Fleas: How long can the live?

Question

I work in a office for the council and issue uniforms. On a daily basis opertives come in for uniform as they have caught fleas from Tenants houses. Due to this on a regular basis we have to have the office de-flea'd as we get biten after the office is hoovered. I need to know what is the possibility of me taking these fleas home? Can they live on your clothes and if so how long for, as I don't want to bring these home with me. I don't have any pets but do have a young child and I don't want him being biten as it is uncomfortable enough me let alone a infant??

Please Help!!!

Answer 1

fleas live an average of two weeks but if you bring home more then one chances are they will mate and then the length of their lives wont matter as they will multiply. i recommend getting a new job if you have a young child and come into contact with fleas everyday because they carry disease and your young children like to roll around on the floor where they are more likely to get bitten.babies also have a weaker immune system so a viral and/or bacterial infection spread from a flea could seriously hurt your child and make you ill.  

Answer 2

From my experience, working in a pet shop, quite a long time.

The trouble is, they breed insanely and they breed in your clothes. So whilst they may not live long, they breed a lot during that short period.

I'd advise seeing if you can change before you can leave work, or hoping for the best- as a preventative, there's not much else you can do; you'll have to hope they don't get in your house, and deal with them with flea bombs and sprays if they do.

Answer 3

i think you've got a flea in your ear mate

Answer 4

Fleas are holometabolous insects, going through the three life cycle stages of larva, pupa and imago (adult). The flea life cycle begins when the female lays after feeding. Adult fleas must feed on blood before they can become capable of reproduction.[2] Eggs are laid in batches of up to 20 or so, usually on the host itself, which easily roll onto the ground. As such, areas where the host rests and sleeps become one of the primary habitats of eggs and developing fleas. The eggs take around two days to two weeks to hatch[1].

Micrograph of a flea larva.

Flea larvae emerge from the eggs to feed on any available organic material such as dead insects, f***s and vegetable matter. They are blind and avoid sunlight, keeping to dark places like sand, cracks and crevices, and bedding. Given an adequate supply of food, larvae should pupate within 1-2 weeks. After going through three larval stages they spin a silken cocoon. After another week or two the adult flea is fully developed and ready to emerge from the cocoon. They may however remain resting during this period until they receive a signal that a host is near - vibrations (including sound), heat and carbon dioxide are all stimuli indicating the probable presence of a host.[1] Fleas are known to overwinter in the larval or pupal stages.

Once the flea reaches adulthood its primary goal is to find blood - adult fleas must feed on blood in order to reproduce[2]. Adult fleas only have around a week to find food once they emerge, though they can survive two months to a year between meals. A flea population is unevenly distributed, with 50 percent eggs, 35 percent larvae, 10 percent pupae and 5 percent adults.[1] Their total life cycle can take as little as two weeks, but may be lengthened to many months if conditions are favourable (that is, unfavourable for the fleas). Female fleas can lay 500 or more eggs over their life, allowing for phenomenal growth rates.