Saluda Counties Fleas Fleas are one of the most important pests of man from a medical standpoint due to their irritating bites and ability to transmit disease and parasites. Flea bites produce severe reactions in some individuals while hardly affecting others.
Most bites occur on the lower legs and ankles and often are irritating or sore for several days.
Historically, fleas were involved in the greatest epidemic of human disease, the Bubonic Plague, ever known to man. The flea transmitted the plague organism from diseased rats to man. A different type of problem caused by fleas is their ability to serve as intermediate hosts of the dog tapeworm. Children pick up the tapeworms when they accidentally ingest infected fleas. The female flea must have a blood meal in order to lay fertile eggs.