What Do Flea Eggs Look Like?

Flea eggs are not easy to find. So, what does a flea egg look like?

What Does a Flea Egg Look Like?

The flea is a parasitic insect that jumps on our pets to feed their blood. And once on them, both the animal and its eggs enter our house. It is easy to detect the presence of fleas on our dogs because they will bite.

what do flea eggs look like

How to identify flea eggs?

Flea eggs are pretty challenging to see, either on your pet, bedding, or the floor. It is due to their small size (less than half a millimeter long). They are oval in shape and whitish in color. Flea eggs are tiny and are almost translucent and pearly white. Finding a flea egg in your pet’s hair is like looking for a grain of salt. The shape of flea eggs is ovoid, and their surface is smooth, regular, and dry. It can be confused with dandruff on many occasions, and it is not easy to distinguish them with the naked eye.

Under a microscope, one can see that flea eggs look like rice grains. Over time, its appearance can change in terms of color. From bright and almost translucent, they can become bright and solid whites.

As we’ve already mentioned, just because you know what flea eggs look like doesn’t mean you can easily see them on your dog or cat. This is especially if the animal is primarily white or light cream in color. Therefore, when trying to determine the presence of eggs on your pet and, inevitably, around his house, you will only have to assume their presence if you have noticed their mothers jumping or crawling on the fur of your furry friend.

How long do flea eggs take to hatch?

A flea’s life cycle involves four stages. And it can take anywhere from two weeks to several months for a flea to fully develop, depending on environmental conditions. A flea can lay up to 40 eggs a day since there is a source of blood on hand. However, how long it will take for the flea eggs to hatch will depend on the temperature and humidity levels. In hot environments and high humidity in the air, a flea egg can hatch in as little as two days. The same is true of the larval and pupal stages of flea development, and these will naturally slow down in cold temperatures.

In summary, the optimal conditions for a flea egg to reach its larval development stage within 48 hours are temperatures of around 30°C and humidity above 70%. Under less than ideal conditions, flea eggs can take weeks to hatch.

Where do fleas lay their eggs?

An adult flea, which snuggles into your dog or cat’s fur and sucks the animal’s blood, does not have to abandon its welcoming host to lay eggs. However, the insect will deposit them on your pet’s skin, where they will stick to it for a time. Over time, however, the eggs will dry out a bit and lose their ability to stay in place. They will fall on your pet’s bedding, on carpets, or in the gaps between floorboards. Even in the coldest months, your charming heated home will increase their chances of survival. Then it will provide them with the right conditions for their development into adulthood. As soon as the young flea detects its potential host, it will climb onto your dog or cat. It’ll then enjoy a blood meal for the first time.

How do we get rid of flea eggs?

Fleas can become a pest very quickly. A flea can lay about 40 eggs a day! If the fleas have jumped on your pet, they are on it and also in your house. So you have to apply two different treatments—first, one on the animal and the other in your home to be effective. You can use various treatments to rid your pet of annoying fleas. These are blisters, pills, or liquids that usually last about a month. They use insecticidal sprays with great residual power to eliminate flea eggs at home.

As mentioned above, treating your pet with a flea product, even regularly, isn’t enough to interfere with its life cycle. Or in other words, you can kill an existing flea population on your pet and still have hundreds of viable microscopic eggs ready to hatch on the ground or even on the animal itself. Yes, it sounds like a never-ending battle. But with determination and persistence, you will eventually have control over the situation.

Extra tip:

Also, you can use a combined type of insecticide spray that contains IGR. And in this way, you’ll be able to attack the pest in all its stages of development. Also, keep in mind that foggers (flea bombs) are less effective than other forms of insecticides even when the bottle contains all the right active ingredients that kill adult fleas and their young. The aerosol droplets cannot reach all the cracks and gaps around your home, and therefore, the product is not ideal for eliminating flea infestation.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

In short, without taking the proper steps to exterminate fleas at all stages of the flea life cycle, including eggs, you will run into continual flea problems and repeated infestations. Your poor cat or dog will continue to acquire new fleas, despite regular flea care or frequent visits to the vet.

We hope you enjoyed reading our article, and it will help you know what a flea egg looks like and how to eliminate flea eggs.