Are fleas Nocturnal? Do fleas Sleep at Night?

As a home or pet owner, you’d be worried if your lovely dog or cat caught fleas. These bugs will bite and suck blood from these animals, causing your furry friends pain, anemia, or death. 

So, it’s logical to pursue techniques to help control fleas both in the day and night times. But are fleas nocturnal? do fleas sleep at night?

In summary, fleas do not sleep but these bugs use the circadian (activity & rest) rhythms. But fleas, like bedbugs, are very active during the night-time or dusk than in the day (maybe they’re nocturnal or vespertine?).

However, fleas won’t be fully inactive during the day and hence they may still jump into humans, between houses, and on pets. 

Details: Are fleas Nocturnal? Do fleas Sleep at Night? 

1. Fleas Enjoy the Circadian Rhythm

Fleas, especially cat fleas, enjoy circadian activity & rest locomotion rhythms while also being highly active at night compared to daytime – it’s unaffected by the ultrasonic devices. 

• Thus, flea baits and flea traps will work best at night. The bugs will rise some hours before dark with their activity being highest at midnight. 

Fleas won’t move much during the day – and also their pattern of laying eggs will follow this trend. The fleas lay their eggs mainly at midnight and less of these during dawn. 

However, as noted above, fleas won’t be fully inactive during the day. But they’ll continue pooping during most hours of the day – constantly and randomly.  

2. Do Fleas Sleep? 

First, fleas do not sleep – but as noted earlier they operate with the circadian rhythm – which means they have well-defined rest & activity phases. 

• However, while fleas are resting, they’ll burrow themselves into bedding and carpeting plus the pet’s fur and bedding. 

The fleas will enjoy increased respiration, egg production, and movement at dusk. The adult fleas in their cocoons can remain in this state for even 5 months. 

Unlike mammals, fleas won’t follow the sleep pattern but during their resting phase, they don’t respond well to stimuli – during this time, the senses of the fleas are slightly insensitive. 

Why is the Fleas Attack Most Aggressive at Night? 

The fleas’ attack is most aggressive at nighttime since they’re parasitic – they’ll rest over day time and be overly active in attacks and feeding on hosts’ blood at night. 

The parasitic fleas will depend on blood from pests and mammals (these ara largely diurnal). Thus fleas would benefit in their feeding and movement when their hosts are less active (this is nighttime). 

• Therefore, as you and your pets lie down to rest during night or dusk, the fleas will have their circadian rhythmic cycle at activity – this allows them to be ready to attack.  

During the night, the fleas won’t experience much disruption from their hosts even when they’re biting and thus this is an advantage to the bugs. 

Realizing that these bugs are highly active at night, your flea control should take advantage of those (nighttime feeding) facts. 

• For example, flea-vacuum your floors and carpets at night as this will help exterminate the adult fleas (they’re highly active at this time), fleas eggs, and also the flea eggs. 

I would also advise that you sprinkle some table salt and baking soda around the pet’s bed and your bed during the nighttime – these remedies will lethally harm the fleas. 

Are Fleas Vespertine or Nocturnal? 

Cat fleas may be challenging to classify as Nocturnal mainly because; on the one hand, the bugs may be considered as Nocturnal because they are largely inactive during the daytime. 

• But cat fleas don’t become fully inactive even during the daytime – such as when they’re on their hosts like humans and cats, the bugs could still be actively feeding. 

On whether fleas are vespertine, the behavior of fleas may be classified as fleas is Nocturnal while that of bed bugs is crepuscular since they’re both active as dawn or dusk (twilight).

• The fleas’ egg production is lower during the daytime because the bug’s oviposition rates rise at dusk (after sunrise) and they’ll be a maximum production at mid of scotophase.

The egg production schedule and rate coincide with the hours of inactivity for domestic pets and humans.

• The fleas don’t vary their rate of releasing body waste with the time of day. The bugs will produce the waste at contact and random rate throughout its day.

Related: Flea Carpet Powder

Flea Diapause & Dormancy 

The pre-emergent adults may enter into some dormant or diapause state. 

• Following the pupating process, the adult fleas will enter into a cocoon for a long time. 

The fleas’ quiescent time is about five months. But the fleas could arise and emerge due to the detection of pressure and warmth.  

• Fleas may get disturbed while resting such as by the pet or humans due to activity while they’re scratching or grooming – the fleas could move off. 

Further, humans may also disturb the fleas while resting – you may feel the bites from fleas. 

Removing Fleas from your House

When you have fleas in the house such as the bathroom, carpeting, the bed, or furniture – remember this could develop into a full infestation. 

• When pests walk around the yard or garden – you’ll need to take examine whether the fleas may have jumped onto the skin or clothes.

So, you’ll require to examine the flea eggs including on areas on the sofa, clothing, and carpet. 

Conclusion

In summary, fleas will be active more during the nighttime – but the pests are not strictly nocturnal since they’ll also be active in the day. 

• Thus, fleas will also be active during the day but their activity includes feeding, eggs production, and movement.