Where Do Fleas Live? 7 Common Hiding Places?
Where do fleas live? Often-times, fleas will cause a scare in your home and yard – but you can control these bugs. Equally important is that fleas will be challenging to track them down and maintain too.
In Summary, fleas are mainly ectoparasites & live on pet hosts where they’ll suck blood, fleas mate, and ultimately lay eggs. They’ll live on the pet hosts and wildlife up-to when they’re brushed off, fall off or die.
See top quality flea sprays.
[amazon bestseller=”Best Flea Spray” items=”2″ template=”table”]
Details: Where Do Fleas Live? 7 Common Hiding Places?
1. Where Do Fleas Live on Dogs and Cats?
Fleas (both Ctenocephalides canis and Ctenocephalides felis) are parasitic bugs that mainly live, feed, and mate off dogs and cats – besides humans when their favorite hosts are not available.
Other hosting wildlife include animals like badgers, opossums, weasels, and raccoons, and moles – check these durable mole traps. Further, rabbit fleas and rat fleas may spread bubonic plague.
Fleas will live on dogs and cats – particularly on their belly, neck, and lower back regions – the locations will be hard to reach during self-grooming and thus a haven for the bugs.
So, for dogs and cats, that’s flea-infested, you’ll need to groom them regularly and thoroughly using electric flea combs or just the regular flea combs for cats.
Fleas will also live in dogs and cat’s houses, and thus, you’ll require to flea treat the pet’s home besides treating the pet using – best flea treatment for cats.
Further, treat the lawn and other surroundings to ensure that the bugs won’t reproduce more outdoor spaces. Read also, best bed bug steamer.
2. Where Do Fleas Live in the House?
Adult fleas will live and flourish in moist, warm, and dark areas of your house – also read, diatomaceous earth for fleas on cats.
However, flea eggs lack the glue-like substance found and hence will fall off on the house floor, carpets – here’re the best flea powders for carpet.
Bed – Can fleas live in the bed? Yes, fleas will live under the comfort of the warm environment created in the bed by sheets and duvets. Further, adult female fleas may lay eggs inside the mattress and deposit some flea dirt that’ll be eaten by flea larvae.
Only the larval and eggs stages of the fleas will be living in the house. So, vacuum thoroughly to kill fleas and wash the pet’s bedding with hot water to prevent the eggs and larvae from growing further.
Beds will provide an excellent hiding space for fleas. Most pet owners may not adequately take care of their beds, but you can purchase the best dog beds – as this will allow the dog to sleep on their own.
Further, you’ll need to clean the pet bedding for the pest-infested pets, plus check the crevices and cracks that’ll be around your house.
3. Where Do Fleas Live in Carpet?
Carpet – How long will fleas live on the carpet? Once flea eggs are laid., they’ll fall onto the carpet. With the right humidity (high is best) – the eggs will hatch within two days – 2 weeks.
Cats and dogs are the ways that fleas will move around the house and yard. Fleas and their eggs will drop on the rugs or carpets’ fibers – where they’ll hide, feed, and grow.
Once the eggs hatch, you’ll notice that the flea larvae are blind and will hide into the darker and deeper sides of the furniture or carpet – hence you’ll require regular house inspection and cleaning.
The fleas hiding in the carpet fibers will eat food debris plus other organic matter. The flea pupae will emerge in the next 1-3 weeks – with the unfavorable condition, and thee pupae will remain in their cocoons even up to several years.
But flea pupae are enclosed in cocoons and have a glue-like substance allowing them to stick on walls, furniture, or carpet. Thus, cocoons won’t be removed by vacuuming or sweeping.
Also, flea pupae will only come out of their cocoons when they sense high amounts of carbon dioxide, vibrations, or body heat – these alert them that their potential host (cats or dogs) is near.
4. Where Fleas Live in Yard?
Fleas originate from wildlife and hide in the protected and shady outdoors spaces – particularly under leaf and grass piles – leaving flea eggs and flea larvae. Adult fleas will jump onto humans and pets to get into the indoor spaces.
Do fleas live in the grass? The bugs will hide and live in tall grass or some wood piles in your yard. So, ensure you flea treat the yard using the spray.
So, you’ll mainly find fleas hiding in the dark, moist, and humid areas of the yard as they suck human blood or eat other organic waste.
These yard areas will include moist regions, outdoor furniture (check rugs and cushions), garage or shed, food debris, woodpiles, weeds – effective weed killers and shrubs, and tall grass.
5. Can Fleas Live On Humans?
The regular cat and dog fleas prefer pets (cats or dogs) since they’ll hide in their furry coat. Compared to pets, human bodies are hairless, and hence fleas won’t attach and hide quickly.
Regardless of a massive flea infestation in the home, it’s possible to avoid flea bites by controlling or killing adults, pupae, larvae, and flea eggs.
Flea may live on the pet’s body for days since they provide a suitable blood meal. But fleas will bite the human’s lower extremities, particularly the ankles and ankles – bites may lead to allergies.
Conclusion
So, it’s clear that fleas will live on pet hosts, in the house (carpet or mattress) and the yard, besides wildlife. I recommend you use the integrated flea control method.
This will include using yard sprays, flea foggers, carpet powders, in-home sprays, flea collars for cats, and topical flea drops, plus other home remedies for fleas.