The whole cycle lasts for a few weeks or months and depends on the atmospheric conditions. According to experts, the best possible temperature for flea propagation is 70-85o F with a humidity of 70%. An adult flea can live without a host for one to two weeks. Keep reading to know more about how long fleas can live without a host in different scenarios.
Can Fleas Survive in a Home Without Pets?
If there is no pet in your home, then fleas can survive in your bedroom as it will provide comfort for them. Fleas flourish in warmness and are lured by the carbon dioxide (in one place) that humans breathe out, especially while sleeping. Fleas can also infest and live in your sitting room couch or seats. This is because these seats are made up of fabric and can be a safe place for them to hide. These fabrics are quite warm as compared to leather seats and become cold at night which is a good environmental condition for flea propagation.
So overall, we can say that fleas can live off the n you if there are no pets in your home. They will mostly attack and suck your blood especially when you are sleeping or resting. This is because they do not want to get exposed to you. They can also bite you often if you do not take a shower regularly or put on the same clothes for a few days. Normally, it happens during the winter or in cold temperatures when people do not like taking showers often.
Fleas can survive on humans as well as on other furniture if there are no pets in a home. But the question is how long they can survive without pets (cats or dogs) or other animals (like farm animals).
How Long Will Fleas Live in a House Without Pets?
Mostly, the common fleas which are found in pets will not live for more than 2 weeks without the blood of pets. But they can rely for some more time on human blood by biting their skin and flying away. Female fleas need food to lay eggs which means that without pets, fleas cannot spread in your house and will take a minimum of 1 month to fully starve out the fleas without pets. Fleas can also live for months if they find food (like organic debris) on the floor frequently.
How Long Can Fleas Live Without an Animal?
Fleas always want a host to live so without an animal it is difficult for animal fleas to survive for more than 14 days (about 2 weeks). Fleas always preferred long-haired animals because they can live longer on them. Moreover, fleas can live for a few more weeks on human blood and available food in a home depending on the atmospheric conditions.
When a dog goes swimming, do the fleas drown? Check out our article How Long Can Fleas Live in Water to learn more.
How Long Will Fleas Live Without a Dog?
Cat and dog fleas are the most common fleas. They can spread, live, and feed on hairy animals. So, if you do not have a dog or a cat, or any other pet animal in your house, there is no proper host for fleas. In this situation, adult fleas will perish in a maximum of 14 days (about 2 weeks) while averages about 8 days.
How Long Can Fleas Live in a Vacant House?
Most of the fleas can live around 9 months in a vacant house. This is because flea pupae need no food to live. According to RSPCA, around 95 percent of flea eggs, larvae, and pupae live in the environment, not on your pet. So, fleas can rest and wait until they detect a new host. However, adult fleas in a vacant house without a host will commonly die within 7 days of hatching due to a lack of food sources.
How Long Can Fleas Live Without Food?
It is very difficult for any living being to live without food. Similarly, fleas will find it hard to live without food and can survive for only a few days. Cat fleas need to have food (or blood) to lay eggs quite often. These fleas can also feed on mammals like rats, especially in empty houses. Fleas can only live up to a week without food and outside of the larval swathe without dying of starvation.
How Long Can Fleas Live Without Eating?
The fleas that do not have any host or live without eating will die of starvation within four days. Young fleas that do not eat can live around one week without eating. Pre-emerged adults who are inside their cocoons can survive for up to 155 days (about 5 months) without feeding or eating.
How Long Do Fleas Live Without Blood?
Fleas are quite fertile and can live more than 100 days (about 3 and a half months) without a meal or blood from a host. When it comes to average, fleas live around two to three months. The female fleas require blood for laying eggs within 36-48 hours (about 2 days). The young fleas live around only a week without a blood meal.
How Long Can Fleas Live in Carpet Without a Host?
Fleas prefer to live on carpets because their eggs, larvae, and pupae can live and come together in carpets due to their thick and dense fibers. If the flea eggs drop from a host (either the humans or pets) and get into a carpet, then the larva will remain in the carpet until the flea egg comes to its adult stage. Carpets are ideal for flea pupae because they can remain passive or in a rest mode until a host steps on the carpet again.
So, we can say that fleas can live for months or a year in carpets without a host only if the host interacts with the carpet after some time. Also, carpets provide a low temperature in high humidity so some fleas may live up to two years even without a host.
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