Rat fleas in the apartment and their bites

Rat fleas are parasites that easily adapt to a variety of conditions of existence. Parasitologists consider them one of the most dangerous enemies of man, and this is not surprising: it is because of rat fleas that more people have died in the history of civilization than from any other arthropod parasites.

At the same time, in its biology, the rat flea differs little from its other relatives. That is why in a human dwelling it is found slightly less often than cat, dog or human fleas.

 

Rat fleas in the apartment: penetration routes and hiding places

Externally, to the naked eye, rat fleas are almost indistinguishable from cat and dog fleas. Only under a microscope can you see the main differences of this species. Below is a photo of a rat flea at high magnification:

Actually, rat fleas are called not one species, but a whole genus of species of parasitic insects, the main hosts of which are rodents. Of these, the southern rat flea, a notorious carrier of the plague pathogen, parasitizes common gray rats and some other rodent species.

By the way, it is not at all necessary that fleas in rats belong precisely to the genus of rat fleas. Human, rabbit, dog, cat fleas and many other species can also parasitize on them.

Rat fleas look the same as most of their relatives: their small body, about 3 mm long, is flattened laterally and has a dark brown color. Fleas do not have wings, but their hind legs are much longer than two pairs of front ones. Due to them, insects make jumps that are simply huge for their size: this crumb can fly up to 30 cm after one push.

Rat fleas are temporary parasites of all their hosts. They do not live permanently on the body, but only jump on the animal in order to bite it and drink blood.

At the same time, the insects themselves are very attached to the resting places of their master in order to always have a source of food at hand. As a rule, insects settle in the nest litter in the burrows of rats, ground squirrels, gerbils, marmots, and lay their eggs here.

On a note

In addition to rat parasites, mouse fleas penetrate into a person's dwelling - more often into private houses. And again, there is not much difference between these insects, and they bite equally painfully and unpleasantly. That's just in big cities in apartments, mouse fleas are almost never found.

The larva of the rat flea develops in the host's nest, feeding on rotting remains of grass or wool. If possible, the larvae willingly eat the excrement of adult fleas, which retain a large amount of undigested blood. The photo below shows eggs and flea larvae:

Rat fleas in the apartment settle in the presence of places with accumulation of debris and dirt.It is here, behind the baseboards, under old carpets that have not been washed for a long time, their larvae can develop quite successfully, and adult fleas bite a person without any problems.

Rat flea bites are painful and almost always noticeable. These insects do not have an enzyme that has an analgesic effect, and therefore, even when bitten, a person feels severe pain. The bite site itself is very itchy, swollen, and in sensitive people an allergic reaction develops near it, which can take on a generalized character with an increase in body temperature and an increase in lymph nodes.

The photo shows multiple bites of rat fleas in an adult. Children react even more sharply to them:

As a rule, it is the bites of rat fleas that give out the presence of these parasites in the apartment. Very often, these insects are found in a house where domestic rodents live - mice, ornamental rats, hamsters.

But even without them, fleas will feel great if they can regularly bite a person, cat or dog. Therefore, as soon as the bites of rat fleas have been detected, the parasites must be immediately searched for and destroyed in order to prevent their reproduction.

 

What can be dangerous rat flea

Together with human, cat and dog fleas, rat fleas can cause pulicosis, a fairly common type of dermatological disease that is a reaction specifically to flea bites.

The symptoms of rat flea bites are quite typical for the entire family of these insects in general:

• swelling at the bite site
• profuse continuous rashes
• severe itching
• ulcers in the mouth and throat
• increase in body temperature
• headache and mild disorders of the nervous system.

If at least a few of these symptoms began to appear after being bitten by rat fleas, you should see a doctor. Self-treatment is undesirable here, since such symptoms indicate the development of an allergy. You can never predict how it will end - the consequences can even be nervous breakdowns and anaphylactic shock.

But the main danger of rat fleas is pathogens that are potentially able to travel in the body of the parasite. Among them are the plague bacillus, anthrax spores, the causative agent of encephalitis and brucellosis, salmonellosis and sleeping sickness.

In addition, rat fleas carry a huge amount of worm eggs. Not surprisingly, each flea bite can become a kind of injection of a whole range of foreign biological agents, some of which a person may not be immune to.

It is interesting

The scientist who described the southern rat flea - the same one that killed a third of the population of Europe in the Middle Ages - Charles Rothschild. He was a banker and did entomology as a hobby. He died suffering from encephalitis and decided to commit suicide. Perhaps one of the fleas he studied was the cause of his infection with a deadly disease ...

 

Parasite control methods

Getting rid of rat fleas indoors is easy, but troublesome. Adult insects die when surfaces are treated with aerosol insecticides such as Raptor or Kombat; in addition to this method, larvae can be destroyed by special means - dusts and microencapsulated preparations such as Get, which are used against cockroaches and ants.

The most effective method of dealing with rat fleas is to call special pest control services. Employees of such companies use very powerful professional insecticides in their work, one treatment of an apartment with which is enough to completely destroy all parasites.

It is not difficult to remove fleas from a rat or other domestic rodent: for this you can use flea remedies for kittens or puppies - sprays, drops on the withers, shampoos. It is only important to choose the right concentration so as not to exceed the allowable rate for an animal of a certain weight.

 

Effective drugs against rat fleas

To combat rat fleas, they most often use:

• aerosol products - both for treating the premises and for removing fleas from pets. The first target is Combat, Raid, Raptor, Medilis Tsiper, Karbofos, Microphos, Tetrix. For the second - sprays Hartz, Frontline, Advantage.
• Insecticidal dusts that poison the larvae - Pyrethrum, Fas, Dust Clean House.
• Shampoos with which pets bathe - Mr. Kiss, Celandine, Frontline and others.
• Drops for animals at the withers - for example, Stronghold, Hartz, Barsik.

 

How can you protect yourself from fleas

In those cases when, willy-nilly, you have to find yourself in places that threaten to be attacked by fleas, you should use special means of protection against parasites. The most effective and widespread of them are aerosol repellents based on DEET, a powerful insecticide that can repel not only fleas, but also ticks.

In addition, you can increase the level of protection against fleas by wearing ankle-length pants on nature trips and trying not to stay for a long time near the places where animals or rodents roost for the night.When traveling in the tropics (where rat fleas are also numerous), one should avoid staying in too cheap hotels, often infested with parasites.

 

Residents of an apartment building suffer from flea bites