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Understanding the Flea CycleWell, it's just about that scratching time of the year again. So the more you know about fleas and the problems they present, the better prepared you'll be to beat 'em in battle. There are four stages of the flea life cycle: adult, egg, larva and pupa. The typical flea population in the home consists of 5% adults, 10% pupae, 35% larvae and 50% eggs.
A female flea has 16 ovaries and can lay up to 14,100 eggs in her lifetime. The laid eggs fall off your pet and hatch into the larvae state within 10 days of being laid. Flea larvae tend to live in dark areas, such as deep in carpeting, where they feed on organic matter. They molt twice in a 5 to 11 day period, eventually spinning a cocoon and entering the pupae stage. It is when the flea is in this stage that controlling it is the hardest. The cocoons are sticky and blend in with the environment and are extremely weather resistant. Most troubling, the flea can remain in the cocoon for up to a year, emerging when a host appears.
Fleas are an annoying pest that can cause your pet a great deal of discomfort and even illness. In order to completely eradicate the problem it is necessary to develop a treatment program that includes:
- Using non-toxic flea shampoos and dips on your pet.
- Treating the inside of the house to kill adult and pine-adult fleas. There are carpet powders available that contain all natural orthoboric acid to stop the flea cycle. These products contain no toxic chemicals and will not lose their effectiveness, even when vacuuming or shampooing occurs.
- Attacking the flea at the source of the problem: outdoors, with an outdoor flea control program of the same type as indoors. Most of these non-toxic products are guaranteed for up to one year.
- Using flea and tick collars for continued protection.
- Providing regular grooming.
- Frequently vacuuming carpets and furniture.
- Using once-a-month flea and tick treaments like Frontine Plus, Advantage, K9 Advantix.
