How Long Do Fleas Live (And Why)?

Exact Answer: Ranges from a couple of days to a maximum of 2 weeks 

Fleas are an umbrella term for over a number of 2500 insects that cannot fly. It varies from mammals to even birds. Fleas work as parasites do. They live by sucking blood for survival from their hosts. There are studies that prove that fleas are a lineage of parasites. For a flea to exist, they always depend on a host.  

The lifecycle of a flea is divided into four parts such as the egg, larva, pupa, and then a fully developed adult. A flea is born mature. They get the ability to reproduce as soon as they suck on blood from a host. All these happen in a very limited time frame as their life itself is limited to just a few days. To find blood is one of the first and foremost things a flea does.  

How Long Do Fleas Live?  

A female flea starts reproducing in just about two days after feeding on her food, which is blood. In approximately about 9 to 10 days, a female flea lays around 27 eggs. Half of her blood is sucked by those. Once they are out, the same process is repeated and which is why they multiply much more than you expect in a short frame.  

Only a flea that is fully developed, depends on a host to suck blood from. But fleas that are in the pupa and lava stage, which are developing from the egg can stay long and grow completely even without any help.  

Under the perfect living conditions, fleas live for a very long time. Some studies claim that a flea can live even for a year if it is in a dark and moist environment. In that case, it is important to find and eliminate them because it will lay a humungous number of eggs in its living period which can cause a lot of trouble to everyone around.  

Why Do Fleas Live For So Long?  

The temperature of a place also plays a very important role in the life of a flea. A flea cannot survive in a place that is very hot nor very cold. It dies if it is lives in an area below the temperature of 50 degrees or above the temperature of 90 degrees. Humidity in general is a way to kill fleas. This is why you can find fleas in areas that are moist and shady. This is why fleas can be found on areas pets are kept to rest.  

The only way a flea can die before an expected period of 2 weeks is when it can no longer find access to a host that it can feed on. Once a flea fails to find a host to suck blood from, it dies very shortly. A flea wholly depends on blood to live and to reproduce. Cutting its host off from it is one of the ways in which you can control fleas. 

If you do not have pets, it can most probably mean that someone that you know could have bought home a pet. In this case, fleas find their way to your homes and can stay there even if the pet leaves hoping to find another host soon to feed off on it. When this does not happen any time soon, the fleas present die eventually without having anything to feed on.  

Conclusion  

Fleas are not that much of a threat to humans like they are to animals such as dogs or cats. Fleas feed on them as a parasite would. Fleas do not feed on humans but can most definitely bite and cause an infection. Once a flea finds its way to your home, it would be very difficult to remove it from your place.  

The bites from fleas can cause an allergy that might stay for a few days but in no time will a flea bite cause serious complications to a human body. In some cases, fleas might pass on some serious infections, which can be cured with the help of a health provider.  

There is an easy way to save your pets from fleas. A vacuum cleaner is said to remove fleas from their hosts no matter in what stage they are in. This is said to have a success ratio of almost 96%. Fleas die within a time frame of two weeks, but if you don’t want to wait, this is your go-to.  

References

1. https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/204640/081_1946_31951D04088218G.pdf?sequence=1
2. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.28.11.1305