vibrations cause them to leave their pupal cocoon.
► Adults are ready to feed and mate very soon after emerging
► Generally humid warm and humid conditions are required for severe
infestations to develop (70-85 degrees & greater than 50% relative humidity)
► Fleas will generally be concentrated in and around pet resting areas since
such areas will receive large amounts of flea fecal material (containing blood
for the larvae to feed on) from adult fleas feeding on the pet.
► Although fleas can flourish yearly in states that are generally warm. In states
with very different seasons, fleas flourish when weather patterns are warm
and humid.

4. FLEA INSPECTION
► First thing to keep in mind is that you should always use a bright flashlight
► It is very important that you positively identify the pest as fleas
► Many customer’s believe they are getting bitten but actually may not be.
► Many inspectors use the contrast from a pair of white socks with no shoes, or
white shoe covers over your shoes. Walking through an infested area the fleas
will be more obvious.
► Interview the customer to find potential areas and noted problem areas
► Sometimes it helps to draw a diagram to remember hot spots and to have a
place to make notes as needed.
► Always remember that outside Fleas prefer moist shaded areas.

5. FLEA INSPECTION
► Look in all of the pet resting areas. Pet beds, couches, and living areas shared
between humans and pets.
► Fleas are readily dispersed throughout a house by constantly moving animals
► If no pets are present consider other factors like an unwanted guest in the
subarea
► Eggs are laid frequently on the host, but are not attached and may fall off
anywhere the host travels.
► Pet bedding will most often show evidence

6. FLEA TREATMENT
► Carpets should be vacuumed before every interior flea service. This will cause the adults in
waiting to leave the pupal cocoon pesticides can be applied to them
► Adulticides will only kill adult fleas that have hatched from their pupal stage
► Insect growth regulators(IGR’s) such as precor are very important to keep fleas in their larval
stage. At this stage they can’t bite, and if prevented from spinning a cocoon they will die.
► Larvae have chewing mouthparts, unlike adults, and won’t bite people or pets for food.
► Vacuuming usually won’t remove the larvae, making IGR’s that much more necessary.
► While carpets need to be broadcast sprayed a crack and crevice treatment is also required to
get to hiding areas.
► Animals should be taken off the property during treatment and should only be returned once
taken to a vet and treated.

7. ► Vacuuming will cause fleas to leave the pupal stage which exposes them to the
residual products
► This should be done daily by the customer and by the pest technician at each
follow-up service
► Pest monitoring boards should be installed so that areas of continuing
infestation can be identified.
► Customer’s should be given accurate time tables for control, and need to be
educated on the difficulty in eliminating this pest
► Fleas are never gone the same day as the treatment
► Interview the customer before each service to see what he or she may have
found happening since your last visit.