Fleas are familiar, small, wingless insects measuring around 3mm in length.
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The adult fleas survive by feeding on the blood of animals like our family pet.
Although they don't have wings they have adapted to jumping and can jump 50 times their body length which assists them in reaching their host pet.
There are four stages to the flea life cycle.
The adult flea's aim is to find a meal, the blood of its host, and to reproduce.
The female will start to lay eggs within 24 to 48 hours of being on the host and can lay 5000 or more eggs over her life.
The adult flea only lives for two or three months and without a host they only survive a few days.
The ideal temperature for the flea's life cycle is 21°C to 30°C and optimum humidity is 70 per cent, which explains why in winter, we can see a flea problem in an indoor pet as the heating indoors creates an ideal environment to accelerate the flea life cycle.
The flea eggs laid by the adult flea are 0.5mm in length, and easily fall off the host into the environment and hatch to larva within one to six days.
Flea larva can be found living in carpet, furniture, cracks and outside in the soil feeding on organic material and avoiding sunlight.
This stage lasts for five to 11 days and leads into the flea pupa stage.
Pupae begin as larvae and form a cocoon then hatch over 14 days.
They can however remain dormant for up to 350 days.
The adult flea will wait for a suitable opportunity to emerge.
These triggers include vibrations, heat and an increase in carbon dioxide which are generally an indication that a host pet is around.
Fleas are about all year round, however they are especially a problem in the emerging warmer months and are often a culprit when it comes to allergic skin disease in your pet.
Keeping the environment clean by washing bedding in hot water, mowing grass, weeding gardens, vacuuming and steam cleaning areas your pets spend time sleeping in will help reduce the risk of infestation.
It is also very important to use flea protection for your pet.
There are many products on the market with variable efficacy and safety, so get advice from your veterinarian about a suitable flea control for your beloved family pet.
