What to Do When Fleas Won’t Go Away

1 Overview

A first-time owner must be puzzled! Why so long? Are makers colluding to rob money? Of course not!

A flea’s life cycle has four stages: egg, larva, pupa, adult.

An adult flea lays about 50 eggs a day. If you see fleas on your pet, there are far more eggs, larvae and pupae at home – the famous flea pyramid, also called the flea iceberg.

Only about 5% of fleas are visible adults; the unseen pupae, larvae and eggs make up 95%.

Usually an adult on the body starts laying within 24-48 hours and eggs hatch in about 7 days into larvae; larvae feed on environment skin flakes and adult feces, forming a pupa in about 7-14 days. The pupa stage varies hugely: in good conditions they emerge in 7-14 days, but in poor conditions they can stay as pupae for over 6 months and emerge when conditions improve.

Most deworming products only kill adults and larvae; some contain environmental inhibitors that stop eggs hatching, but no drug can destroy the pupa, which can even survive extreme conditions for a while.

Studies show pupae can persist over 6 months in the environment, so on finding fleas the best method is continuous treatment until over 6 months pass to fully eradicate them.

Beyond fleas, other parasites exist and some bring infectious disease. If a pet is already infected, keep preventing at the correct interval for the best control effect.