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Flea
(Extension, Purdue University)
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Common Name: Flea

Order: Siphonaptera

Family: Pulicidae


Pest Status: Fleas are external parasites on vertebrates. The cat flea is a particularly annoying pest of dogs and cats.

Appearance: Fleas are small (1/16-inch long), agile, dark- colored, wingless insects with tube-like mouthparts that are adapted to feeding on the blood of hosts. Their bodies are laterally compressed, and they have long legs that are well-adapted for jumping.

Life Cycle: After a blood meal, females lay their eggs in the hair coat of a host. The eggs fall from the hair and hatch in a few days. The larvae take a few weeks to develop; they hide in floor cracks, under rug edges, and in furniture. The pupae mature to adulthood in a silken cocoon in about two weeks.

Where to Collect: Fleas may be found on pets throughout the year, but numbers increase dramatically during spring and early summer.

Purdue Extension Entomology, 901 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA, (765) 494-4554

Department of Entomology | College of Agriculture | Extension

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