Flea Bites

External parasites are generally found on or in the skin and are important pests because they bite or annoy both humans and their pets. Fleas, mange mites, and ticks are the most frequently encountered and most troublesome pests that attack humans and their pets.

Fleas are small (1/16"), dark, reddish-brown, wingless, blood-sucking insects. Their bodies are laterally compressed, (i.e., flattened side to side) permitting easy movement through the hairs on the host's body. Their legs are long and well adapted for jumping. The flea body is hard, polished, and covered with many hairs and short spines directed backward. The mouthparts of an adult flea are adapted for sucking blood from a host.

Several species of fleas may be pests in Florida, and five kinds have been found on a single animal. The cat flea (shown above) is the most frequently found flea, although the dog, human, and sticktight fleas are also found in Florida. Fleas may attack a wide variety of warm-blooded animals including dogs, humans, chickens, rabbits, squirrels, rats and mice.

Fleas often breed in large numbers where pets and other animals live. Pets infested with fleas bite and scratch themselves constantly. Their coats become roughened and the skin can become infected. Symptoms of sensitized hosts are often mistaken for mange. Cat fleas and dog fleas may be intermediate hosts for the dog tapeworm.

Some people suffer more than others from flea bites. The bites can cause intense itching often resulting in secondary infection. The usual flea bite has a small red spot where the flea has inserted its mouthparts. Around the spot there is a red halo with very little swelling. Many people do not react to flea bites at all while others are sensitive and suffer severe allergic reactions. Fleas may also vector such human diseases as plague, typhus, and tularemia.

Flea control is difficult for pet owners to implement because two things must be done: (1) treat the pet and (2) treat the premises. Pet treatment alone is not sufficient because the animal quickly becomes reinfested from untreated premises.

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