Flea infestation of humans, apartments, animals. Methods of struggle.

Fleas are blood-sucking parasites that can live and thrive in an apartment and continue to reproduce if you do not take care of the problem in a timely manner. Fleas enter homes by clinging to our clothing or pet fur in an attempt to find a place where there will always be carriers to feed on. Since in our case the parasite feeds on blood, pets and people will suffer from itching and red bumps that randomly appear on the host’s body and are tiny in size.

There are several simple ways to help you detect fleas in your home. It is important to carry out such checks regularly to get rid of parasites before they can increase the size of the colony.

How to detect fleas

What does a flea look like?

There are more than 2,000 species of fleas in the world. Dog, cat and rat parasites are widespread in European territory. Due to its modest dimensions, the flea looks like a tiny dot. The dimensions of the above-mentioned individuals are about 1 mm.

For reference! The largest representatives of the order are moose fleas. An ordinary parasite is 1 cm long, and a fertilized female reaches a size of 1.5 cm.

The insect's body consists of two parts - the head and abdomen. The flea is protected from physical impact by a durable chitinous shell. The body of the parasite is flattened laterally and resembles a shrimp in appearance. This shape makes it easier for the flea to move through thick fur.

Flea

The parasite lacks wings for the sake of protection: a winged insect is much easier to crush than a walking insect with a shell. The flea has three pairs of limbs, with the hind ones being more developed. With their help, the pest can jump to a height of up to 20 cm. Successful movement on the host is facilitated by the abundance of bristles and spines throughout the body. They also help to hold on when the animal grooms itself.

The flea has a yellow or brown tint, depending on the subspecies. The parasite changes its color after drinking blood - to a dark brown or black color. In this case, the size of the insect can increase several times due to the swollen stomach.

Human flea development cycle

The life cycle of the human flea is similar to other species of wingless insects. The only differences are the laying of a huge number of eggs by the female (2000 in her entire life) and the parameters of adults.

Bloodsuckers go through 4 stages of development:

• eggs;
• larvae;
• cocoons;
• sexually mature individuals.

Having had enough, the female lays eggs in various places - bedspreads, wool, clothes, sofas, carpets, etc. Eggs mature in about two days.

After hatching, the larvae begin to actively absorb the excrement of adult insects and other waste. Pulex irritans go through several stages of development, and then they pupate.

To emerge from the cocoon, the parasite needs a favorable environment. Therefore, the time from the moment the egg develops to the hatching of a new individual can last from 15 days to a year.

Signs of fleas in your home

Let's figure out how to determine that there are parasites in the house. First of all, these are bites. Flea activity manifests itself on the legs - from the feet to the lower legs. Further than 20-30 cm, that is, the height of the insect's jump, inflammation does not spread.

Recognizing flea bites is not difficult. These are hard bumps with a tiny hole in the center and redness around the perimeter. During feeding, one individual makes peculiar paths, leaving 3-5 bites at a distance of 0.5-1 cm. Subsequently, the problem area swells, itches, and in severe cases, ulcers form.

You should also examine your pets by parting the fur and exposing the skin. If numerous black dots (insect feces) are visible on the hair and body, then you can be sure that flea eggs and larvae are already developing in secluded places in the apartment.

For reference ! An easy way to find out if there are pests in your home is with a blank sheet of paper. We place several pieces in places where the pest is expected to be concentrated and wait about half an hour. Small dark dots are clearly visible on contrasting paper.

What is the danger to humans?

At first glance, human fleas appear to be relatively harmless. After all, they are microscopic in size, and small red dots remain at the site of their bite.

However, in the area where human insects have drunk blood, pulicosis often occurs.

This condition manifests itself with symptoms similar to allergies.:

• headache;
• rash;
• increased size of lymph nodes;
• suppuration;
• nervousness;
• formation of ulcers in the throat and mouth;
• sleep disorder;
• temperature increase.

Severe pain occurs at the sites of flea bites. The bloodsucker injects an enzyme into the wound that prevents blood clotting.

More serious consequences of flea parasitism on humans include allergic reactions of varying severity, hepatitis C and B, salmonellosis, brucellosis, tularemia, and encephalitis. Few people know that flea bites lead to the development of the Siberian plague, from which every 10 people died in past centuries.

Flea habitats

If you understand that there are insects in the house, the next question arises - how to find fleas? First of all, you need to examine your pets. In almost 100% of cases, it is the animals who are to blame for the appearance of blood-sucking parasites in the home. Fleas successfully develop on warm-blooded hosts - cats, dogs and birds. As the population increases, insects begin to migrate around the house: they settle in floor cracks, under baseboards, in technical openings, and also hide in carpets and interior items.

Clothing is hardly an exception; fleas can live there too, since fleecy items of clothing are the optimal habitat for the parasite. The clothes have a lot of folds and an ideal microclimate. The only thing that is not there is food, so the flea is forced to go hunting.

Preventive measures

Of course, the use of special flea control agents, as well as special thermal and other means, does not exclude constant wet and dry cleaning of premises. You should also keep your pets in good order, periodically carefully examining them for the presence of parasites. You should avoid walking them in places where they may be exposed to fleas. Following these and other recommendations will definitely help rid your home of these unwanted visitors forever.

How to find a flea nest in an apartment?

After the pets have been examined, you need to try to detect fleas in the apartment, for which you should carefully examine all the secluded places in the house where parasites can concentrate. It is better to act radically and for sure: dismantle the baseboards, shake up all the linen, clothes and carpets, and also carefully examine every corner of the upholstered furniture.

Many people find fleas in completely unexpected places, for example, in the bedside table, folds of curtains or in the PC system unit. The parasite does not have foragers like ants and the path to the colony cannot be traced. In addition, the flea is very small and after the next jump it is lost from sight. Therefore, the only right decision is a complete inspection of everything and everyone in the apartment.

How are fleas different from bedbugs?

Fleas are small in size, so they are almost impossible to study without the use of magnifying devices. There are few distinctive signs of fleas. Fleas have long legs with which they jump high. Bedbugs do not have such paws, but they have small jaws through which the parasites feed. The flea's body is also slightly different, and its size is 1-5 mm.

Fleas over 5 mm

You can see fleas up to 10 cm in size. These are females of some species and have a large abdomen.

But the size of the bug is always larger than 5 mm, so it can be easily seen. A distinctive feature is the shape of the body. In a bug, it is oval, and the body of the flea is flattened vertically and has three sections - head, chest, abdomen.

Important!

The flea is the most jumping insect. If a caught parasite suddenly disappears, it is a flea that has made a jump.

Bedbugs and fleas also differ in habitat and color. Fleas are dark brown in color, while bed bugs are reddish-orange. Bed bugs often live in dark places - in the frames of sofas, beds, folds of bed linen, mattresses, etc. Fleas parasitize pets and are only sometimes found in human recreation areas (beds, bedding).

Important!

Fleas will certainly be the last to choose a person as a food source, so when they are first detected, do not wait for a critical situation.

How to get rid of fleas at home?

First of all, it is necessary to treat pets - a source of parasites. Otherwise, fleas will appear in the house again in just a day or two. You can find drugs on sale in different form factors, but drops on the withers are considered the most effective.

Drops on the withers

Popular flea remedies for cats and dogs:

• Bayer;
• Inspector;
• Animal Play;
• Merial;
• Celandine.

Next, you should treat all areas in the house where parasites can concentrate. There are also plenty of options to choose from: aerosols, suspensions, powders and concentrates. The former have an immediate effect, but do not cause any significant harm to the larvae and eggs. Therefore, it is more advisable to give preference to powders, concentrates and suspensions.

Important! It is necessary to treat every corner: cracks, technical holes, baseboards, wallpaper - everything that is within 30-40 cm from the floor. If the furniture is in the way, then it needs to be moved away. Half measures in such an enterprise are unacceptable.

Effective remedies for fleas in the apartment:

• Get;
• Cypermethrin;
• Clean house;
• Sinuzan;
• Tetramethrin.

Concentrates are quite toxic, so after treatment you will have to leave the house for several hours to consolidate the effect and then ventilate.

Room treatment

To clean the room from blood-sucking pests, it is necessary to carry out a general cleaning of the room. It is necessary to clear the walls and floors of carpets and furniture and clean them thoroughly. Collect and throw away all trash.

Treatment is carried out after general cleaning of the premises.

Treat the room with chemicals, especially at the joints of the floor and baseboards, near the furniture. Close the room for 2-3 hours for the drugs to take effect. After disinsection, thoroughly ventilate the room.

What to do if there are fleas in the bed?

Fleas, unlike bed bugs, prefer to concentrate on the floor rather than on the beds. But if a cat or dog living in the house is not averse to taking a nap in a comfortable master’s bed, then the parasite can gain a foothold at a height unattainable for it.

To get rid of fleas in the bed, the first thing you need to do is wash all the bedding, choosing a mode with the highest possible temperature. The parasite is afraid of high temperatures, so blankets, pillows and mattresses should be heat treated with a steam generator. It would also be a good idea to apply insecticides to the latter to kill the larvae and eggs.

Steam generator treatment

Rugs near the bed must be thoroughly vacuumed, or better yet, knocked out. From now on, pets should not be allowed to sleep in bed. In addition to fleas, pets can bring other equally dangerous blood-sucking insects into their bed, such as bedbugs.

Why are they dangerous?

Bites are characterized by manifestations of allergies.
Feeding on the blood of humans and small animals, fleas leave painful wounds on the body that are easily distinguished from the bites of other insects.

Petechiae appear on the skin - small hemorrhages. These red spots with a dark spot in the middle are painful and very itchy.

Flea bites cause an allergic reaction, especially in children and people with sensitive skin.

Victims may experience pulicosis or sarcopsillosis. These parasitic diseases cause swelling, pain, itching, and in severe cases, damage to the nervous system.

But the main danger from bed flea bites is the transmission of infectious diseases through the blood:

• hepatitis types B and C;
• bubonic plague;
• tularemia;
• typhus;
• encephalitis;
• tuberculosis.

Fleas can reproduce quickly, rapidly increasing their population indoors, so it is necessary to immediately respond to their appearance in order to prevent the consequences of the activity.

Where do they come from?

If a person keeps dogs or cats at home, then the answer to this question is clear. When an animal goes for a walk, it comes into contact with other four-legged animals.

Even the most attentive owner cannot prevent the risk of his pet communicating with stray animals, which are carriers of not only fleas, but also dangerous infectious diseases.

Possible source of infection is a stray dog

In warm, southern latitudes, fleas live in grass and fallen leaves. In spring and autumn they are especially active and happily jump on a walking dog or cat.

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If there are no four-legged animals in the house, the person himself can bring fleas home - he also walks on the grass, and the pests can get caught on items of his clothing.

Another possible reason is birds. This is relevant for those who feed pigeons on the balcony, which are commonly called “flying rats.” Pigeons are also carriers of dangerous infections. Poultry can also get fleas.

If there are no animals or birds at home, the risk of infection still exists. Fleas can be easily picked up from neighboring animals.

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Eggs or larvae may be on things that a person brings home from the basement. This is due to the fact that creatures cannot exist away from their source of food. In the basement these are rats, as well as cats.

There was one curious incident: a woman purchased “shaggy” boots from the Second Hand store. After a few hours, her cats began to itch. And later the woman was surprised to discover that the purchase was literally infested with fleas. I had to get rid of the boots.

Where do they live?

To identify parasites in the house, it is first recommended to check all pets (don't forget about birds). Then sleeping and hard-to-reach places, bedding and pillows are examined.

Check rooms with high humidity - kitchen, bathroom, toilets and waste collection points. If you live on the first or basement floors, study the paths connecting your premises to the basement. These are plumbing and ventilation pipes, cracks, and holes. If your house has a cellar or basement, don’t ignore it either.

Land owners are advised to check the shoes they wear on the land, as well as the bottoms of their clothing.

Remember that fleas are dangerous parasites in your home, as they carry serious infections. Exterminating fleas requires serious measures, so if you find parasites, contact your health service immediately. If you order pest control at least once, you will not have to worry about unwanted guests in your home for a long time.

What to do after multiple bites

After a parasite attack, specific symptoms appear:

• severe skin itching. It represents the response of the immune system to the composition of saliva, which, when bitten, the creature introduces into the human body;
• specific rashes around the affected area. Within 48-72 hours, the bite site turns into a small wound. If an allergy occurs, the rash spreads further throughout the body;
• Immediately after the bite, for about 60 minutes, the affected area swells. The shade of the bite site is reddish.

Note! If a person scratches the place where a flea has bitten him, it begins to bleed heavily. This leads to secondary infections.

Typically there is a specific swelling. If you press on it, purulent or serous discharge will form.

"Hydrocortisone"

If a person is bitten by a flea, the problem area will need to be treated with any of the following:

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• "Hydrocortisone." The drug is lightly rubbed into the skin until completely absorbed. Hands are then washed with antibacterial soap. The cream is applied only to cleansed skin, up to three times in 24 hours;
• "Fenistil gel". Apply twice to four times a day;
• Epidel cream. Has a powerful antiseptic and antipruritic effect. 2 times/24 hours, wait for absorption;
• "Advantan". Available in the form of a cream or ointment. This is a hormonal drug that relieves allergy symptoms. 1 time/24 hours. Course duration – 12 days;
• "Flucinar." A hormonal drug that has an anti-inflammatory effect. Course duration – 14 days;
• "Calamine." The active ingredient is zinc oxide. This is a good natural antiseptic. It helps a lot when these creatures bite. A cotton pad is moistened with the product, then a thin layer is applied to the affected area;
• soda solution. A “gruel” prepared from soda and water is used;
• aloe vera. Used to relieve painful itching and get rid of allergies;
• essential oils (tea tree, lavender, rosemary);
• lemon juice. Reduces the risk of various infections entering the body. In the absence of allergies, it can be used even on small children.