Flea Bites

Ever had a flea bite? If so, then you know how painful they can be. The problem with a flea bite is they don’t really start itching until later on and usually when you’re sleeping, then they just seem to go crazy. Fleas are a parasite and feed off blood. The problem is, when they bite you there is usually some blood left over from the last warm blooded host. So now you can be getting something else’s blood on you.

Fleas like many parasites carry diseases, because they can jump a good length, they can move from host to host, and if that host travels any distance at all then the flea can also travel that far. The best remedy for flea bites is to simply eliminate them as soon as you know you have a flea infestation.

Many people confuse a fire ant bite with a flea bite. The fire ant bite will be red and soon have a puss head to it. A flea bite is usually red and runs in a line with a few more bites and will last up to about two weeks.

Some people have a allergic reaction to flea bites, if you are one of those that do and you get bit, be sure and keep a watch on the bite and your health. If necessary get professional medical care. To see pictures of flea bites go here. To get some relief from a bite and help to keep the itching down try using Calahist lotion

As I mentioned earlier the best remedy is elimination, when you first see or feel a flea bite then take action and get rid of the fleas or learn how to kill
fleas

The Cat Flea

The cat flea is the most common flea found in and around the home. The cat flea finds almost everything with warm blood a tasty food source. The reason this flea is called the cat flea because the cat is the host for the flea. But dogs are also the main host for this flea. The cat flea can live on almost any animal, they feed on almost any warm blooded mammal even humans. Now I don’t think they can sustain life on humans.

If you've never noticed, fleas only travel one way, they are skinny and move in a forward motion and they are very quick. Fleas have a tendency to hide in those areas you would not think of looking. But they are good at hiding until they need a blood feast to reproduce.

Once the flea has their meal source and lays eggs, the eggs will eventually roll off the host and on to the areas surrounding where the host mostly hangs out. The eggs will hatch into larvae that fee d on the fecal material of the adult flea, and then soon they will go into the pupa stage by spinning a cocoon. By the way, this is the hardest of all stages to kill the flea. Once the flea has evolved from the pupa stage the it will lay dormant until a host comes along to be its next meal ticket.

The flea will probably not be a health problem unless the infestation goes unchecked or unless your pet has some kind of allergic reaction to the bites. Then it is time to take action by getting rid of the fleas.

The cat flea is one of the biggest problems around so make sure you check your dogs, cats or animals periodically to make sure there is not a flea problems.