An Introduction to Fleas and Flea Bites

Flea bites are not nice things, and why they are not nice is obvious.

Flea bites can be the very real indication of a flea infestation in your home, garden, or pet’s sleeping/playing quarters. Before we touch on exactly what flea bites are and why they decide to bite humans and animals, let’s talk about fleas first.

What Are Fleas?

Fleas are a very small ‘holometabolous’ insect who are blood suckers in description. These specific insects feed off of animals and humans, depending on the species, the bites that fleas do trouble on humans and animals not only produce annoying itching, but also severe inflammation and in some cases they can even are the culprit for spreading serious diseases.

What Do Flea Bites Look Like?

In a good number of people, flea bites only cause minor symptoms and some of these symptoms do range from the manifestation of small bumps that are red and can be very itchy in feeling. These red itchy bumps can hang around for several days and prove to be an annoyance.

The areas that fleas mostly bite people are on the lower legs, the ankles, and around one’s waist. They also tend to bite those who are wearing tight clothes, or in places where elastic bands are worn snug against the skin.

Flea bites are not usually a major health issue, but there are some cases, in which they can cause severe reactions. Some of these severe reactions can range from developing a rash with severe itching to hives with a red halo being around the bites themselves.

Children are also highly likely to developing these kinds of severe reactions and flea bites on animals have the very same kind of symptoms that occur with humans.

Flea bites for both humans and pets are not something that they ask for, they just happen, and often this is because there is a flea infestation either inside the house, outside, or even both in some cases. Signs of a flea infestation can take on many forms, but one of the most evident is if you notice your pet scratching uncontrollably all the time.

This is probably an indication that your pet is loaded with fleas, more often than not you can physically see them on closer inspection of the stomach after parting the fur, also, if the pet is visibly losing their hair and are still scratching themselves very severely this may also be a confirmation that the beloved animal does indeed have an infestation of fleas on its body.

Now, as far as fleas inside of the home, If you notice fleas jumping up on you from out of your carpet, or in certain areas of your home or if your pet has a special bed it sleeps in and there are fleas here and there. This also is a grave indication that you do indeed have a very real infestation.

If so, you need to get treatments to eradicate the presence of these fleas. Though it is sometimes not an easy task to truly get rid of fleas, it is possible with multiple treatments to get it handled properly. This also means that you should have your carpet cleaned, all animal bedding, furniture, and anything else that is necessary to destroy the fleas. Your pet will also have to be treated with a flea treatment / shampoo regularly.

Fleas can jump from 14 to 16 inches into the air so sometimes they can be very hard to see. However, when they do decide to bite a human or a pet their presence is something that is surely made known with lots of real uncomfortable feelings indeed.

Therefore, when you do experience flea bites, it is best to wash the bites off with an antiseptic soap first. This will help to reduce the chance of infection, with these particular kinds of bites if there is any swelling around the area applies a cold ice pack to them for relief. If there is the hindrance of lots of itching, it can be lessened by using an over the counter hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion, or other anaesthetic cream to do the job. Nevertheless, if you or a child does experience any further severe reactions, do see your doctor right away for a check.

If you are experiencing constant flea bites, do make a conscious effort to break the cycle by treating your home your pets with specialist treatments to get rid of fleas. This usually means purchasing flea spray/drops, carpet shampoo, flea collars and alike. Best option is to call Brisbane Flea Control experts to eradicate them from your house.