Can Humans Carry Fleas from One Home to Another??

Fleas are notorious for being attracted to dogs and cats, causing them to scratch incessantly and also causing diseases. These tiny bugs survive by feeding on the blood of these pets and finding shelter within their fur, using it as a means of transportation to different locations.

But what about humans? Can we unwittingly become carriers, transporting fleas from one home to another? The answer is yes, although it’s relatively uncommon. Picture this: you settle on a flea-infested dog bed, and unknown to you, some fleas may hitch a ride on your clothing or skin. Also, their eggs and larvae can stick to human clothing or belongings.

So, while humans may not be the preferred hosts for fleas due to their reduced hairiness compared to cats and dogs, we can inadvertently transport these pesky critters, potentially introducing them to a new environment.

Be mindful of this possibility and take necessary precautions, such as using quality flea repellents to prevent flea transfer. [amazon bestseller=”best flea sprays” items=”1″ template=”table”] [amazon bestseller=”best flea repellents for humans” items=”1″ template=”table”]

Factors Influencing Flea Transmission by Humans

While humans will readily transport or carry pests such as bed bugs and ticks, that’s not the case with fleas. Unlike the other bugs, fleas have a strict preference for their host – and humans rank very low on their index of preferred hosts.

However, there are situations where humans may unknowingly facilitate the transmission of fleas between houses. Below are the factors that may facilitate flea transmission.

1. Pets with Fleas

As a preferred host for fleas, pets such as cats and dogs can carry pests to where humans are. Fleas will readily jump onto these pets and finally transfer onto your belongings, shoes, and clothing.

So, as you move to another house or space, the fleas will jump off to find a new preferred host in that home – these will mainly be pets.

Therefore, despite that fleas aren’t top of the preferred hosts for fleas, they may still carry these bugs temporarily – and this happens when they get into contact with flea-infested pets. You may need to employ flea treatments that are ve-recommended to reduce the possibility of flea transmission. Further, examine the pets and their bedding regularly for fleas bites and signs of fleas respectively. Pets and pet bedding are the primary agents that’ll transport fleas from the yard – once they are dropped in such locations by deer and other wild animals.

2. Flea Eggs and Larvae Dislodged from Pets

Flea larvae and eggs are critical stages that contribute largely to the reproduction of fleas. Notably, these fleas stages may get detached easily from your infested furniture or pets and land on the shoes and clothing of humans, which allows easy transportation to other houses. Flea eggs will largely be hidden in your cat’s or dog’s fur. However, the flea eggs have a smooth texture which means that they can fall easily from your pet.

So, as the pet moves around the yard or house, the eggs may get brushed off and fall into the environment.
When a human being moves, sits, or stands in such spaces, they’ll get into contact with the eggs that will stick to their belongings, shoes, or clothing – and thus hitchhiking to other houses.

Equally, flea larvae are worm-like and tiny creatures that’ll hatch from fleas’ eggs. However, unlike flea eggs, the larvae are super mobile and so they’ll crawl into objects such as carpets and fabrics. When you or the kids get into contact with surfaces that have flea larvae, these creatures will attach to your shoes or clothes and hence they’re transported unintentionally.

Vauumng the pet bedding, upholstery, and carpets can help you exterminate the flea larvae and thus reduce the probability of moving them alive.

Related: You can control flea larvae using borax, steam, or diatomaceous earth

Mitigating the Risk of Transporting Fleas Between Homes

As noted earlier, although the risk of humans transporting fleas, flea eggs, and larvae to another house is relatively low, it’s important to take the necessary precautions. Below are the mitigation measures experts advise that you take.

1. Regular Pet Care

To reduce flea transmission by humans, I advise you to take adequate care of your pets through regular care. So, controlling the bugs on the pets will reduce their reproduction and so they’ll not be flea carriers – Flea Killers Suitable for Cats. I advise you to talk to your pet’s vet to determine an effective flea prevention and control program. For starters, this may include using flea collars, oral medications, or spot-on treatments.

Most of these programs and devices will exterminate the bugs while also repelling others from your house.

The next step would be to ensure excellent hygiene in the pet’s living areas and bedding. This would include cleaning the upholstery, vacuuming the carpets, and cleaning their pet’s bedding. The cleaning process will remove most of the debris that is accumulated as well as help disorganize the possible breeding group for the bugs – and thus help reduces the chances of transmitting fleas by humans.

2. Personal Protection

For an environment that has fleas, you’ll require to use a physical barrier such as wearing closed-toe shoes. long and long sleeves pants that’ll help reduce direct contact with fleas.

Another technique would be using a suitable flea repellent to increase your protection from the bugs.

Such personal protection by humans against fleas will help reduce the probability of flea transmission. Also, you may need to tuck the pants inside your shoes or socks. Using flea repellent with picaridin or DEET as their active ingredient will help give you appropriate protection from fleas.

Also, if you’ll be entering areas that have wild animal movement, veterinary clinics, or animal shelters, remember to follow these personal protection techniques.

Fleas can wait inside their cocoons for a few months without coming out – according to the School IPM flea control. But when the conditions are right and they have food, then they will emerge from their pupal casing after 1-2 weeks.

3. Use Natural Flea Repellants

There are all sorts of natural and homemade remedies to prevent and exterminate those fleas! These include brewer’s yeast, rosemary, diatomaceous earth (foo-grade), coconut oil, lemon spray (to repel the bugs from your lawn or plants) salt, baking soda & Dawn dish soap. These natural remedies are made up of organic and herbal ingredients – and thus they can be introduced safely to the pet’s food or bathroom solutions to repel fleas from clothes, fur, and skins. But, let’s check the details!

a. Essential oils

The use of essential oils is an eco-friendly and economical solution to getting rid of fleas. Suitable essential oils include clove, lemon, citronella, peppermint (like the castile soap), lavender, and cedar. Suitable essential oils will effectively exterminate fleas; these include clove, lemon, citronella, peppermint (like the castile soap), lavender, and cedar. Essential oils are often used in blends with other natural ingredients.

One example of a flea repellent is clove, peppermint, and rosemary essential oil mixed into castile soap which forms an anti-flea shampoo bar that can be wrapped up for easy transport to the dog park!

Mixing lemon or citronella essential oil into a spray bottle with water or vinegar can create an all-natural flea repellent that is safe and effective! Mixing lemon, cedar, lavender, or peppermint essential oils in the bath not only helps to keep dogs smelling nice but also deter fleas from jumping on them. Another option is adding essential oils like tea tree oil, cedarwood, lavender, or peppermint into a spray bottle of water and spraying it on your floors.

b. Vinegar or Lemon juice

Another way to repel the ticks and fleas is by spraying a solution that has a vinegar or lemon juice smell. For a smaller area, such as in tiny studio apartments, you can use one-half of a cut-up lemon to massage the pet’s skin. Mix vinegar + lemon juice and water to make a spray. Spray your pet with it when outside such as in the yard. Some people also give apple cider vinegar to their pets as a diet, adding it to the food.

c. Betadine Bath

Betadine antiseptic solution is a topical medication as an alternative to toxic flea treatment. Betadine baths work by killing the larvae and adults in the fur of dogs or cats, leaving them feeling clean and refreshed while keeping fleas away for up to two weeks! To make the betadine (the antiseptic) solution:

Pour 2 drops of betadine into some 1 liter of water. This will make it like iced tea. Rub the solution on the dog’s body and massage it thoroughly.

First, shampoo and rinse the pet’s fur off, and then bathe it using betadine solution. It’ll kill fleas and soothe the pet’s skin allergies and flea bites.

d. Garlic

The Natural Vets Association recommends you feed your dog garlic in small doses (don’t worry, it won’t harm them) to control fleas. The foul garlic odor will repel the bugs. Therefore;

To avoid bringing fleas from outside the home, crush a garlic clove and add it to your pet’s food – the dog should weigh a minimum of 10-20 lb. (4.5 – 9kg).
The best time is 15 minutes before mealtime as the juice of crushed garlic can have some adverse effect on an animal’s metabolism soon after.

However, Garlic in dogs can make their breath smell bad and it may cause them to itch or get sick so is not recommended for long-term use.

4. Heat-Treatment

Heat treatment is a good way to get rid of fleas and eggs. You need to clean your house first with steam. Then vacuum. Note: continued vacuuming will help kill all the hatching fleas. With your steam cleaner, fleas can’t survive if the temperature is over 35ºC. But some exterminators say that you should raise the temperature to 49-56ºC. So, when you get home, put the clothes in the dryer. For each type of fabric, use the highest recommended temperature. Hot air generated by the heat treatment will get into the fabrics to kill the fleas.

Conclusion

When you enter an unoccupied house, the vibrations, heat, and carbon dioxide from your body will make the flea adults come out of their pupal stage.

After work, the pest professionals change their scrubs because they might have fleas, broods, larvae, and feces from other people’s houses on them.

Can Humans Carry Fleas from One Home to Another??