These tiny biting bugs are best identified by their small wings and large hind legs. Fleas belong to the order Siphonaptera and survive by drinking the blood of their host. They are attracted to any warm-blooded animal but seem to prefer living on humans, cats, dogs, and rodents.

 

Fleas are the bane of any pet owner. They spread the Bubonic Plague and murine typhus to people, are an allergen for pets and humans, cause tapeworms, and are responsible for painful, itchy red bumps.

 

One common misconception about fleas is that they lay their eggs in your carpeting and furniture, but they lay the eggs on the animal they are feeding on. The eggs are tiny and not sticky, so a lot of them end up getting on your floor. A single adult flea can produce 2,000 eggs in its lifetime.

 

Fleas are blood-sucking parasites that produce waste at the end of the digestion process. They are very persistent, taking as many as 15 blood meals in a single day. Flea faeces are dried blood residue. When they hatch, flea larvae feed on this dried blood waste.