They lack wings, but have strong legs, especially the hind pair, which enable them to move quickly and jump distances many times their body length. Eyes are reduced or even absent. Flea eggs are laid on the host of the adult, in its nest, or on the ground. After hatching, the larva feed on organic debris. After a period of growth, they pupate, emerge, and the adult fleas find a host from which they draw blood as their food.
Fleas are mobile enough to move freely over the body of the host or from one host to another.
This information on flea species that have been reported from North Dakota was provided by Dr. Robert E. Lewis, Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011-3222. Larson, O. R. 1978. Larson, O. R., M. G. McKenna, and N. R. Fellows. Nellermoe, R. L., and O. R. Larson. Woods, C. E., and O. R. Larson.