To date, about 20 different families of fleas are known, each of which includes many varieties. The most common are the following:
- human;
- feline;
- canine;
- chicken;
- rat;
- alakurta (Tien Shan flea);
- sandy (penetrating).
What types of fleas can live in the house
Most often, fleas are found in the following places:
- bedding and beds for pets;
- carpets and coverings with pile;
- sofas, armchairs;
- bed sheets;
- cracks in walls and floors;
- plinth;
- old things, rubbish.
In addition, almost all varieties of fleas living in the house can live in the coat of a dog or cat. They do not live on a person.
What house fleas look like and how to detect them
Almost every person who has pet knows what adult fleas look like. However, few have seen flea larvae. So, let's take a closer look at the life cycle of an insect.
In its reproduction, the flea passes full cycle successive transformations - an adult insect, egg, larva, pupa, adult insect.
Flea eggs look like tiny white translucent balls. A single female can lay up to 30 eggs per day. Two weeks later, larvae appear from the eggs, resembling a small black worm. The worms are active and live in dust, debris, or pet bedding. The larva then pupates and grows in size. Next, an adult flea emerges from the pupa.
Finding fleas is very difficult. The determining factor is the presence of them on a pet. If there is neither a cat nor a dog in the house, then it is quite difficult to find out where fleas live and whether they exist at all.
Where do fleas come from in the house
Their eggs and larvae can get into the house along with the earth brought on the shoes, adult insects can enter the living space from the attic or entrance. If you do not notice them in time, they will quickly multiply and over time become a huge problem. For this reason, it is necessary, upon detection of at least one individual, to treat the entire apartment and pets from fleas in a short time.
To understand where the fleas came from in the apartment and how to get rid of them, it is necessary to make a thorough inspection of all secluded corners of the housing. It should be remembered that these insects prefer contaminated areas that are away from sun rays. Wet and dusty environments attract them the most.
After inspecting and detecting flea larvae, their eggs or adults, it is necessary to process the premises as soon as possible. A very good effect is given by various insecticidal agents that can be purchased at a veterinary pharmacy or pet store. Excellent results are shown by "Entomosan" - at a very affordable cost, it is completely safe for animals and humans, has almost no smell and perfectly eliminates fleas.
Proper treatment of the room from fleas includes washing floors and walls, destroying old clothes and unnecessary rags. In addition, all pets must be rid of fleas. Modern science offers a detailed range of all kinds of products for cats, dogs and other pets. Especially good action provide drugs "Bravecto", Frontline Neksgard, "Stronghold" in combination with anti-flea collars. Such funds will help to reliably protect your pet from any blood-sucking insects for up to 6 months.
What do fleas eat and how long do they live without food
Fleas feed exclusively on the blood of humans and warm-blooded animals. This naturally leads to the question - how long will a flea live without food if there is no food source nearby?
Most often they can be found in such places:
- wool, feathers;
- human hair;
- carpets, sofas, bedding and pet houses;
- skirting boards, window sills, cracks in walls and windows, wallpaper.
Reasons for the appearance
Earth fleas start up in dusty as well as abandoned rooms.
- entrance;
- neighboring apartments;
- Pets;
- basements;
- ventilation shafts;
- rat fleas brought into the room by rodents.
Thus, the spread of pests in the basements and plumbing units of apartments is quite natural.
Their appearance on the lower floors is a consequence of the presence of heat and moisture. And on these floors, insects get on rodents and other animals.
It should be noted that females do not lay their eggs in any specific places, they throw them out by force everywhere for better procreation. That is why the inhabitants of the lower floors, even in the absence of pets, can find uninvited guests.
To eliminate these propagating conditions, it is necessary to carefully examine:
- basements with many pipes, the revision of which is not carried out;
- plumbing for leaks;
- bathroom for ventilation.
However, it also happens that pests start up in an apartment for no apparent reason. It could be a simple coincidence. It is not at all necessary that the reason for their appearance is disorder and unsanitary conditions in it. For example, insects can be brought along with items from the street, or with a carpet after cleaning. These reasons have nothing to do with the sanitary condition of the apartment.
What to do?
Two weeks for the development of the egg, a little more in the larval stage, and now, after quite a bit of time, an adult comes into life, which can live up to a year and a half. Although in practice, of course, they live for about two or three months, but these months will seem like an eternity until you figure out how to breed them.
You can destroy these insects only by gradually implementing the following points:
- determination of places of accumulation;
- providing protection until absolute destruction;
- general cleaning and laundry;
- insecticide treatment.
It does not matter why the fleas appeared at home, the main thing is to proceed with them immediately and prevent their possible appearance again.
Facing annoying insects in an apartment or a private house, people are surprised - where do fleas come from?
- earthen fleas or cruciferous in another way (they settle in gardens, dusty, damp basements, dirty rooms);
- domestic (among them canine, cat, human, rat);
- bedding (occupied by mattresses, pillows, bed linen);
- sandy (live on sand, under furniture, carpeting).
Causes of fleas
- domestic animals (a pet that visits the street can easily bring home a whole population of these bloodsuckers on its fur);
- a person (when visiting contaminated premises, you can pick up an insect with your clothes, hair; and eggs penetrate along with dirty shoes);
- ground floor apartment building(due to the neighborhood of damp basements inhabited by mice, rats, homeless animals);
- dust, dampness, unsanitary conditions (nimble people settle in dusty, dirty corners, a cluttered apartment is an ideal habitat);
- ventilation ducts (through them insects run from basements, entrances, neighboring apartments).
Even if there are no pets, infection with brown bloodsuckers can occur. Peddlers may be birds living near ventilation holes houses, or twisted nests near the windows of the apartment. Regularly flying onto a balcony or window sill, birds dump adults and their eggs, which then fall into housing.
The main signs and habitats of fleas
- skirting boards;
- dusty corners;
- gaps in the floor;
- soft toys and furniture;
- wallpaper;
- carpets;
- cabinets;
- bedding for animals;
- bed sheets.
A few individuals are likely to go unnoticed. But if they begin to multiply, the population will be easy to detect. domestic cat or the dog will be the first to get flea attacks. The pet will have a poor appetite, sleep will be disturbed. The animal will often itch, gnaw out wool.
Children of the Fauna
Why are fleas dangerous?
Blood-sucking insects are dangerous because they become carriers of serious diseases. Of particular concern are rat fleas, which drink contaminated blood during their bites and then carry the infection to subsequent victims. Shustrikas can transport viral and infectious diseases:
- hepatitis B, C;
- encephalitis;
- brucellosis;
- myxomatosis;
- salmonellosis;
Flea Control Methods
Folk remedies
First of all, it is worth examining pets, if necessary, remove fleas from them. To do this, veterinary pharmacies offer a variety of tools:
- sprays;
- collars;
- drops;
- shampoos.
In addition to baiting brown bloodsuckers in pets, it is necessary to vacuum everything and carry out a thorough wet cleaning. Clean and wash carpets. Wash the floors with a solution of vinegar or tar soap. It is useful to spread aromatic herbs in the corners:
- sagebrush;
- cloves;
- insecticide;
- tansy;
- mint;
- eucalyptus.
Fleas do not tolerate the smell of these plants. If you sprinkle salt on the floor, these crystals corrode their outer cover, causing the death of pests. Then the salt and grass must be carefully removed.
Chemicals
Video: How to get rid of fleas in the apartment
Getting fleas out of the house is sometimes a rather difficult and time-consuming task. But with the help modern means and methods, as well as the presence of patience, everyone will successfully cope with it. So, what to do if fleas appeared in the house: where and how to get rid of?
What do house fleas look like?
- size - the body length of an adult reaches 0.1-0.5 cm;
- color - the color of the flea can be black, red, brown or dark red;
- structure - the body is slightly flattened on the sides, covered with tiny bristles and spikes; there are six legs on the abdomen (like all insects), wings are absent;
- the nature of movement - fleas are very jumpy, with one jump they can cover a distance of up to 0.5 in height up to 1 m in length.
- lifestyle - these insects are active at any time of the day; if they are hungry, then they go out to look for a victim both day and night.
What causes fleas in a house or apartment
There are several ways to get fleas into an apartment or a private house:
- Neighbors' apartments.
There is a high risk of blood-sucking insects getting into housing in the neighborhood with dysfunctional families, where no one keeps order and cleanliness in the house. In addition, if someone decides to poison fleas, they can go in search of a new shelter and settle with neighbors.
- Basements.
- Pets.
And finally, any of the family members can simply bring a flea from the street on clothes or in a bag. Since they multiply very quickly, in two to three weeks the pests will fill the whole house.
Signs that household fleas have started in the house
Finally, it is not difficult to notice the insects themselves, especially if you spread a white sheet in one of the rooms. 
Why are fleas dangerous for humans?
- tularemia;
- plague;
- encephalitis;
- hepatitis B;
- hepatitis C;
- anthrax;
- typhus;
- salmonellosis;
- brucellosis, etc.
Most dangerous view fleas - rat, because rats also carry many dangerous infections. By biting a rat, a flea becomes infected with them and can, in turn, infect another animal or person, without dying itself. Parents of young children and the elderly should be especially careful about flea bites.
It is necessary to fight fleas in a private house or apartment in a complex way. Here's what to do to destroy insects at home once and for all:
Animals
We must not forget about the accessories of a pet: all beds and rugs must be knocked out, washed and dried; rubber toys and bowls should be thoroughly cleaned and boiled. All these measures will help destroy insect eggs.
Preparing the room for processing
Before using chemical or folk remedies to get rid of fleas, it is necessary to prepare the living space. They do it like this:
- vacuum cleaning of all coverings, sofas and carpets, as well as wet cleaning in each room of the apartment;
- food products are wrapped in a special protective film and put in the refrigerator;
Note: if possible, it is better to take out the refrigerator with food from the apartment for a while.
- bed linen, carpets are shaken out and washed;
- household appliances and electrical appliances are switched off and also covered protective film- the latter also applies to indoor plants and an aquarium
Before cleaning, remove all pets from the house, giving them to the care of neighbors or friends. The next stage is the processing of the house with special means. 
Treatment
You can treat the room for fleas different ways: folk remedies, chemicals or by physical force. Each of them has advantages and disadvantages. So, chemicals help to remove fleas quickly and permanently, but these drugs do not have the best effect on human health (for example, they can cause severe allergies).
Therefore, they are not recommended for use if there are small children or animals in the house. Folk methods safe, but may be ineffective due to their relatively gentle effect. See below for details on processing methods.
Cleaning
A few hours after treatment, whatever it may be, the apartment must be ventilated, and after another two or three days, wet cleaning of the room must be done.
Flea insecticides and how to work with them
Chemicals are guaranteed to rid your home of fleas, but since these substances are toxic, you should follow some rules when working with them:
As for preparations for removing fleas from an apartment, they most often use:
- aerosols;
- powders;
- liquid funds.
Powders act similarly - they kill larvae and adults. The result of such funds will be durable and effective, but not the fastest.
Here are some of the most popular flea treatments on the market:
Folk methods of getting rid of fleas
Natural remedies may not be as effective as strong chemicals, but they can be used safely. So, what kind of folk remedies are fleas afraid of?
Like any other insects, fleas are very sensitive to odors, and some scents can be detrimental to them. Knowing this, people use such means as:
physical impact
Fleas feel great with temperature regime from -20 to +50 degrees. Of course, it will not be possible to set the upper temperature threshold in the apartment, but it is quite possible to freeze insects if it happens in the cold season. You just need to open all the windows in the apartment in the cold and leave it for a couple of days. The result, of course, is not guaranteed.
These are the answers to the question "How to get fleas out of the house?" There are many ways, and any determined owner will be able to choose the most suitable one for himself and his family in order to evict uninvited guests from their home.
Where do fleas come from in an apartment and how to get rid of them are quite complex, but quite solvable questions. The appearance of fleas brings a lot of trouble and difficulties. Their bites heal for a long time, accompanied by severe itching, pain, and an allergic reaction.
Quite often there are complications. Fleas are carriers of many infections, and in addition, they themselves cause some diseases. Often the consequences are extremely severe.
One individual is enough to infect the entire apartment. Fleas are very fast and in in large numbers lay eggs, from which larvae appear, and then adult insects. At first they are invisible, but at the time of detection we get the effect of surprise. To understand how to get fleas out of an apartment, you need to find out where they came from.
They get into the apartment very simply:
How to get rid of fleas on your own?
So, if you still have fleas in your apartment, do not panic, you can easily handle unwanted guests on your own. It is necessary to immediately begin the fight against blood-sucking insects. We urgently process pets, then proceed to a thorough wet general cleaning of the apartments.
How to treat an apartment and pets:
- You need to treat pets with special shampoos and flea drops, put on a collar that repels fleas. All this can be bought at any pet store or veterinary pharmacy. Bedding, rugs must first be poured with boiling water and washed well. Throw away old toys of animals, there may be larvae.
- Vacuum the whole apartment Special attention be given to corners, skirting boards, pipes, radiators, cabinets. After cleaning, shake out the bag from the vacuum cleaner and pour boiling water over it. The apartment must be free of dust and cobwebs. Carpets, runners, pillows, blankets hang outside, if possible, for a day, thoroughly knock out and dry. And it's best to wash. Do not forget about curtains and curtains, they also need to be refreshed and ironed.
- Wash bed linen, blankets, bedspreads, preferably in the boiling mode.
- Raise all boxes, toys to the level of a meter from the floor.
- All furniture in the house must be thoroughly cleaned, especially folds, cracks, joints.
- Wash and dry indoor shoes.
- Don't forget to wash front door, vestibule, stairwell.
After cleaning, proceed to the processing of the apartment. Flea treatments, many of which are unscented, can be purchased at any specialty store. Do not forget that they are all different in content. chemical substances so they cannot be mixed with each other. Taking precautions is very important in this situation. Read the instructions for use carefully.
Chemical remedies for fleas in the apartment:
- Spray "Raid".
- Spray "Raptor".
- Trademark "Clean House.
- "Combat".
- "Dichlorvos", etc.
Aerosols, sprays, pencils, suspensions, powders will help you quickly get rid of fleas. You need to process skirting boards, corners, cabinets, bedside tables, ventilation, batteries, pipes and all hard-to-reach places. The duration of action of each drug is different, it happens from one day to three.
After processing special tool you must leave the apartment, while closing all doors and windows. Do not forget to remove pets, cover aquariums. Upon returning home, be sure to ventilate the apartment. After three days, it is necessary to carry out wet cleaning. After two weeks, you need to re-examine the apartment to detect new individuals.
Folk remedies in the fight against fleas
Also, in the fight against fleas, many housewives use folk remedies. The strongest and most effective is wormwood. Branches are plucked from this plant, roots are not needed. They are laid out in the apartment in all corners, under beds, sofas, under carpets and paths, cabinets, bedside tables, under sinks, washbasins. After a week, you need to clean up and renew the branches of wormwood. The downside in this method is the specific smell of the plant in the apartment.
Infusions of wormwood, tansy, which can be bought at pharmacies, work effectively. The infusion is easy to prepare at home: we take the leaves of plants in equal proportions, pour them with boiling water, close the dishes tightly with a lid, put them in a dark place to cool. In a day, you can process the entire apartment. In the same infusion, you can bathe cats and dogs. Cold, frosty air is also very effective in removing fleas from the apartment.
Freezing is also one of the ways to deal with fleas in an apartment. Prolonged ventilation at low temperatures leads to the death of insects. And the removal of carpets, pillows, blankets, blankets, bedspreads to frost will lead to the death of their larvae.
Help from professionals in the fight against fleas
If you have used all the methods to destroy fleas, but there are still insects, I advise you to contact the specialized organizations in your city: a sanitary and epidemiological station or specialized commercial organizations.
These services have special preparations: insecticides, tools and equipment for quality fight with fleas in your apartment. Before such processing, you need to remove all open products, things, toys, dishes. Professionals will instruct you on how to prepare the area before flea control. The treatment of the apartment takes place with the help of "hot fog", which penetrates into all hard-to-reach places in the room. Specialists must correctly calculate the dosage of drugs so as not to harm the residents of the apartment.
How to prevent fleas in the apartment
To prevent fleas from appearing in your apartment, you need to regularly carry out general cleaning premises, especially hard-to-reach places. Do not forget about ventilation ducts and garbage chutes. Ventilate rooms more often. It is very important to monitor the condition of pets, bathe and treat with special means.
