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You are here: Home / Bedbugs – Bites, Stings and Itches / Fleas / Eggs and larvae

Eggs and larvae

Flea larva developing in cocoon
Fig.57. Flea larvae developing into a pupa inside its cocoon. (Humphries)

Flea eggs are smooth, oval and grayish-white. They are about 1/4 mm long and can barely be seen as small grains on a dark background.

The eggs are not glued to hair like nits, but sprinkles off the host animal, wherever it is. Flea larvae feed on various types of organic material, supplemented by the adult fleas’ bloody excrements. Flea larvae are blind and worm-like, and have bristles around each segment of the body. They are white, but the skin is transparent, so you can see the dark intestines. If flea larvae are disrupted, they roll up into a spiral shape and play dead for a moment. After four larval stages, the larvae have grown, and they pupate. They pupate in a cocoon of their own woven silk cocoon from the salivary glands. The cocoons are sticky, so they are usually covered in dust and dirt and are hard to spot. Inside the cocoon, the larva develops into an adult flea. After the transformation, the adult flea is ready to come out of the cocoon.

It can wait, though. If the cocoon is placed somewhere completely silent, it will stay inside the cocoon and it does not emerge from the cocoon until vibrations indicate that a host is near. The flea can wait that way for years. In houses that have been empty for a long time, the hungry fleas will hatch from their cocoons when new residents move in.

Bedbugs – Bites, Stings and Itches
Introduction
Unease about small animals
Frequency
Where?
The active substances, venom, poison and saliva
Symptoms
Dealing with the problem
Bed bugs
Where does it come from?
A bit of history
How do they look?
Food consumption
Disease transmission
Can you recognize a bed bug bite?
Mating
Egg-laying
Development of adult bed bugs
Temperature dependence
Bed bugs stick together
How do you get bed bugs?
Prevention
Pesticides and methods
Physical methods
Who will take care of the problem.
Lice
The head louse
Occurrence
Life cycle
Lice bites
Suspicion of head lice
Detection
Spreading of head lice
Lice control
Collective lice control
The body louse
The crab louse
Biology
Occurrence
Crab louse bites
Spreading of crab lice
Detection
Control
Lice in dogs
Lice in cats
Thrips
Life cycle
Bites and irritation
Prevention and eradication
Bugs
Bed bugs in animals
The masked hunter
The debris bug
The common flower bug
Water bugs
Butterflies and beetles
Butterflies
Butterfly scales
Butterfly larvae hair
Beetles
Larder beetle larvae hairs.
Mosquitoes and flies
Mosquitoes
Life cycle
Mosquito bites
Transmission of disease
Control
Prevention and protection
Biting midges
Bites
Prevention and control
Black flies
Life cycle
Black fly bites
Prevention and control
The stable fly
Life cycle
Stable fly bites
Control
Horse-flies
Horse-fly bites
Life cycle
Prevention and control
Louse flies
Life cycle
Prevention and control
Bees, wasps and ants
The honey bee
Life cycle
Bee stings
Prevention and control
Bumblebees
Bumblebee stings
Control
Solitary bees
Hornets (actual wasps)
Life cycle
Hornet stings
Prevention
Control
Other wasps
Ants
Fleas
The adult flea
Eggs and larvae
Flea bites
General treatment
Many kinds of fleas
Human fleas
Hedgehog fleas
Bird fleas
Bird flea control
Dog fleas and cat fleas
Cat flea biology
Cat fleas bite people
Flea bite allergies
Detection
Control
Control on the host animal
Flea control in the surrounding environment
Prevention of dog- and cat fleas
Ticks
The castor bean tick
Life cycle
Biting locations
The castor bean tick bite
Tick removal
Detection
Control
Prevention
The brown dog tick
Life cycle
Suspected brown dog tick infestation
Brown dog tick control
The european pigeon tick
Biology
Detection
European pigeon tick bites
If the European pigeon ticks are not controlled
Control
Small mites
Itch mites
Appearance
Biology
Symptoms
Process
Mode of transmission between humans
Control
Scabies from animals
Scabies in animals
Follicle mites
Follicle mites in humans
The canine follicle mite
Ear mites
Ear mites on dogs
The canine nasal mite
Fur mites
Three kinds of fur mites
Life cycle
Fur mite bites
People’s reaction to the bite
Host animal’s reactions to the bite
Infection and the spreading between animals
Detection
Control
Prevention
Water mites
An unusual family
Bird mites
Biology
Control
The harvest mite
Occurrence
Life cycle
Trombiculosis
Control
House dust mites
Storage mites
Other animals
Stinging jellyfish
Cercariae
Leeches
Centipedes
Scorpions
Spiders
Tarantulas
Greater weevers
The european adder
Animals that do not exist
Suspected delusional parasitosis
What to do
Possibilities of confusion
Ectoparasites
Index

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