Fleas are insects that parasitize various skin and hairs of animals. Most habitual for them is sucking the blood of rabbits, dogs, cats or rats. But besides this, they pose a danger to humans.
These insects have a special piercing-sucking apparatus, thanks to which the flea pierces a completely invisible hole on the skin surface of its owner and thus is saturated with his blood.
External signs of fleas
An insect can be recognized by its characteristic features: a smooth body with a narrow texture and slightly flattened on the sides. It is necessary to pay attention to the presence of bristles and small thorns located throughout the body and necessary for the insect to move and stay on the coat of its victim.
The flea's head and chest are hidden under the scallops called ctendia. In size, an adult reaches from 1 to 5 millimeters. And the female, which has already had time to get enough, sometimes reaches 10 millimeters in length.
On the head of the flea there are special antennas, which, if necessary, hide in special antennae fossa. In the case when the insect goes hunting, the antennas appear in order to find a more vulnerable spot in the victim.
A flea jumps with the help of three pairs of very strong legs, which are on its abdomen. The sensory organ, which is located at the back of the flea's body, is necessary to instantly capture the slightest fluctuations in the air in the environment.
There are about one thousand species of these insects. The most interesting thing is that this family is often devoid of visual organs or have their simplest manifestations.
The study of the vital activity of fleas and their characteristics of the organism occurs only with the help of a microscope. The largest collection of specimens is located in the British Museum.
Flea residence
The presence of a large number of flea species is due to favorable climatic conditions. It is believed that the number of fleas varies depending on the season. With the onset of the cold period, their number decreases slightly, and, on the contrary, as soon as the warmth comes, insects begin to actively reproduce.
Very often these insects settle near the holes of rodents. In living quarters, they are most often found in small cracks on the floor, under various bedspreads and in very dusty places, where it is most laborious for a person to penetrate.
For the entire period of her life, a female flea can lay about four hundred eggs. Fighting this misfortune must begin with special measures that can stop the process of flea breeding and neutralize already born individuals.
