Sometimes you can find it hard to determine why fleas keep coming to your house if you don’t own any pets.
In this case, it’s important to identify the source, meaning the host. If there are no pets in your home, these may be human fleas, although there’s no guarantee. It could therefore be helpful to hire a pest control professional and ask them to identify the source.
Reasons For Finding Fleas In A Pet-Free Home
Fleas infestations almost always come from outdoors. Infested wildlife that’s wandering in the neighborhood can drop flea eggs anywhere they go. The eggs mature and turn into adult fleas that will then jump onto the animals. Your pet, or wild animal, then brings the fleas into your house. Adult fleas that stay on the animal will drop their eggs on carpets, floors, and anywhere else around your home. It’s important to inspect your entire house for pest infestations. Make sure there are no wild animals, such as a raccoon or opossum, taking shelter in your home as they may be the source of fleas. If you happen to have mice or rats in your home, there’s a high probability of rodent flea species.
Therefore, check your attic, basement, and crawlspaces for any sign of pest infestation. There may also be birds nesting near the window or doors, which could lead to bird fleas finding their way indoors. Although this is not common, it can still happen that fleas will jump onto humans, and then hitchhike on their clothes or bags and end up in the house.
If your home was recently occupied by a previous tenant who had a cat or dog, there may be a remaining flea infestation from them. The previous tenant’s pet most likely scattered flea eggs around your house. When these eggs hatch, the larvae burrow deeper into upholstered furniture, bedding, flooring, and any tiny hole before turning into pupae and growing to adulthood. The new fleas later come out if they sense a new host.
Can Fleas Survive In A Pet-Free Home?
Fleas cannot reproduce in a home without an animal host but they will survive for a while. It all depends on the type of fleas and other conditions.
Typically, homes where cats or dogs live, get infested with cat fleas, as the cat flea is responsible for nearly all domestic infestations. The dog flea is the second most common species, and it’s possible that the fleas that you find in your house are dog fleas.
Although cat and dog fleas do bite humans, they don’t consider us a suitable host to live and reproduce on, as they obviously prefer cats and dogs. They cannot survive without an animal host. This means that they will eventually die off.
In a pet-free home, there’s a greater chance of human fleas being the villain/ offender. These are the only species that are able to survive and breed on human blood. Human fleas are sometimes found in homes without pets, but they are somewhat rare.
How Long Can Fleas Live In A House Without A Host?
Getting rid of fleas is just as difficult as cockroaches, and they can bite anyone, not just your pet! When there’s no animal host, to obtain enough energy to lay viable eggs, a cat or dog flea would need to feed on on human blood for 12 hours continuously. Human blood is also not nutritionally sufficient for the female flea to lay her eggs. This means that all adult fleas without an animal host in your house will die out without reproducing and the cycle will be over.
But once these pests find a host that provides enough food, they stay on them for the rest of their lives because they have to feed at least every 12 hours, and they become dependent on that particular host.
Fleas can live in a house without pets for a while. They could survive without feeding for a few weeks but will perish from starvation and desiccation if they don’t feed on the blood of an animal. The larvae can survive and keep growing for several months, depending on the surrounding conditions and the organic debris they’re able to find on the floor or in furniture so they can feed. The pupae don’t feed but will remain inactive for months, waiting for a sign of the presence of a host. They will then emerge as adults and jump around in search of a host.
As a curiosity, flea eggs and larvae can survive being frozen even for 5 years. And when they thaw out, they are just as alive and healthy as if they had never been frozen.
Got fleas in your Atlanta home?
Treating a flea infestation takes a lot of work, much more than simply vacuuming your floor from time to time. Vacuuming stimulates the flea eggs to hatch prematurely, leaving them exposed to pesticides. While frequent vacuuming should be enough to control a minor infestation, it is not as effective as calling in a pest control professional.
Fleas are very stubborn critters that are very difficult to remove, which is why Peachtree Pest Control is here to help! Get in touch with our fully qualified and highly trained technicians who are just a call away, ready to treat your house and protect it against fleas.