Your Questions Answered: Can Fleas Fly?
Getting fleas in your house is stressful because they can survive for ~95 days without a host to drink blood from before they perish. They seemingly float wherever they like, without limit to where they can get to in a room.
The heights that fleas reach can make you wonder: Can fleas fly? Our integrative pest management experts answer this question and more about fleas in this blog; just keep reading to learn with us!
Can Fleas Fly?
No, fleas do not have wings and, therefore, cannot take flight. Still, fleas can jump very high, so they don’t need wings to reach their destination.
How High & Far Can Fleas Jump?
Many online sources claim that fleas can jump close to 200 times the length of their own bodies, which would be six to seven inches high. Although that doesn’t sound very high, a flea can quickly hop to higher ground from landing to landing.
Do Fleas Only Infest Dirty Homes?
Despite how gross fleas are, it is wrong to assume they can only infest unkempt homes. If a host carries them in, fleas can infest a spotless house.
Can Flea Bites Hurt People and Pets?
Although human skin cannot serve as the site of flea egg-laying like a furry cat or dog’s, fleas can still bite us, drink our blood, transmit pathogens, and cause severe itching.
Fleas can transmit pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and parasites to the animals and people they bite. Usually, the fleas that bite mammalian hosts are females. The female fleas use the blood to prepare their eggs for fertilization.
If the host is an animal like a dog, cat, or bunny rabbit with fur they can latch onto, fleas will remain standing on their body as they mate.
After mating, the females lay their eggs in the debris sitting on their animal host’s skin, which is usually a combination of the host’s sweat, dirt, and dead skin cells, as well as “flea dirt” (flea poop mainly consisting of host blood). The female chooses to lay her eggs in the debris because the larva will eat it upon hatching.
How Do I Get Rid of a Flea Infestation?
Thousands of online articles explain how to get fleas off of your pet and how to keep fleas from jumping back onto them with flea collars, shampoos, pills, and ointments. Those aren’t too helpful in explaining how to get your home flea-free.
Unfortunately, getting rid of a flea infestation on your own is very difficult due to how quickly fleas can reproduce, how long they can live without a host, and that they’re too small and quick to catch in a trap.
The only guaranteed way to obliterate a flea infestation in your home is with rigorous, professional-grade chemical flea treatments unavailable to the average homeowner. Only pest control experts should handle these chemicals due to our extensive knowledge and training in safe and effective implementation.
Best Flea Exterminators in Birmingham
Whether your home, lawn, or other property is infested with fleas (or you want to prevent a flea problem before one can occur), call Vulcan Termite & Pest Control!
Our team of integrative pest management professionals has proudly devoted the last 40+ years to providing families in Birmingham and nearby communities with the practical, lasting, and comprehensive solutions they need to end problems with fleas and other pests on their property.
Call (205) 663-4200 or contact us online today, and we’ll gladly perform a FREE evaluation and create and implement an effective strategy using our tried-and-true methods so you and your family can enjoy a pest-free home.