As pet parents know, even a single flea is one too many. Still, you may find these pesky parasites on your furry friends. You may also find them on household furniture or in the yard. This begs the question: How long can fleas live without a host?
The Life Cycle of a Flea
When it has a host, an adult flea can live about 100 days. But how long can they live without a host? Those fleas typically live only one to two weeks.
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The entire lifespan of a flea, from egg to adulthood, can last a few weeks or even a few months. And depending on where you live, the length of flea season varies. Fleas reproduce in warm, humid climates, so flea season where you are can last a few months or year-round.
Understanding how fleas reproduce can help determine how long fleas will stick around.
How Do Fleas Reproduce?
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Fleas reproduce at a rapid rate. A mature, adult female flea lays approximately 40 to 50 eggs per day. Nearly half of these eggs may be female. When these females mature, they mate and lay their own eggs. Before you know it, you could have a large flea family sharing your home!
How long a flea takes to develop determines how long it lives. As it matures, a flea goes through four stages of development:
- Egg: This incubation period can last up to 10 days, but some flea eggs hatch within one day.
- Larvae: Somewhere between five and 20 days later, the eggs hatch. The larvae live in what’s called “flea dirt,” which is actually the feces of adult fleas.
- Pupae: The larvae spin a cocoon, at which time they become pupae. This stage can be as short as a few days or as long as many months in warm, humid weather.
- Adult: Once it breaks free from its cocoon, a mature flea hunts for a host.
Fleas survive by attaching to a host and living off its blood. During the first 24 hours of attachment, a female adult flea will mate and start reproducing.
How Do Fleas Find Hosts?
Adult fleas find safe hiding places in which to wait for their prey. Inside the home, these include carpets and rugs, upholstered furniture, and bedding. In the yard, fleas hide in the grass, shrubs, and overgrown foliage. They also hide around decks, porches, sheds, and pet houses. One place fleas cannot survive is in standing water.
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Fleas innately sense the movement, body heat, and breathing of a potential host, according to the Centers for Disease Control.1 They aren’t just coming for your pets, either. Fleas prefer animal hosts but will resort to biting people when animals are unavailable. Don’t forget to check your body and clothing for these unwanted visitors.
How do fleas transfer to animals and humans? Although they seem to take flight, fleas do not have wings. Instead, they use their powerful hind legs to jump onto their hosts. For such a tiny pest—adults measuring no more than one-sixteenth of an inch—it may surprise you to learn fleas can jump about eight inches.
How Long Can Fleas Live Without a Host?
Remember: Adult fleas can live up to two weeks without attaching themselves to a host. So, although females can’t reproduce during that time, they still have up to two weeks to find a host and reproduce. And since they reproduce rapidly, one pregnant female adult flea can lead to many fleas in a short time. This is something you definitely don’t want in your home or yard. AdamsTM Flea & Tick Home Spray can be used on fabrics, furniture, and other areas of the home to treat flea infestations and prevent more from occurring. You can also protect your yard from fleas with AdamsTM Yard & Garden Spray. After all, prevention and treatment are key to creating a flea-free environment for you and your pets.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “How Fleas Spread Disease,” 13 August 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/fleas/life_cycle_and_hosts
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