Fleas & Dustmites

 

Once common pests of slum and other properties, fleas are now found in vacated premises which have previously contained pets, domestic homes, hotels, and holiday camps.  They occur often in dwellings where pets are kept and on industrial and commercial sites where there is a population of feral cats.

 

While fleas are not generally responsible for the transmission of disease in South Africa, they are still objectionable because of the bites they inflict and the deep-rooted social stigma attached to humans with flea infestations.  Occasionally psychological problems arise with the induction of delusory parasitosis in which the victim imagines he is infested with ectoparasites.

 

Flea bites are identified as a tiny dark red spot surrounded by a reddened area.  The bites persist for one or two days and are intensely irritating.

 

The cat flea is the most common household pest in South Africa.  The name can be deceiving because the cat is not its only host.  This pest can also feed on dogs, humans and other mammals.

 

The flea has four life stages.  It undergoes what is called a complete metamorphosis - the egg hatches into a larva, the larva moults several times then spins a cacoon and enters the pupal stage from which an adult emerges.

 

The body of the flea is flattened from side to side.  The bristles covering the body point backwards, making it easier for the flea to move through the fur of the host.  The flea is wingless and has strongly developed hind legs adapted for jumping.  Both the male and the female adults have sucking mouthparts to feed on the host.