Did you just see a flea? Hold on, are you seeing many more now? How fast do fleas spread?
How many eggs can a female flea produce? Will they go away if there is no host for them to feed on?
In this article, we will discuss the topic of how fast do fleas spread.
How Fast Do Fleas Spread?
Fleas can spread at a rate of 40 to 50 a day for the next 17-26 days. One female flea can produce up to 2,000 eggs.
If fleas go unchecked while they hide deep in fabrics or carpeting, they can produce an average of 40 eggs a day that quickly leads to an infestation.
The eggs will hatch into larvae within two to three days. Check your pet often and vacuum your house regularly to prevent the spread of fleas.
How Quickly Can Fleas Infest a House?
Fleas can infest the house in the matter of two to three weeks. When the temperature gets warmer and humidity levels rise, flea eggs can pop out at a faster rate.
The life cycle of most fleas is about 17 to 26 days. A female flea can produce up to 2000 eggs during this period of time. Her eggs will hatch and larvae will develop quickly within two to three days.
You are now looking at an infestation of fleas in your home or you may not find them altogether. This is because fleas are very good at hiding deep within fabrics or carpeting.
They can also burrow deep into the fur of your favorite animal without you noticing until they end up multiplying. Fleas tend to lay eggs on fabrics and not on the host.
How Long Does It Take For fleas To Spread?
Fleas will spread as fast as possible when they find enough nutrition. It will be crucial for a flea to find a blood meal first.
Once adult fleas are satiated, they will be able to mate more often. More eggs will be laid around the host. They can hatch in 2 to 3 days.
Some take up to 10 days to hatch. The survival rate of these eggs depend on the temperature and humidity.
How Easily Do Fleas Spread?
Flea eggs start by being attached to a host’s feathers or fur. Then, they fall onto the surface of the floor inside fabrics. This is when it becomes much easier for the fleas to spread around the home.
They can fall into floors or other areas. They will wait patiently for a host and jump on them. The more fleas are able to feed off of a host, the easier they can spread.
Can One Flea Cause an Infestation?
Yes. One flea can cause an infestation once it begins to lay eggs. A female flea can lay up to 40-50 eggs in one day. Fleas can attach to your clothes. They can come into your home this way.
Only one flea is not enough to infect the house. A male and female will need to mate to be able to reproduce more fleas.
Will Fleas Go Away If The Pet Is Gone?
If a pet brought fleas into your home and now the animal has left, fleas may still remain in your home. They can remain dormant or patiently wait for a new supply of blood to arrive. It may be your ankles that are next.
Fleas depend on blood from host. They will perish in a matter of days on average if they are not able to attach themselves to another host.
Fleas don’t simply go away. They are either carried away from the host that brought them into your home, or they die without any supply of blood as nutrition.
Do All Flea Eggs Reach Adulthood?
No. Only 30-46% of flea eggs are fertile. Fleas can lay eggs on their host, but they will drop off. They will not survive on a host. A host is usually moving around, therefore the eggs will end up falling off.
A host such as a dog or cat may eat some of the eggs. When cats or dogs are grooming themselves, they may end up ingesting some of these eggs.
One study suggests that 27.7% of flea eggs that have been laid on a host can be eaten by the host.
What Do Flea Eggs Need To Hatch?
Flea eggs need a high amount of relative humidity. The rate can fall anywhere between 50 to 92%. The higher the humidity, the greater the chance that the flea eggs will hatch.
Ambient temperature should also be high around 50 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Flea larvae need the environment to be dark and protected. They need to avoid sunlight.
Deep woven fabrics or hair provides enough shaded areas for flea eggs and their larvae to burrow beneath it. Flea dirt and flea eggs become food sources for flea larvae. Without them the larvae will have no chance of reaching adulthood.
How Fast Can Fleas Reproduce?
It takes 17 to 26 days for flea eggs to become adults, so let’s make an example out of 20 days. Imagine on the 20th day 15 females develop into adults. On this day, they can lay more than 90 eggs between them.
By the end of 30 days these fleas can be responsible for multiplying and reproducing 4,400 fleas. It is said that 95 to 99% of fleas are hiding in carpets during their development stages.
When they are eggs, larvae and pupae living deep within fabrics, they will go unnoticed and will be able to multiply rapidly as long as there are hosts nearby to continue feeding and mating.
Conclusion
The ideal time for fleas to rapidly multiply is during the warmer summer months of the year. Since we heat our homes throughout the entire year, we have created an ideal ground for fleas to multiply quickly throughout other seasons as well.
As long as your home is warm and comfortable with plenty of hiding spaces, such as carpeting, fleas will continue to multiply by laying up to 40-50 eggs a day.
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