Fleas are insects that feed on the blood of humans and animals. The most common flea found in Pennsylvania is the cat flea, which is primarily found on cats and dogs but will also feed on humans and the blood of other animals. Fleas are small insects, under 1/4 of an inch in length, and are dark brown or reddish black when filled with blood. Female fleas can lay 4 to 8 eggs after each blood meal and may lay up to 500 eggs during her lifetime. Eggs are laid and deposited on or in between pet hairs and are consequently easily shaken off onto bedding or other areas. Adult fleas may survive for months without a blood meal. Jopestkil Kenya About Fleas Control, Extermination, Prevention.
Before learning the concept of a Flea bite and its symptoms, let us take a while to understand what Fleas are. Tinny little buts that do not grow more than a few millimeters, Fleas range from brown to almost black. These little bugs do not have wings and travel by jumping from one place to the other. These Fleas are tiny insects that have a hard shell and thin and flat bodies. These Fleas have the potential to reproduce quickly and one can only get rid of them with the help of pesticide treatment. As it is nearly impossible to sway these insects away without the use of pesticides, it is important to know that your garden and your pets are potential hosts to these insects.
FLEA BITE: SYMPTOMS, RISKS AND TREATMENT
Insect bites can be annoying as they leave you with bumps, itch and even red skin. Most of us are aware of the dangers of insect bites that we get from honey bees, wasps and mosquitos and also know about the fatal consequences of these insect bites along with the deadly diseases they bring along. In this list of bees mosquitoes and wasp bites, a Flea bite is another addition. If you have felt an uncontrollable itch on your legs while strolling in a garden or sitting on the ground that too caused by an insect you didn’t see around then it can be an itch caused by the Flea bite. Here is everything that you need to know about the Flea bite, its symptoms and treatments along. Jopestkil Kenya About Fleas Control, Extermination, Prevention.
TYPES OF FLEAS
The typical life cycle of a flea, or the time it takes for fleas to reproduce and develop, takes around a month, but may be as long as a year or more.
There are four stages of the flea life cycle:
Egg: Adult female fleas lay their eggs on the skin or fur of their host animal after they have enjoyed a good feed of blood. The tiny, light-coloured, oval eggs fall from the dog’s coat into the environment, where they take between two days and two weeks to hatch.
Larva: Larvae grow inside the eggs until they are ready to hatch. When they emerge, they are just a few millimeters in length and worm-like in appearance. They eat what organic matter they can find as they develop through a number of stages, the final of which produces a sticky cocoon called a pupa.
Pupa: The sticky pupa attracts debris from the environment which helps to protect it. Inside, the pre-emerged flea can develop in less than 10 days. However, depending on environmental conditions, they can remain in this stage anywhere from 6-12 months before emerging. Pupae are normally found deep in carpets or underneath organic debris and so they can be difficult to find and get rid of.
Adult: Adult fleas are the biting parasites we are all familiar with. This stage emerges from the pupa when they detect a nearby host, due to temperature increases, vibrations or increased carbon dioxide levels. Newly emerged adult fleas are ready to begin feeding within minutes of finding a host, with new eggs produced within 1 or 2 days of feeding.
WHAT IS A FLEA BITE?
Well as these Fleas are tiny insects and are not as evident as a mosquito or a big bee and hence it becomes a bit difficult to run from a Flea to prevent a Flea bite. Although a Flea bite is pretty distinctive and can be recognized due to the small red bumps that are present in a cluster of three or four lines. If bitten by the Fleas, a person might observe a halo present around the center of these bites. Flea bites are very different from a regular mosquito bite or honey bee sting that leave a large red bump on your skin and can be present in the upper half of the body as well. As Fleas are tiny wingless insects they cannot reach heights and leave little red bumps on the lower part of the body itself like the ankles and legs. Jopestkil Kenya About Fleas Control, Extermination, Prevention.
FLEA BITES
Flea bites are most commonly seen on the feet, ankles, calf muscles and the regions around the knee joint. These are caused by the infestation of fleas that are present in domesticated animals like dogs, cats or even cattle sometimes. Normally they do not trouble human beings but sometimes the heat and vibrations from the human body can attract them. A Flea bite tends to cause a little bit of itching, rashes and some other symptoms as well. Jopestkil Kenya About Fleas Control, Extermination, Prevention.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF FLEA BITE?
Fleas come along with some very common, distinctive and evident symptoms. Although these bites can be pretty annoying and in some cases can also lead to a bacterial infection at the side of the bite. Due to the dangers and potential damages, it can cause, it is important to look at the signs and symptoms of a Flea bite and get it treated as early as possible:
Itchy skin
Rashes near the site of the bite
Pain at the site of the bite
Small red bumps present in a cluster of 3 to 4 lines
White topped blisters in the case of infection.
Blisters
OTHER COMPLICATIONS CAUSED DUE TO A FLEA BITE
Where itchy skin and a cluster of small red bumps are not the only things that these tiny insects can cause. It is important to look for the symptoms of a Flea bite and detect if it has been accompanied by an infection to seek out timely treatment. Jopestkil Kenya About Fleas Control, Extermination, Prevention.
Although the risk factors for humans to get a disease from a Flea bite is very acute, it is important to know that a bacterial infection can be caused due to this. Flea bites have the potential to turn into an allergic reaction, especially for people with sensitive skin. A Flea bite with a bacterial infection will be red, warm and consist of pus in it.
The symptoms of an infectious bacterial Flea bite can range from raised welts and nausea to breathing difficulty and swollen lips. Another thing that one needs to know is that it is not just the humans that get affected by these Flea bites, but your pet can also face some issues like anaemia and allergic reaction. A timely diagnosis and treatment are required to curb the dangers of flea bites as this tiny insect can have a large impact on your and your pet’s health.
HOW TO TREAT A FLEA BITE?
These tiny insects with a hard shell can have adverse impacts on your health and can do way worse than just causing an itch and little red bumps. Timely treatment will not just help you to get relief from the itching and rashes caused by these bites but can also work as a preventive measure for the potential risk caused due to these bites. The medical management of Flea bites is normally conservative but antihistamine medicines that are used in case of mild allergies or cough and cold can be used. In some cases,, topical antihistamines are used. If a person is developing a fever or the rash is spreading or an allergic reaction is caused then you must consult a physician for the same. Jopestkil Kenya About Fleas Control, Extermination, Prevention.
Apart from this, a person can use tea tree oil, vinegar and calamine lotion to ease the itching caused. It is important to note that one should not scratch a Flea bite as it increases the risk of infection and can have some adverse impacts on your health. Jopestkil Kenya About Fleas Control, Extermination, Prevention.
