A flea is a black insect that lives solely on blood. Their primary hosts are pets, but they can also feed on humans, though this is uncommon because they prefer furry hosts, and human skin is not ideal for them. Fleas do not transmit diseases, but they can cause other problems for you and your pet.
Fleas do not bite humans for food. Therefore, if you think you’ve been bitten by fleas, it’s likely that they got into your body through your pet. The most common way for this to happen is if you share a bed with your pet. Here are some early indicators of fleas in your bed:
If you wake up with bites on your skin
Flea bites are small red bumps that indicate the skin’s reaction after the fleas draw blood from it; they usually come in clusters, so you’ll notice a group of three or more bites at once; the bites will be itchy, but they should go away in 48 hours; unless your skin is extra sensitive, it could take up to a week.
Although this indicator could also suggest the existence of bed bugs, the main distinction between the two is that fleas prefer to bite your lower body areas, such as your ankles and knees, and in rare situations, your elbows.
If you find actual fleas on your bed
Fleas are tiny and oval-shaped and should be hard to spot. However, they are not invisible to the human eye. They like to hop and can reach up to a foot in the air. If you shake the bed hard enough, they will leap in the air and you will see them.
Aside from that, you can also catch them crawling on your bed if your bedsheets are light colors like white and yellow. They can feed at any time and anywhere they see blood so for that reason, you can expect to see them out in the open during the day.
Flea Eggs On Bed Sheets
Flea eggs look like tiny white dots that can be mistaken for grains of salt. Fleas won’t lay eggs on your bed because they won’t live there, but they will lay eggs on your pets’ skin, which may fall off and land on your bed when your pets come to play.
If left alone, the eggs will hatch, and you will become their first host before they transfer to your pets, who will be their permanent hosts.
Flea Larvae On Bed Sheets
Flea larvae are similar to their eggs, they are smaller than actual fleas and can be difficult to spot; they develop when flea eggs are left alone on the bed; the larvae are the flea’s second stage; from here, they progress to pupae, after which they reach adulthood; they remain larvae for about 2 to 14 days before becoming pupae.
Flea Pupae In Bed
The pupae stage follows the larval stage, and it is from this stage that they reach adulthood. The pupae stage should last no longer than three days, following which they will mature into adults and feed on the human victim until the next pet arrives and their body jump.
Fleas On Mattress
Fleas can infest your mattress, but they will only be there for a short time because they prefer to live on their hosts’ bodies. The main reason that drives them to wherever they are is food; as long as they can get food, they don’t mind going out of their comfort zone. One thing that can cause your mattress to be infested with a lot of fleas at once is if there are flea eggs present.
When your pet shakes itself while on the bed, some of the eggs will fall off and fall on the bed, where they will stay and hatch unless you kill them by washing them off with hot water. If your pet scratches itself while on the bed, its claws can also remove the eggs from where they were laid, and they will fall on the bed.
memory foam mattresses
Fleas can live in any warm environment, and mattresses and furniture are two areas where they could operate in the absence of a furry host, but fleas prefer not to since they want to be close to food as possible, and they love to take shelter in pet fur. Fleas may be able to live on memory foam mattresses, but they will not.
Flea Poop On Bed
Fleas poop regularly, especially if there is an excess of food. Fleas with access to blood consume far more than they require for survival, and fleas will even poop while feeding, so if they have been on your bed and fed off your blood, chances are they will leave these behind.
Flea feces is dark red in color and appears as tiny dots on the bed that seem to have been drawn on with a marker. Those certain fecal excrements are nothing more than the victim’s blood that has gone through digestion, which is why there is a slight color shift.
How To See Fleas In Your Bed
Because fleas do not have a specific feeding strategy like other insects, they can be observed at any time. To find them, use a magnifying glass and a torch to check every nook and cranny of your bedding. Fleas are not invisible to the naked eye, but the magnifying glass will help you see them clearly.
Cat Or Dog With Fleas Sleeping On Your Bed
Flea-infested pets should be kept in a separate room until all fleas have been removed and they have been treated. Flea eggs can easily fall on the bed if your pet scratches too much or shakes their bodies aggressively, so such pets should be kept in a separate room until all fleas have been removed and they have been treated.
Also read: Can Cats Carry Bed Bugs?
How To Kill Fleas In Your Bed
- Wash your bedding materials with water at high temperature: Fleas die when exposed to such high temperatures, so if you suspect their presence in your bed, remove all bedding materials and wash them one by one, making sure to set the machine’s temperature to the highest setting. When you’re finished, spread it out in the sun to dry completely before returning it to the house.
- Try using hot steam: Fleas and their eggs are easily removed with hot steam. It’s the same concept as the first tip: they die when exposed to a certain temperature. To use hot steam, boil water in a kettle and, while the water is boiling, attach a pipe to the opening of the kettle, pointing the other end to the bed. Allow the steam to hit the mattress for an hour or more, then remove the bedding materials and wash them. Alternatively, you can use a steam cleaner that you would use for clothing.
- Try sucking up all the fleas with a vacuum: Attach a plastic bag to the vacuum and use the upholstery to try to suck all the fleas out of your bed; when you’re finished, take the plastic bag, seal it, and dispose of it; this approach can also be used to get rid of bed bugs.
Using a Flea Spray For Your Bed
Flea spray for your bed is not recommended since it can be damaging to your health. Breathing pesticides from your bed can cause a variety of dangerous symptoms, and there are other simpler and less expensive ways to destroy them.
How To Keep Fleas Off You While You Sleep
Because the materials used in the creation of mattress covers are tightly woven together, they can guard against pests, filth, and even water in some situations. Fleas cannot get through a mattress protector unless there is a tear in the mattress someplace.
On the other hand, Mattress protectors are not ideal for flea protection because fleas do not choose mattresses as their primary habitat. They were on your pet before it got on the bed, and fleas will continue to be a nuisance if you do not address the problem at its source.
Conclusion
Fleas can be a nightmare for you and your pets, and many people don’t suspect them because they’ve been conditioned to believe that fleas only attack pets. While fleas don’t live on their human hosts, humans aren’t completely immune to flea bites because fleas bite primarily for food, and their only food is blood. This article explains fleas’ modes of operation, their primary location, and how to get rid of them.