The Flea 101 - PGM Pest Trumps
- PGM & SON Pest Control
- Jul 11
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 15
Introducing The Flea!
This week we are excited to carry on with our series of "Pest Trumps" at PGM and Son Pest Control Services with The Flea.
Each file is available for free download, and you may use them at work to help identify pests for the protection of your workers and customers. The PGM "Pest Control Trump" set of information cards is created to assist with pest-related issues in the UK.
The Flea Fact File
The most common type of flea found in the UK is the cat flea (“Ctenocephalides felis”). This flea type is very common and whilst their primary host is cats, the flea will also bite humans and dogs.
The dog flea (“Ctenocephalides canis”) also uses a variety of hosts but most commonly targets cats and dogs.
Two other types of fleas are bird fleas and human fleas. The bird flea has a very short life span but an impressive breeding stamp and multiplies is significant numbers.
Human fleas are thankfully rare in the UK but are known to carry the plague bacteria Yersinia pestis (Y.pestis) also known as the Black Death.
Fun Fact about Fleas
In the second World War the Japanese tried to use fleas to carry Y.pestis as a biological weapon by dropping them in China.
Flea Strength
Fleas are tiny and don’t possess great strength, they can cause serious problems in animals and humans as we’ll find out later.
Score: 1
Breeding
Fleas’ lifecycle is a four-stage process from egg through to adult. This can take between two weeks and eight months depending on environmental factors. A female flea can live up to two years and in that time they can lay around 1500 eggs!
Score: 10
Flea Nuisance Factor
Fleas carry disease for example myxomatosis which is a serious disease in rabbits and can be spread by fleas. They also bite animals and humans and bites can cause allergic reactions.
Young or frail animals can become weak and die of blood loss and lengthy periods of infestation can also cause anaemia in pets.
Flea larvae can become infected with tapeworm eggs so pets can become a host to this parasite as well. So all round the tiny flea can cause some serious health issues in both animals and humans.
Score: 10
Flea Agility
Fleas are the Olympic high jumpers of the pest world. A flea can jump at least 100 times their own body length and have been known to reach up to 200 times.
Score: 8
Environmental
All organisms, including fleas, are part of the food chain. Whether they are consumed by animals, microorganisms or fungi, they help keep nutrients flowing through the system of life.
Fleas score pretty low in this category though.
Score: 1
Flea Superpower: Enhanced Leap
We have to put the flea down for the enhanced leap. To put their jumping skills into context, if humans were to jump as well as fleas they would be able to leap over the Shard in London so that’s pretty amazing!!
Overall PGM Pest Trumps Flea Rating 4/10
The flea scores well on its ability to jump to great heights but these disease spreaders score low for their nuisance factor and danger to public health.
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To aid with pest-related issues in the UK, PGM & SON are creating a complete variety of "Pest Trump" documents that are available for the pest management industry and the general public to download for free. Subscribe to our blog if you want to stay up to date with all of our current developments on the Pest Trump line.
If you have a flea problem, it’s usually best to call in the professionals. For flea fumigation and control services give PGM & Son Pest Control Herefordshire and Worcestershire a call on 01981 540088 or 07964 370480 for a free no-obligation chat.
If you prefer, you can email us at contact@pgmpestcontrol.co.uk or use the live chat facility on ou website and if we’re not available on the live chat for any reason then there’s a handy message service for you to leave your details so we can call you back.
