Importance of buying
EPA Approved Meds
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| FURminator
reduces shedding up to 90
percent by removing the loose, dead undercoat
without damaging the topcoat! |
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What
you need to know about the flea life cycle!
Thanks to the many flea control products now on the market such
as Frontline Plus, Advantage
flea control, Program, K9
Advantix and more, flea management is easier than ever. Check
out Frontline_Advantage_K9 Advantage for more info. Understanding
the flea's life cycle will help control the fleas around your
home and yard.
To get a bit technical and in giving you a little bit of information
you probably didn’t want to know, the flea is a part of
the Siphonaptera order, and has a siphon-like mouth and no wings.
There are more than 2,000 species of fleas, but only a few affect
your pet. The cat flea is the cause of almost all pet and environmental
infestations.
From Egg to Adulthood
Again, on the technical side, fleas are metamorphic, meaning they
grow from embryo to adulthood. Similar to butterflies, they evolve
from eggs to larvae to pupae to adulthood. It can take as few
as 12 to 350 days for cat fleas to go through growth stages and
emerge from cocoons. The flea population typically is made up
of 50% eggs, 30% larvae, 15% pupae, and only 5% biting adults.
The optimum temperature for fleas range from 70 degrees to 85
degrees, but the flea can also survive in temperatures as low
as 37 degrees. Most fleas spend winter as adults on infested animals
or as pupae in cocoons in areas protected from freezing. Flea
populations typically increase about 5 or 6 weeks after warm spring
weather begins and escalate during the fall in Midwestern and
northern states.
Female fleas lay up to 50 eggs in a day and about 2000 eggs in
her lifetime. Eggs can be found in an animal's hair, and then
drop off onto everything your pet touches or is near, including
bedding, carpet and soil.
After 1 to 6 days, the eggs hatch into larvae. Larvae dry up easily
and relative humidity less than 50% is fatal. The typical larval
stage can last 5 to 11 days, but if the humidity, temperature,
and food availability are just right, the larval stage can last
up to 3 weeks.
Full-grown Biting Adult Fleas
The newly freed adult flea will leap at any likely warm-blooded
host, and can survive as adults for 2 weeks to 6 months, depending
on its environment. Newly emerged adult fleas can survive only
about a week without a blood meal. Female adult fleas will feed
numerous times daily, for up to 3 to 4 hours at a time.
Fleas prefer cats and dogs, but humans, ferrets or domesticated
rabbits can also become hosts. Adult fleas will not leave their
hosts on their own free will and must be dislodged or killed with
flea control treatments. Grooming and brushing, using a flea comb
will dislodge the parasites.
The breakdown is a little overwhelming as for every adult flea
found on a pet, about 100 fleas are developing in the pet's environment.
It is important to treat the fleas on your pet as well as in your
home and yard.
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