Knowra Flea Flea A flea is a small, wingless insect whose adults feed on the blood of mammals or birds. Its laterally flattened body and powerful hind legs suit it for moving through fur and jumping between hosts.
Flea life cycle : The sequence of egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages in a flea’s development. Only adult fleas take blood meals; immature stages develop away from the host.
Flea control : Methods used to prevent or reduce flea infestations on animals and in their surroundings. Effective control must address both host-dwelling adults and environmental life stages.
Cat flea : Ctenocephalides felis, a flea that commonly infests cats, dogs, and other mammals. Despite its name, this is the most common flea on dogs as well as cats.
Flea evolution : The evolutionary history of fleas, including their origins and relationships to other insects. Flea ancestry helps explain how flightlessness and blood feeding evolved together.
Louse : A wingless insect that lives on a host and feeds on blood, skin, or other materials. Lice also infest hosts, but they lack fleas’ jumping legs and have different life cycles.
Flea jumping : A flea’s rapid launch, powered by elastic structures in its hind legs. Jumping lets adult fleas reach hosts despite their small size.
Flea allergy dermatitis : An itchy skin reaction in animals caused by hypersensitivity to proteins in flea saliva. A small number of bites can trigger severe symptoms in sensitive pets.
Dog flea : Ctenocephalides canis, a flea species that primarily infests dogs and other canids. It is less common than the cat flea in many regions but remains a distinct species.
Holometabola : The insect group with complete metamorphosis through egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. Fleas belong to this group and have strongly different immature and adult forms.
Bed bug : A wingless, blood-feeding true bug that hides near sleeping hosts. Bed bugs feed on blood like fleas but do not jump or live primarily in fur.
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