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The flea days of summer

Published: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 10:15 AM CDT

Summer is now in full swing and so is the war against the tiny,wingless, blood-eating fleas that make our pets miserable duringthese hot, humid days.

The flea, while extremely annoying to both pets and humans, isactually quite a fascinating insect. According to Dr. Allan Paul, aveterinary parasitologist at the University of Illinois College ofVeterinary Medicine in Urbana, the life cycle of the flea isdivided into several stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Theflea's body is flattened slightly to allow it to move between thecoarse fur of a cat or dog with ease. The long, specially adaptedlegs of a flea allow it to jump up to 200 times its own bodylength, making it the best jumper in the animal kingdom.

Adult fleas will spend the majority of their lives on a host animalif they are able to find one. Once on the host, an adult femaleflea can lay up to 50 eggs per day, or about 2,000 eggs in alifetime. These eggs will then fall off the animal and hatch intolarvae within a few days.

Dr. Paul explains that these larvae will then develop in theenvironment, thriving in warm, moist, dark places like underfurniture, decks, and yard waste. Within seven to 10 days the flealarvae will form a cocoon, entering the pupa state. With the properconditions, the pupa will develop into adults within one to twoweeks.