Black fleas are insects that are famous for their miniature size and amazing jumping ability. They penetrate into apartments, houses from basements, entrances, into the hair of pets, on shoes, human clothes. They multiply quickly and bother with their presence, violating not only the aesthetics of the room, but also making painful bites. Therefore, when parasites are detected, a natural question arises, how to get rid of black fleas in the house. There are many ways to destroy pests and if you know the features of insect parasitism, it will be possible to cope with their invasion in a short time.
Fleas: photos and descriptions of common varieties
To date, scientists have described 2086 species of these blood-sucking insects. Bloodsuckers are classified depending on who they are parasitizing. Representatives of different species have certain characteristics in appearance. How long fleas live also depends on the species. The table provides general information about the most common types of these arthropods, and below in the photo you can see what some of them look like:
| Flea species | Main host | Body length, mm | Body shape | Color | average life expectancy |
| Doggy | Dogs | 0,75–5 | Laterally flattened | Brown | About 1.5 years |
| Feline | Cats | Dark, more often black | 3 months to 3 years | ||
| Chicken | Chickens | 1,5–2 | Dark yellow to brownish brown | About 1.5 years | |
| Rat | Rodents | 2–3 | Light to dark brown | 2 months | |
| Human | Human | 1,6–3,2 | Light brown to black-brown | 1.4 months |
There are also woody, grass, land, sand fleas. Some common names are arbitrary. Such, for example, a species like genital fleas does not exist. This kind of blood-sucking insects is unknown to science. Like black fleas, this is rather the popular name for these domestic arthropods, which unites many other types.
What is the threat of fleas in the apartment
Blood sucking poses a considerable danger to both humans and animals, because they carry many pathogens of serious diseases. Some of them can even be life threatening. Including genital fleas are carriers of worms and other parasites.
Important! If a person has been bitten by fleas for several days, it will be useful to undergo a course of getting rid of worms.
Some people are allergic to bloodsucker bites. It all depends on the individual sensitivity of the skin. After bites, red spots and microscopic wounds appear. Further, severe itching begins, in which a person scratches the skin to wounds, thereby opening the way for various infections. The temperature rises, and symptoms of other pathologies begin to appear. In advanced cases, a person may need long-term treatment with strong antibacterial drugs.
Sexual fleas are carriers of serious diseases. Namely:
- Typhoid;
- Bubonic plague;
- Encephalitis;
- Hepatitis;
- Tularemia;
- Salmonellosis;
- Anthrax;
- Fever and many others.
In the past, in the countries of Europe, it was fleas with rats that spread the plague, from which thirty percent of the population of states became extinct.The reason for the rapid multiplication of parasites in those days was the terrible unsanitary conditions.
Where do insects usually hide and how do they move?
To get rid of fleas - tree, feline or canine - you need to know where they hide in the living room. Most species live permanently on the host's body, but they can leave it for a while.
If the parasites are in the house, they can be found:
- in bedding, animal cages, if any in the dwelling;
- under the skirting boards;
- on the floor and on all adjacent surfaces at a height of up to 1.5 m;
- in the crevices of the plank floor;
- between the wall and the removed wallpaper;
- in upholstered furniture and toys;
- in the pile of floor coverings;
- in bed linen;
- in places in the apartment where it is always humid (near sinks, shower stalls).
As for the eggs of blood-sucking insects, they can be found on the floor almost everywhere. Female fleas do not lay in certain places, squeezing out ripe eggs during movement, so they spread throughout the entire dwelling. They do not have a sticky shell and easily roll off surfaces.
Adults move quickly around the house. They do this by jumping. Pushing off with a third pair of long powerful legs, bloodsuckers are able to jump up to 20 cm in height, and up to 40 cm in length.
The fact that the so-called genital fleas appear in the house will become apparent quickly enough. Pets suffer from their bites, they constantly itch. A person can also become a victim of their attack.
Calling a professional pest control service
If the room is heavily contaminated or the use of funds does not give a lasting result, it is better to contact the pest control service to professionals. The advantages are obvious:
- In sanitary and epidemiological organizations, powerful agents are used that effectively destroy insects.
- When self-processing, an ordinary person can easily miss the accumulation of larvae or eggs, because of which the processing will have to be repeated again.
- In addition to chemicals, pest controllers use advanced treatment methods that cannot be applied on their own.
- After processing, there are no stains and marks on furniture, clothes, surfaces.
Calling pest controllers is the easiest way to get rid of domestic fleas quickly and permanently, so it is worth resorting to such a service already at the first signs of the appearance of insects.
What do insects eat, how long are they able to live without food?
These are blood-sucking insects, their food is the blood of warm-blooded animals and humans. In search of food, they prefer to settle on animals with thick hair: dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, mice, etc. Regardless of which species of fleas are introduced into the dwelling, people living in it always suffer from their bites. It is far from immediately that a person can understand that he has become a victim of a bloodsucker. During the bite, along with the saliva of the parasite, an anesthetic substance enters the wound, and only later, when the bloodsucker is properly nourished, severe itching and irritation will occur in this place.
Household fleas appear only in residential buildings, abandoned premises where there is no food source, they are not interested. They detect their prey by movement, vibration and breathing.
It is wrong to think that if you remove an animal from the home, the blood of which the bloodsuckers feed on, they will lose their food and leave the room, because they also eat human blood. These arthropods are adapted to prolonged fasting. How long fleas live without an animal depends on many factors. This period is usually calculated in several weeks. In the absence of food, females stop laying eggs, after they again find a food source, this process will resume.
When fleas have a black streak in their lives, they go into hibernation, which can last for several months.When the conditions of existence are normalized, they are activated and begin to saturate.
Why are flea bites dangerous for humans?
Often, pet flea bites cause severe allergic reaction, up to shock and edema. And if 1-2 bites are not yet so dangerous, systematic attacks by fleas lead to the following consequences for the body:
- extensive rashes appear around the bites;
- the temperature rises, puffiness appears;
- the lymph nodes are enlarged;
- in places of scratching, painful suppuration occurs (in advanced cases - the appearance of ulcers and pyoderma);
- insomnia, constant stress, phobias of a different nature;
- neuralgia;
- infection with dangerous infectious diseases and the possibility of acquiring internal parasites.
Due to the anesthetic that the flea injects under the skin, the bite is initially painless, but after a short period of time, strong painful sensations appear. If we compare domestic fleas with other parasites of a similar plan, it is distinguished by the greatest pain in the bite and a huge number of diseases that can be transmitted. The domestic flea, due to the disorderly distribution, is extremely difficult to breed, while with other parasitic insects, only nests or places of congestion can be processed.
How to deal with ectoparasite at home?
It is necessary to try to independently remove these prolific parasites immediately after detecting signs of their appearance in the home. There are several ways to deal with household fleas. They can be destroyed with the help of chemicals, folk remedies, mechanical methods and temperature exposure. When choosing how to poison blood-sucking insects, one must first of all take into account their number. It is unlikely that you will be able to get rid of large flea colonies yourself; you will have to use the services of professionals.
How to protect your home from parasites: prevention measures
It is impossible to get rid of fleas once and for all; to prevent their appearance, the following preventive measures must be observed:
- carry out wet cleaning weekly, paying special attention to hard-to-reach places;
- clean your outdoor shoes when you return home;
- put on flea collars on pets or treat them with products to prevent infection with blood-sucking insects;
- regularly change bedding and underwear;
- steam pillows, mattresses and blankets regularly;
- while washing the floor and wiping the dust, add detergent and essential oil to the water;
- periodically wash the floor with bleach or insecticidal preparations;
- regularly vacuum or knock out carpets, rugs and upholstered furniture;
- wash soft toys regularly;
- monitor the cleanliness of pet items (cages, beds);
- to prevent littering of the home and storage of rags.
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Folk remedies
Not every housewife is in a hurry to use aggressive chemicals, so they prefer proven folk remedies.
Tansy and wormwood
Spread these plants all over the floor, if possible. An infusion is prepared from dry herbs, you can buy it at any pharmacy or dry it yourself.
To prepare a natural remedy, you must:
- Pour 3 dessert spoons of wormwood and 2 tsp into a liter jar. tansy. Add literally a few eucalyptus (mint) leaves to soften the bitter smell.
- Pour a glass of boiled water.
- Cover with a lid and leave for 12 hours.
Strain the infusion through several layers of gauze. Pour into a spray bottle, process the room. Particularly noteworthy are corners, skirting boards, carpets.
Cold, steam and sun
If pests start in winter, open windows and doors for 3 hours. The method of struggle in the summer: hang all carpets, rugs in the sun. Under the influence of ultraviolet rays, all fleas and larvae will die. Additionally, disinfect the entire apartment: furniture, floors, baseboards, etc.And the last method, it is to use a steam cleaner. Process carpets and carpets with a steam jet.
Sodium bicarbonate
Mix baking soda in equal proportions with salt. Sprinkle with this compound on carpets, rugs. If fleas are present on sofas, armchairs, you can also use it, it will not harm them in any way. After 12 hours, vacuum all surfaces where this mixture has been applied. At this time, it is advisable to leave home so that no one goes to the processing sites. It is advisable to spend on weekends, send household members to visit or to the dacha, and do disinfection itself.
Essential oils
You need to purchase ether of lemon, chamomile, mint, eucalyptus, lavender at the pharmacy. Dissolve them in water: 10 drops of oil per 1 liter of warm liquid. Use on carpets and similar surfaces. If you still haven't found a way how to wash the floors from fleas in the house, make a concentrated solution with any of the oils listed. Not only blood-sucking individuals will die, but you can also add aroma to the room.
