Bed fleas are a rather unpleasant surprise, especially for people living in apartments and not having pets. What kind of creatures are these, and how dangerous are they for humans? In fact, such a biological species as bed fleas does not exist in nature, biting insects got this name because sometimes they choose sofas and beds for their further existence. Despite the fact that in nature there are many varieties of fleas, they look almost the same, and their lifestyle is not very different.
Insect structure
In appearance, bed fleas are ordinary small insects . The structure of bloodsuckers is quite complicated, but with the naked eye it is very difficult to determine the parts of the body. Bed flea is a dark brown, almost black insect with a rounded and elongated body, flattened on its sides. It is impossible to crush the parasite with fingers because of the chitinous shell in the form of a shell that performs a protective function.
Strange as it may seem, bed fleas feel that they are invulnerable, which is why they lack the instincts of self-preservation. The length of the adult does not exceed three millimeters, the wings of these blood-sucking insects are absent, but on the body there are three rather powerful pairs of paws.
The hind legs are the longest and best developed, because thanks to them, insects jump, and this, as you know, is their only way of moving. If you look at a flea through a microscope, you will notice that it has a small antennae, a kind of antenna for searching for another victim, which hide in special pits when the insect is resting.
The structure of the oral apparatus is extremely difficult to see even through a microscope, it is only known that it resembles a hose or a small trunk with which a flea bites and sucks the blood of its victims. The eggs of blood-sucking insects look like rice grains with a diameter of about 0.5 mm, and the larvae look like translucent worms. As for the bloodsucker pupae, they can be mistaken for ordinary specks.
What fleas parasitize humans?
Any insect that feeds on the blood of warm-blooded animals can bite a person. However, most often people are bitten by fleas parasitizing on pets: cats and dogs. In nature, however, one species of a blood-sucking insect is isolated, for which a person acts as a potential "master". These bloodsuckers attack four-legged friends, but prefer to eat human blood more. The thing is that in these parasites, the oral apparatus perfectly pierces our skin.
So, what types of bloodsuckers are potentially dangerous for humans?
- The first is dog fleas. It is this species that is considered the champion in attacking people. This is due to the fact that our faithful four-legged friends most often bring fleas to their house on their wool.
- Secondly, a person can be bitten by cat bloodsuckers. Cats spend most of their time on the street, where they find these parasites. Fleas brought by a cat to the house, in the absence of a pet, are forced to look for a new source of nutrition, and it becomes a person.
- Thirdly, even rat bloodsuckers annoy people. This is one of the most dangerous types of fleas for humans. Residents of the province suffer mainly from the bites of these parasites.
- Fourth, rabbit fleas are considered one of the most common blood-sucking insects, although they bite a person in very rare cases.
How do bloodsuckers get to bed?
Carpets, animal litter, baseboards and dark corners are the main habitats and eggs of blood-sucking insects. Why are fleas in bedding? The hosts themselves can bring parasites to the house on clothes, in addition, these bloodsuckers are also capable of independently moving over rather considerable distances, they move only by jumping.
Blood-sucking insects can be in the house for the following reasons:
- If the apartment is located on the ground floor, then rodents that live in basements can enter fleas.
- There are pets in the house next to you.
- The hosts themselves brought the parasites, especially if we are talking about those who often have to visit basement or non-residential premises.
Bed fleas, photos of which are presented in this material, jump onto the bed solely in order to eat. It is quite difficult to detect small insects, but if you make the bed with light linen, you will certainly notice the presence of bloodsuckers.
Signs of the appearance of fleas
Despite the fact that the blood-sucking insects are small, sooner or later you will notice them on light bedding. It is pointless to try to catch them, because they react remarkably to movements, possessing, besides everything else, an amazing jumping ability. When approaching the hand, bed fleas begin to jump and instantly disappear from the space perceived by the eye.
If you prefer dark linen, then the presence of insects in the house will be indicated by such signs as:
- Bites on legs and arms.
- Restless behavior of pets. When fleas appear, four-legged friends begin to itch and often try to bite an invisible bloodsucker in the hair.
- Black dots on the bedding. These are the waste products of parasites. Outwardly, they look like traces of flies.
- Larvae found in the corners of a room or in trash.
How to recognize flea bites?
Not in all cases it is possible to determine the attack of which insect a person has undergone. To take appropriate measures, it is important to learn to distinguish between the symptoms of bloodsucker bites. Fleas mainly bite a person in areas with the thinnest skin: popliteal and axillary hollows, waist and legs. However, exceptions do occur.
Bed flea bites are accompanied by severe itching, slight swelling and redness. Due to a too small wound, it is not possible to determine the site of a skin bite. If an insect attacked a person alone, a characteristic chain of bites will appear, the distance between which is no more than 2 cm, if there were many, the wounds can be localized throughout the body.
Why are flea bites dangerous?
Pain and severe itching are nothing compared to the dangerous infectious diseases that bloodsuckers can carry. It turns out that it was fleas in the Middle Ages who were carriers of the plague, which claimed many human lives.
Thanks to the efforts of doctors, the plague has been defeated today, but people can get typhus, pseudotuberculosis, rabbit fever (tularemia), anthrax, brucellosis, or rubella naturalists from flea bites.
In addition, a flea bite can cause a severe allergic reaction. In such cases, itching is not localized only in the affected area of the body, but spreads throughout the body.
What to do if a flea has bitten?
If you find flea bites on your body, in no case do not comb the affected areas of the body, and immediately wash them with running water and antiseptic soap. It is recommended to treat the bite site with calming calamine lotion, if it is absent, use alternative methods of treatment.
You can treat the affected area with water and apple cider vinegar. Mix the necessary ingredients in a 1: 2 ratio and refrigerate. In chilled liquid, dampen a thin cloth and attach to a bitten area.
A paste-like mass prepared from sodium bicarbonate and water relieves itching well. The resulting slurry is applied to the bite site for 15 minutes. You can also prepare liquid from 250 ml of water and lemon peel. The itchy mixture is treated with the infused mixture.
Bed fleas: how to get rid of at home?
The fight against parasites should begin with the treatment of pets suffering from their bites the most. You can rid a dog or cat of fleas with the help of special antibacterial shampoos, soaps or sprays. To prevent re-infection, pets periodically need to drip drops along the withers and put on an anti-flea collar.
After processing the animals, you need to start cleaning the apartment. Fleas do not tolerate the smell of tansy and wormwood, so that you can lay out bunches of grass in the corners of the room. The room where the blood-sucking insects wound up requires wet cleaning, and it should be carried out using ammonia, vinegar and a soap solution.
If alternative methods do not help and the question of how to get rid of bed fleas remains unresolved, processing of the room with special sprays, aerosols or solutions will be required. Various insect control products are sold in many stores today. The main thing is to read the instructions before use and clearly follow the recommendations, observing safety precautions. Effective Ultra bed flea remedy has proven itself well, although other drugs can also cope with this task: Chlorpirimax, Bolfo, Tetrix, and Sinuzan.
In the future, in order to protect your home from the penetration of fleas, be sure to purchase special collars for all pets, and put dry wormwood or tansy under the sofas and stove benches for animals. This situation will not allow parasites to settle in your apartment.