Almost every pet owner knows them…fleas. They are not only annoying and unpleasant but can also transmit diseases or trigger allergies. In order to be able to combat them optimally, it is important to know something about their life cycle and habits.

Usually, the fleas that infest our pets are cat fleas. A flea lives on a pet for about one to three months. It sucks blood immediately after colonising the animal. In doing so, it secretes substances with its saliva that prevent blood clotting and cause skin irritation. These substances cause itching and can trigger an allergy in humans and animals. The so-called flea saliva allergy (FAD) is the most common allergy in our pets.

Already one to two days after the flea has sucked blood for the first time, the female starts laying eggs. She lays up to 50 eggs per day. This way, one flea can produce over 125,000 flea offspring within eight weeks. These fleas then reproduce. The extent of a flea infestation can be seen from this example. The eggs fall from the animal’s fur onto things around the home, e.g., onto your pet’s sleeping blanket, onto the carpet or into your bed. At temperatures above 5°C, flea larvae develop from the eggs within 2 to 14 days. They can move around and seek out dark corners (carpets, floor cracks). The larvae then pupate. The pupal cocoon protects them from harmful environmental influences. Normally, an adult flea develops in the cocoon within eight to ten days. However, if the environmental conditions are unfavourable, the pupae may stop their development (for several months) and wait for better conditions. In the cocoon, after completing their development, the fleas then wait for their victim and can hatch and infest their host within seconds. But: only 5% of all fleas (adults = adult fleas) live on the animal. The remaining 95% (eggs, larvae, and pupae) are in the environment. For successful flea control, it is therefore not only important to treat the animal with an insecticide (e.g., tablets, spot-on drops, collars), but also to treat the environment where the flea offspring are located. If this is neglected, a new flea infestation can occur again and again.

Looking for evidence of fleas:

You can detect flea infestation not only directly by finding a flea, but also via the flea faeces in your pet’s fur. Flea excrement contains undigested blood to feed the larvae. You can comb this out of the pet’s fur with a flea comb. If you notice dark, small crumbs when grooming your pet, place them on a damp paper towel and crush the crumbs. If you see small, reddish-brown spots, this is clear evidence of flea excrement (undigested blood) and therefore of fleas. Flea bites also cause intense itching. If your animal is suddenly noticeably restless, has reddened skin and pustules (especially on the belly, the top of the head and the inside of the thighs), nibbles or gnaws itself, this could be the result of a flea infestation.

Combatting a flea infestation:

It is important to treat all animals in a household. The first step is to  control the population of adult fleas and thus prevent the procreation of further offspring. There are a variety of treatment options for this in the form of tablets, or spot-on drops for the neck or collars.

While the adult fleas are killed by the insecticides, the eggs, larvae, and flea pupae continue to develop into adult fleas and can lead to a new infestation after the insecticide effect has worn off. Accordingly, simultaneous environmental treatment is essential and the second step of treatment. In any case, all blankets, pillows, bed covers must be washed. A simple solution to treat the environment is daily vacuuming or wiping of all rooms where your pet stays. If vacuuming or mopping is not possible due to time constraints or if you still cannot control the situation, we recommend the use of a so-called Fogger. This is a spray that is released from the Fogger can into the environment and spreads indoors. The active ingredient inhibits the development of flea eggs and flea larvae (it is also effective against ticks and cockroaches) and thus prevents the development of adult fleas. It is effective for up to six months. Before application, it is essential to seek the advice of a veterinarian.

Talk to us. We will be happy to help you and give you more tips on how to combat fleas!