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Do Fleas Lay Eggs Under the Skin?

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Fleas don’t lay eggs under the skin all the time but can cause severe skin problems in humans and pets. Flea eggs do not stick to the skin, and usually, they lay eggs on the skin. They have a better chance of survival on furry hosts, making pets a common target. Their presence can cause severe problems in humans as well. Keep reading to know where do fleas lay eggs on humans and learn how you can kill them.

Where Do Fleas Lay Eggs?

A single adult female flea can lay anywhere from 11 to 46 eggs in a single day. These eggs are dispersed across a wide variety of surfaces in your home, including your dogs. Similarly, fleas can be found outside your homes in the yards and gardens. They can be discovered practically anywhere, but their favorite spots have a soil that is chilly and damp.

It should be no surprise that a minor flea problem can swiftly escalate into a significant one. The typical flea can survive for up to a year and a half and produce approximately 50 eggs per day. If pets are not allowed to groom, 85% female fleas and 58% male fleas can stay on them for more than 50 days. Eventually, it affects humans too because they are spending time with the pets.

Fur

Close up of fur

Fleas are a type of parasitic insect that can infest your canine companion and will feed on his blood. These pests have a high reproduction rate and produce a large number of offsprings. They do not lay eggs under the skin of your dog but on his/her skin and coat. Once the eggs are laid, they will immediately fall off of your puppy and spread into the environment. They will then mature into adults and look for more puppies to infest.

Neck and Hips

Dog with head hanging out of a car window

Flea eggs are laid on the host by the female flea. The neck region of pets is home to the majority of fleas. On dogs, they are also frequently located around the hips. Flea eggs are not adhesive and will immediately slip off of the animal’s fur. Eggs tend to cluster in places where animals, such as cats and dogs, like to lie down (carpeting, furniture, etc.).

Ideal Environment

Window covered in water vapor with the word Humidity written in it

Fleas eggs can be dried out and killed by desiccation. They need to fall onto substrates with a warm and humid climate to hatch and continue developing. The ideal environment for flea eggs has a relative humidity (RH) of between 50 and 92 percent. When the relative humidity is less than 50 percent, desiccation occurs.

Likewise, eggs can only be kept alive in an environment where temperatures range between 10 and 38 degrees Celsius. Usually, flea eggs will fall into the carpet, furniture, bed, or even your shoes.

Fleas spin a cocoon around themselves and remain in that state until they sense thermal or physical presence. After that, they start hopping around hunting for their first meal as soon as they emerge from their eggs. The larvae consume the partially digested blood that their mother has left for them.

Where Do Fleas Lay Eggs on Humans?

Close up of the texture of human skin

Fleas can survive on human blood, and it has been documented that they will feed by biting humans. We may breathe a sigh of relief because fleas view people more as a means of transit than long-term hosts. The risk that fleas may bite humans and then lay eggs on their bodies is eliminated due to this action.

If fleas stay on a host, it is believed that they can live for as long as 139-185 days. These circumstances are highly improbable because humans don’t typically just sit about and allow fleas to remain on their bodies.

One study found that a flea would have to feed on a human for several hours in a row before it could be considered viable to lay an egg. This was proved to be true even under controlled conditions. Hence, fleas that survive on the blood of humans have a significantly lower reproductive rate. According to research, the ovaries of female fleas may not mature appropriately if they are feeding exclusively on people.

Is it only some fleas that lay eggs, or can they all lay eggs? Check out our post “Do All Fleas Lay Eggs?” to learn more.

Can Fleas Burrow Under Skin?

Close up of a hand on the side of a face

Fleas can lay their eggs on humans, but this is rare. They may settle in this residence due to a lack of other possibilities, such as pets. Take action as soon as you find fleas because this is the best approach to prevent the problem from getting worse. Flea treatment includes treating your pet, maintaining good cleanliness, and treating your home with flea killers. Keep in mind that flea eggs make majority of the population and you must kill them to avoid an infestation.

Flea eggs are resistant to insecticides and it is one of the most aggravating features of their existence. They are tiny and are often practically undetectable. Most of the time, they’ll be mixed with flea feces, which pollutes your home’s surfaces and dog’s fur.

Precautionary Measures

Store shelf full of dog shampoo products

Most dog-specific products will kill fleas on your dog’s coat and prevent any new eggs from developing. However, they won’t destroy adult fleas, flea eggs, and larvae from the environment. Vacuuming, steam cleaning, and washing Fido’s bedding regularly can assist in eliminating these pests. You should immediately discard your vacuum bag after cleaning to eliminate the insects you vacuumed up. In extreme infestations, you may need to hire a professional exterminator to spray insecticides on both the inside and exterior of your home to eliminate the fleas.

Can Fleas Lay Eggs on Human Skin?

Close up of the palm of a hand

Female fleas prefer to lay their eggs in an area not exposed to the environment, such as on their skin. This is why, while having flea eggs placed on your skin is uncommon, it is not unheard of.

Fleas may find their way into your hair and lay eggs. The good news is that flea eggs will most likely fall off within a few days. Flea eggs, unlike other insect eggs, are smooth and velvety. They’re also dry, unlike many different eggs, which are sticky.

Can Fleas Lay Eggs Inside Humans?

Silhouette of a human body on a seafoam green background

Tungiasis is a tropical disease that can be transmitted by fleas. It is caused when female sand fleas burrow into a person’s skin (most commonly in their toes or feet), and lay their eggs there. After penetrating the epidermis, the female sand flea immediately begins to multiply. Within a few days, this growth will produce severe inflammation, accompanied by itching and suffering.

In most cases, symptoms will start to improve when the parasite has passed away and all of the eggs have been discharged into the surrounding environment through a tiny hole in the skin. However, in environments where the disease is endemic, inhabitants are frequently reinfected. They may end up with hundreds or thousands of sand fleas embedded in their bodies.

In cases of mild tungiasis, in which there are only a few sand fleas entrenched in the skin, surgical removal of the sand fleas is possible. However, surgical removal of the implanted sand fleas is not possible in cases of very severe tungiasis.

Even though we are not suitable hosts for fleas, we are at a very high risk of contracting the diseases they carry. It is still the oriental rat flea that is the most effective carrier of the bubonic plague. Even though isolated cases of bubonic plague can still be found in tropical and temperate regions, the mortality rate associated with bubonic plague has substantially decreased due to advances in early identification and antibiotic treatment.

What Do Flea Eggs Look Like?

Illustration of a flea on a white background

The following are some key features of flea eggs that can help you distinguish them (from flea feces).

Shape

Flea eggs are shaped like oval, elongated objects with two rounded ends. The surface of viable flea eggs will be smooth and devoid of indentations. On the other hand, insect-sprayed or non-viable flea eggs seem crumpled and dimpled. The eggs of fleas are sticky and wet when they’re first laid but will quickly become dry.

Size

Flea eggs, particularly cat flea eggs, have a diameter of 0.25 millimeters and a length of 0.5 millimeters. Despite their small size, you may see these eggs with the naked eye, especially when they’re in clusters.

Color

Flea eggs appear off-white on the ground because of their flexible chorion and soft shell. For this reason, they can be mistaken for a grain of salt or dirt. The oval-shaped eggs could potentially be confused with human dry skin which is pale and rough. Therefore, the identity of flea eggs can only be confirmed under a microscope.

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Please note: We are not veterinarians and you use our advice at your own discretion. We always recommend that you consult your veterinarian whenever you have health-related conditions your furbaby is facing. With that in mind, as pet parents ourselves, we wish nothing but the best for your pet and their healthy and happy lives.