This is the emphasis that will be placed on flea management strategies in this module. These fleas are found throughout the United States and are most likely to be encountered in mammal and bird nests or in pet bedding. Adult fleas are ectoparasites of their hosts, but unlike many other ectoparasites they do not spend the majority of their life cycle on their host. Females deposit eggs in groups of 1 to 18 on the host after a blood meal. Some species, such as the cat flea, can deposit up to 25 eggs per day and over 1000 in a lifetime.
Eggs soon drop off or are brushed off.
Due to their spherical or oval shape, they roll into cracks and crevices on the floor or in or near nests and bedding. Eggs hatch in 2 to 21 days. They lack legs or eyes but possess biting mouthparts. They also feed on cast larval skins. It is important to realize that even if the relative humidity of the ambient air is not this high, it could be much higher in the microhabitat of a burrow or den.