A flea's life cycle begins with one tiny, tiny egg
One fertilized female can lay up to 2,000 eggs in
her short lifetime. Within weeks, your home could easily be
overrun with an army of hopping, hungry fleas.
An infestation of adult fleas is really only the tip of the iceberg,
so to speak
A pet owner needs to apply flea control measures to the remaining
fleas as they progress through the four stages of a
flea’s life cycle. The fleas are distributed
in their life cycle as follows: 50 percent eggs, 35 percent
larvae, 10 percent pupas, and only 5 percent adult fleas.
Fleas are adaptable little creatures. If environmental
conditions aren't ideal (such as temperature and moisture level)
they can 'wait it out' and remain in one life stage for some
time. When conditions improve for them, they will then move
on to the next stage.
Flea eggs
Given the sole purpose of a flea’s life is to breed,
the adult female gets busy. After one blood meal she can lay
about 50 eggs a day, usually in batches of about 20. The eggs
are deposited on the skin or fur of the host, in this
case your pet.
Flea eggs are oval shaped, white and very tiny – about
1/50th of an inch long (0.5mm). To the naked eye they look
like very small grains of white sand. Over time, the
eggs usually slide off your cat’s body.
Because of their small size they can find a safe haven in the
tiniest of cracks or crevices ... and tend to accumulate
in areas that your pet frequents … such as bedding,
favorite resting spots, furniture or carpets.
Flea eggs usually hatch in two to 14 days.
The eggs can remain in a ‘ready to hatch’ mode for
several months.
Stage two of a flea's life cycle – the flea larvae emerge
In the second stage of a flea’s life cycle the newly
hatched larvae arrive on the scene. A flea larva looks very
much like a small, hairy white worm and has
no eyes or legs.
They are somewhat transparent and have a brownish head. At
maturity, a larva can measure about 1/5th of an inch (5mm).
A flea larva is able to move about by using its body
bristles. It consumes organic material
on the floor or ground, such as dander, food particles and pet
feces. A larva also feeds on flea dirt, that is, the digested
blood or feces of the already existing adult fleas.
Flea larvae thrive in a warm, damp and dark environment.
They can be found ‘hanging out’ in the same spots
as flea eggs – your cat’s bedding, carpets, cracks
in floors.
During this stage of a flea's life cycle, larvae will molt
(shed their skin) three times as they grow. After one to four
weeks a flea larva is ready to enter the third stage of the
life cycle. A larva can remain ‘in waiting’
for more than six months.
Number three - the cocoon or pupa stage of the flea's life cycle
To prepare for the third stage of a flea's life cycle the fully
developed larva spins itself a silky cocoon
using its saliva and adding in any surrounding particles of
debris for camouflage purposes. The off-white cocoon measures
about ¼ inch (7mm) in length.
The flea larva then pupates in the cocoon
– while undergoing internal changes that transforms its
basic larval structure to that of an adult flea. The pupa stage
lasts about a week.
Warmer temperatures will allow the larva to develop
quickly. If cooler, the flea demonstrates, once more,
how well it can adapt to its environment and will remain, if
necessary, in this stage for many months.
The adult flea
The final stage of the flea’s life cycle finds the adult
flea happily passing the time inside its cocoon waiting for
its first blood meal to arrive. They can survive in
their cocoons for one year.
Adult fleas know when a potential host is present
by sensing movement, warmth and higher levels of carbon dioxide.
Vibrations also stimulate adult fleas. Vacuums
and footsteps are two examples. When cooler
weather arrives, the vibrations from your furnace
can cause adult fleas to emerge from their cocoons.
Within seconds, the adult
fleas appear and jump on to their host.
Once onboard, a female flea will grab a mate.
After one blood meal, the fertilized female will begin to lay
her eggs and the flea's life cycle is complete.
