Small jumping insects in the apartment and methods of dealing with them

Small jumping insects in the apartment, especially if you meet them even during daylight hours, and biting humans and pets are fleas. No one else from the blood-sucking parasites penetrating a person’s dwelling is able to jump. Conversely, other jumping insects do not bite humans.

In nature, there are about 1000 different types of fleas. Most of them parasitize on certain species of animals, but if necessary, easily change their owner (for example, cat flea can easily parasitize on dogs, and dog - on cats). Feline, canine, and rat fleas are so unintelligible in choosing their prey that they “very willingly” bite a person.

Flea bites are quite painful and can cause serious allergic reactions. In addition, by constantly changing the host, this jumping bloodsucking insect can tolerate pathogens of diseases deadly to humans and animals.

On a note

Fleas are found on the body of the animal only during feeding, while the rest of their lives are spent in warm, secluded places. In homes, such places are animal bedding, corners and crevices in the floor, where dust and wool accumulate, forming the ideal environment for the development of their eggs and larvae.

 

The appearance and structure of fleas

Small jumping bloodsuckers have a fairly distinctive appearance, and even in spite of their small size they are easily distinguished from other insects. They have a narrow, flattened laterally body with a length of 2-5 mm. Its brown, almost black color, the surface of the chitinous shell is smooth and brilliant. Under a microscope on the body of a flea, individual spines and hairs can be viewed:

The legs of the latter, the posterior pair are significantly enlarged and have powerful muscles. Thanks to them, these small insects are able to jump far, as a result of which they easily move between shelters in an apartment, and at danger jump so fast that the jump itself is not noticed by the human eye.

It is interesting

Fleas are the champions of the world of insects in jumping ability. An average individual with a body length of 3 mm can jump a distance of 30 cm, that is, 100 times longer than its length. If people had such abilities, it would be normal for a person to jump 160 meters in length.

The eyes of fleas are simple, almost non-functional. Basic information about the environment is obtained by using small antennas and a special sensory organ capable of capturing airborne vibrations.

Generally speaking, fleas belong to winged insects, and the lack of wings in them is an adaptation to the parasitic way of life. Without wings, it is easier for them to move in the fur and slip away from the teeth of their victims.

 

Who and how fleas suck blood

Fleas can feed on a wide variety of hosts, from birds and bats to humans and cattle. Unlike other blood-sucking parasites, fleas do not have a strict specialization and are easily transferred from one host to another.

Moreover, a flea, which today has bitten a man, a few days ago could be fed on a rat or a dog. And on her body, in the oral apparatus or intestines, there may be viruses and bacteria, which she collects from all her food sources.

The oral apparatus of fleas is piercing-sucking type, it is equipped with special bristles, with which the insect easily pierces the skin. However, due to the relatively small size of the jaws, the flea is literally forced to immerse the head in the skin in order to reach the blood vessel:

Fleas feed mostly during the day, so in the apartment they are easy to spot jumping around in the daytime. When attacking, an insect usually makes several bites at a distance of 1-2 cm from each other. Usually their traces are lined up in a chain, which is why flea bites can sometimes be confused with bedbug bites.

 

What are dangerous jumping bloodsuckers

In the process of a bite, a small jumping bloodsucker pierces the skin, injecting excreta of the salivary glands under the skin, which causes irritation and itching on the victim's body. In some cases, the irritation can reach the size of an allergic reaction and is called pulikozom. In this case, mucous membranes (appearance of ulcers and abscesses), lymphatic (swelling of lymph nodes) and even the nervous system are involved in the affected area.

However, the greatest danger lies in the ability of fleas to carry pathogens of various diseases. Plague, encephalitis, tularemia, erisipeloid, pseudotuberculosis, brucellosis, melioidosis, pasteurellosis, anthrax, typhus - this is just a short list of diseases with which a jumping bloodsucking insect can reward a person.

 

Means for removing fleas

Means for the destruction of fleas are divided into two types. The former are intended for the treatment of animals and usually contain insecticides in low concentrations. With the help of the second, the premises are treated for the complete destruction of fleas, and these preparations mostly contain insecticides in sufficiently high concentrations, therefore they are not suitable for baiting fleas on pets.

Preparations for the treatment of animals are produced mainly in the following forms:

• drops on withers - of these, Stronghold, Hartz, Bars, Front Line
• flea sprays - Hartz, Blochnet, Advantiks, Bayer
• Flea Collars - Kiltix, Bars, Bolfo, Hartz
• flea shampoos - Lugovoy, Phytoelite, Rolf Club.

Sprays or drops on withers are usually used to get rid of fleas of animals with normal hair. Shampoos are well suited for pets with very sensitive skin and long hair. Collars are often used not to kill insects on an already infected pet, but to protect the animal from their attack (parasites can easily jump onto an unprotected cat or dog, for example, on the street).

The composition of funds for the treatment of premises mainly include organophosphate insecticides and pyrethroids.When used properly, they cause the death of all insects in the room, but if handled carelessly, they can cause allergies and poisoning in humans and domestic animals.

The most effective and affordable of these funds are Get, Lambda Zone, Delta Zone, Hangman, Cucaracha, Chlorpirimak, Forsyth, Tetrix, Karbofos, etc.

Feedback

“In the summer at the dacha, children were all bitten. I came, I looked, my arms and legs were all swollen. Yes, and I was bitten, especially when I slept during the day. Sister immediately identified the fleas, as they jump. Urgently rushed to handle the cats. Washed, put the collars - nothing. Fleas no less, even more jump around the house began. I had to handle the whole house Karbofos. Opened the basement, and there is generally terrible. In general, they namayalis, but at least the last month of summer had a normal rest. ”

Elena Anatolyevna, Cheboksary

 

What to do if parasites jump in an apartment

If jumping bloodsucking insects are found in the apartment, the following sequence of actions should be followed:

• first establish the source of infection;
• then carry out the treatment of animals;
• then process the entire room.

There are usually two main sources of infection: fleas or pets from the street or family members (on clothes),or the fleas themselves penetrate the apartment from the basements and attics, where they are initially parasitic on rats or, more rarely, on birds.

Pets must be treated according to their age and health. For calves, as well as animals weakened by the disease, specialized preparations of mild, slightly toxic action should be used.

Wherein:

• Shampoo eliminates existing fleas, but does not protect against the emergence of new ones, so you should use an anti-flea collar after bathing.
• The use of sprays suggests a 2-3-hour exposure after treatment, then the animal must be thoroughly washed. The residual effect of the spray allows you to do without the use of collars.
• Drops are applied pointwise, to the withers, less often - along the spine. They may not be washed away for several days and continue to operate for a long time.

After processing the animal, the main thing is to ensure its protection against fleas in the room. Otherwise, part of the jumping parasites will still be on the fur, and after exterminating the insects in the apartment, some of them can survive on the animal.

Dog and cat litter are subject to compulsory treatment and ventilation: a large number of adults and flea eggs are concentrated in them. Even developing larvae can be found - legless worm-shaped, translucent creatures of yellowish-brown color up to 4 mm in length:

The area of ​​settlement of fleas covers the floor and walls at the level "to the waist." The risk zone includes beds, wall and floor carpets, soft toys. Insects feel at ease in warm and moist crevices, under the floor, behind the plinth - in those places where dust accumulates the most. Under these conditions, eggs develop rapidly, and the parasites safely pass through all stages of development.

The very same treatment of the apartment from jumping insects occurs in the following sequence

• All inhabitants, including pets, are taken out of the house.
• Soft items should be thoroughly vacuumed before processing to remove dust.
• The surface of the floor also need to be vacuumed, to carry out wet cleaning.
• According to the instructions, spray the drug itself.
• The room is left in this state for several hours to fix the result.
• Before returning people and animals to the house, the apartment should be thoroughly ventilated; if necessary, clean the treated surfaces.

If there are a lot of fleas in the apartment, one treatment may not be enough. In this case, the treatment must be repeated after 2 weeks.

 

Basement fleas: danger and specificity of the fight

So called basement fleas, often penetrating apartments on the first floors, are the most dangerous. Often they parasitize on rats and can carry on themselves the causative agents of serious human diseases.

On a note

It was rat fleas that caused the deadly epidemics of bubonic plague in medieval Europe. Because of them, according to various estimates, up to 60 million people died in a few years.

If fleas come to the apartment from the basement, then even high-quality processing of the living space will only give a temporary effect. It is necessary to display parasites first of all where they are most of all - in the basement. It is quite difficult to work the basement on its own, especially in an apartment building, and it is more rational to call out special pest control services for the destruction of parasites.

And finally: the most reliable protection against fleas is prevention.The main preventive tool is to protect pets from fleas on the street. Pets should not be allowed to stray dogs and cats, after a walk in the field they should be carefully combed out, and in the summer period - wear collars on them.

To protect the premises from fleas penetrating here on their own, it is necessary to regularly carry out wet cleaning with the addition of wormwood decoction to the water, and to hang out insect repelling sections near windows and entrance doors. This will significantly reduce the risk of fleas infecting the premises.

 

An example of the invasion of fleas in the apartment high-rise apartment

 

Useful video: 5 basic mistakes made when treating a pet from fleas

 

And here it is clearly shown how fleas get into the apartment and how it multiplies