We all know that fleas love to live on pet fur, but they can live elsewhere in the home as well. They can survive for a while, but ultimately need a host to feed on.
How long do fleas live on carpets?
The answer to this is tricky, as it depends on a variety of factors, including the lifestyle stages, temperature and humidity, and the frequency of feeding by the fleas.
Here is what we know about the duration fleas can live in or on carpets.
- The survival of fleas depends on the prevailing conditions of the environment.
- Fleas without hosts become malnourished.
- Female fleas starve faster than male fleas and can die faster.
Let’s break it all down below.
Is Flea Survival Dependent On Having A Host?
1. Cocooned Adults
An adult flea can remain in a dormant state (quiescent) inside its cocoon after pupating for an extended duration. To achieve this, it slows down its metabolic rate, which allows it to go without food for a long time.
However, the cocoon emergence is at times delayed for up to five months as it is affected by the ambient temperature. The dormant-like state is, however, short-lived on the detection of a host nearby.
2. Unfed, Emerged Adults
Following their cocoon emergence, an adult flea must find a host quickly. Without blood, an adult flea dies of starvation after a week under ordinary room conditions.Â
Without blood, an adult flea dies of starvation after a week under ordinary room conditions.Â
Humidity and temperature make a difference in flea lifespan.
An unfed adult flea can survive a little longer in humid, more conducive environments. In such environments, 75°F and relative humidity of 78%, they can live for up to 15 days. The duration is slightly reduced to 12.3 days at temperatures of 72.5°C and 60% relative humidity.Â
Optimal conditions for the survival of fleas include very humid and cool environments. It is not uncommon for an unfed flea to survive for 40 days. However, in a particular experiment of the emerged adults, 62% stayed for 70 days in saturated, cool air – conditions that you will rarely find with natural home setups.
What Happens to Fleas Without Hosts?
1. Malnourishment
A flea will quickly feed upon acquiring a host, typically in under a minute. The host is typically a pet, usually a dog or cat, or maybe a kitten. The previously unfed flea will almost double its weight a day after it feeds while tripling its soluble protein composition.Â
After removing it from the host and starving it for 12 hours, all the weight gained and the protein content are lost. Therefore, the flea must feed within 12 hours to ensure it remains nourished.
2. Starvation and Blood Dependency
Typically, fleas starve to death after going four days without a host. However, it crosses a certain dependency threshold when young fleas get a host and start to feed within a couple of days.
The flea will not survive without a constant blood supply on reaching this threshold. Â
Research has shown that when a previously unfed flea is fed for five days on a host and removed, it dies after two to four days. However, on restricting feeding time to 12 hours, the flea will not get to the point of dependency and can live for up to two weeks free from the host.
Starving Occurs Sooner in Females Than in Males
A flea will require the blood of a host to mate and reproduce successfully (anautogenous). As such, female fleas require a meal of blood before they deposit each egg. Consequently, an actively reproducing female needs to feed continually to balance her metabolism to produce eggs.
As a result, the female will die within 24 hours away from the host.Â
This is why fleas can survive for a while for example on a guinea pig, but because they have a hard time feeding with such thick fur, they struggle to breed on guinea pigs.
Survival of Fleas in Various Environments
Typically, fleas die a week after deprivation of a conducive host, low humidity, and warm environment, all necessary conditions for survival. Therefore, fleas only survive under the right conditions.
1. The Ideal Flea Host
Fleas are picky regarding their hosts and gravitate more toward birds and mammals. Many flea species have host preferences, though they will attach to a different host species in desperate times.
Fleas are picky regarding their hosts and gravitate more toward birds and mammals.
Provided the flea has access to quality and regular meals, they are not too selective, given that the host matches their needs. In addition, a warmer climatic condition will attract fleas since they thrive in humid and warm conditions. The perfect temperature for a flea ranges between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, with 70% humidity.
Though a host might not live in warm climatic conditions, fleas can be comfortable. They seek cover since they dislike light. For this reason, furry creatures such as cats, rodents, dogs, and cats serve as hosts of choice.
The fur guarantees protection and warmth.Â
Most flea species prefer furry hosts over humans, though they will occasionally infest humans if they have no other choice.Â
2. Fleas on Clothes
If you are wondering whether a flea can live on your clothes, the answer is yes! Fleas can stay on your clothes for approximately 24 hours. However, they cannot survive very long due to a lack of a source of blood.Â
Nonetheless, remember that fleas can still bite and get to your skin. This is not only itchy and hurtful but also risky if you have a flea bite allergy. Some animals are also allergic to such a bite. However, fleas lack the strength to bite through clothing. Therefore, you must ensure you are adequately covered on your next nature walk.
During their stay, the fleas can lay eggs on the shoes and clothes, which goes unnoticed. Then, during your walks around, you will spread the eggs throughout the place, particularly on carpets and pet beds. On maturity, the fleas can then jump onto pets or other favorable hosts.
It is essential to ensure you wash your shoes and clothes thoroughly after outdoor activities to avoid flea infestations.
3. Fleas on Furniture
Fleas can also survive on your furniture. Most people tend to treat their pets expecting the flea issue to disappear. But often, it takes more effort than just treating your pet.
Though an adult flea will die of starvation, the eggs, larvae, and pupa survive much longer on your furniture. You will also have to treat the furniture to eradicate the fleas.
Typically, you will find fleas in places such as curtains, pet bedding, carpets, and upholstery. Furthermore, fleas do not delight as much in the furniture as in its underside since such regions are colder and darker.
Whether pets are in the household or not, you should vacuum regularly. In addition, you should also wash your beddings and clean furniture. Doing this gives you a better chance of combating a flea infestation.
How Do Fleas Choose a Host?
Adult fleas leave their protective cocoons when suitable hosts are available to feed and live on. An ideal host is any furry animal though fleas often live longer on hosts with long hair than those with short hair.
Are you wondering how pupa can detect hosts? They do so through carbon dioxide levels, temperature variations, and vibrations.
Therefore, when animals pass by the pupa, they serve as stimuli that awaken dormant fleas. It then emerges from the cocoon and hops onto the host, living on the fur while feeding on the host’s blood for up to months.Â
Flea Survival Away From a Host
Whether fleas survive without their hosts depends on the stage of their lifecycle. With the development of host blood dependency, an adult flea dies if it is separated from the host. Some fleas may jump from one host to another, though this is not common. The majority of flea infestations result from freshly hatched fleas.
However, the constant blood supply is not so crucial for a non-adult flea, that is, the eggs, larvae, and pupae. Furthermore, they feed off of pre-digested blood readily available everywhere. As such, they can stay alive longer than an adult flea. For example, pupae survive without food for a maximum of 100 days.
How Long Can Fleas Live on Your Carpet?
Depending on where they are in their lifecycle, fleas can stay on your carpet indefinitely unless you try to intervene. Their eggs may fall on the pets’ resting place or the carpet hatch, then the pupae and larvae remain there.
However, adult fleas are typically found on pets.Â
You can get rid of the larvae and eggs by vacuuming the carpet. However, by doing so, you encourage fleas to come out of their pupal casings and become exposed to pest control products. Therefore, ensure you close and discard the vacuum bag and vacuum before you apply flea treatment to your home.Â
Ensure you close and discard the vacuum bag and vacuum before you apply flea treatment to your home.Â
Survival of Fleas on Empty Houses
A flea can survive in an empty house for nine months. This is because the flea pupae do not need food for survival and, as such, can remain dormant till a new host is detected. However, an adult flea that previously had a host will not survive more than a week after hatching without food.
A flea can survive in an empty house for nine months.
Flea Survival Underwater
A flea will quickly die underwater. They can only stay for minutes in the water before they drown. In addition, fleas have a famous ability to jump several times their height. You will need soapy water to ensure the flea remains in the water.
Conclusion
The absence of food means bad news for fleas since they can only live on a carpet a few days without a host. Fleas are unable to lay eggs without first consuming blood. Female cat fleas remain on their hosts, feeding on them and laying up to 450 eggs.
Fleas will remain in your business or home furniture and carpet, even without a host, for a limited period.Â
On hosts, fleas feed on mammals like rats and dogs. You can also find more than one flea species on the same host. Eggs falling on the carpet or pet beddings from fleas hatch after a while and jump on to their next host, continuing with their life cycle.
