We all know how gross and annoying fleas and ticks can be, right? They have been our pet’s constant companions, whether we want or not. Flea and tick treatments are always first on the pet supplies shopping list of all pet owners. Isn’t it? Although you fight the menace of these pesky pests, do you know all about them? There are a certain facts that you may not know about them. However it is important that you know every detail about these pests to fight them better. So, here are some facts about fleas and ticks that might blow your mind off!
Fun Flea Facts!
- This is the most common fact that you may probably know about. Fleas are wingless and do not fly. They hop and get on their host.
- And guess how high they can jump! If they were human sized athletes, then these barely visible pests would have broken all records.
- Fleas have been on the Earth for more or less than 100 million years.
- There are more than 2000 species and sub species of fleas that we know of. Yes, more than the number of dinosaur’s species known.
- In our world, man is generally bigger than the woman. However, in case of fleas, females are larger than the males.
- Did you know that a female flea is not capable of laying eggs until it has its first meal? And female flea starts laying eggs after 35 to 48 hours of the first blood meal.
- Once the female flea starts laying eggs, it can lay about 2000 in its whole life span, which generally is of 2 to 3 months.
- It is believed that the Cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) is responsible for almost all flea infestations in canines and felines in the continental United States. Intriguing, isn’t it?
- After the adult fleas emerge from pupae, they have to feed on blood in 7 days or they die.
- A female flea can consume blood up to 15 times of its body weight in a single day. Now this is mighty!
Tickling Tick Facts!
- Ticks are not insects; they are Archinads, a class that include spiders and mites.
- There are around 800 species of ticks on Earth.
- Ticks are divided into two families, Ixodidae and Argasidae. Ixodidae have a hard shield and are commonly referred as hard ticks. While Argasidae have soft exoskeleton and are known as soft ticks.
- Hard ticks are more prevalent in the continental US and you may usually get bitten by the same.
- The most astonishing thing about ticks is that they use different hosts in their different life stages, which are larvae, nymph and adult.
- The male ticks immediately die after mating, no love after the making it seems! Isn’t this the most fascinating fact about ticks?
- Hard ticks have anti-inflammatory and anesthetic compounds in their saliva which makes it difficult for hosts to feel that they are bitten.
- Their saliva also contains some proteins that has changing compositions which misguides the immune system of the host and makes it difficult for it to detect the threat.
Did you enjoy this fact ride? Now you know much more about these pesky parasites than you did before and that how harmful they are for your pet’s health. Thus using flea and tick treatments such as Frontline Plus and Advantage may be the most appropriate thing to do to prevent their infestation in pets.