Fleas!
By Andrea Peck
It's that itchy, scratchy time of year again. Spring. There's itchy in the air, there's itchy on the ground. There are pollens, there are long tickly grasses. Literally everywhere there's something to itch about. You may not have noticed quite yet, but there's some hopping itchies coming down the pike: fleas! Right now they're gearing up, checking the temperature and right when it hits a consistent 70°F, they'll start breeding like it's nobody's business.
Fleas can literally be found everywhere. There are 2000 types of fleas found worldwide and over 300 found in North America. Fleas have even been sighted in Antarctica. You could call them amazing, but most of us don't purely out of irritation. Nevertheless, their ability to jump is astounding. The average flea, though it only grows 1/8 of an inch long, is able to jump up to ½ a foot. Like insects, the flea has six legs. If the flea were bigger (oh, horrors!) you would see that their bodies are vertically flat—this handy body shape allows them to walk in between animal fur. I won't make the joke that they are like models on the catwalk. I won't.
If you are quick enough to catch a flea, then not only are you impressively agile, but you are soon to be frustrated. Fleas, as you may have found out are hard to kill. They somehow find that space between your garden-calloused thumb and forefinger and let their exoskeleton do the work; nature has fittingly provided them with bone-type plates called sclerites that protect the outside of their body.
If you have a cat or dog, you are probably most familiar with the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis). Your dog may bark at the name, but this flea attaches itself to dogs like white on rice. Cat fleas are famous for setting up their entire living situation on the body of your dog or cat. While many fleas simply eat and run, cat fleas move right in. It makes sense to them to eat, breed and run through the various stages of their lifecycle in the same location. It mostly makes sense when you know how much they eat—up to 15 times their body weight in blood. Generally they eat daily or every other day. To your pet, this can be damaging. Puppies, in particular, often have a reduced number of red blood cells, which can leave them susceptible to anemia. Severe cases have been known to be life threatening.
But, fleas pack a wallop in other ways too. Because they consume blood, they are known vectors for a number of diseases and conditions, such as tapeworms, Yersinia pestis (the plague), Rickettsia, myxomatosis, Bartonella, Murine typhus and Lyme disease. Keeping them off of your pet and out of the house and garden is a necessity.
In the garden, keep grass mowed and plants trimmed. Fleas love areas where they can hide. If you have pets, you will need to get your animals on a consistent flea treatment. Experts agree that year-round treatment is your best bet because fleas are able to survive indoors during cooler months. Because some pets may have life-threatening reactions to certain medications (particularly herding dogs with the MDR1 mutation) it is suggested that you bring your pet to the veterinarian rather than treat him over the counter. As with most infestations of the bug kind, sanitation is required. Wash and clean dog and cat beds, toys and blankets at least weekly and vacuum daily. I was shocked to hear that flea larvae are able to live in the carpet and the physical act of walking on the carpet prompts them to mature. When you vacuum, remember to throw out the bag quickly and dispose of it in a closed trashcan.
So there you have it. I hope the thought of fleas proliferating does not ruin your sunny day enjoyment. But, it's probably a good idea to utilize the longer days and spend more time vacuuming and doing laundry.
Just saying.