Fleas (6551)

Fleas are small insects (under 1/4 inch) and are dark brown in color. They lack wings and are extremely narrow side to side, which enables them to move easily through the body hairs. Their last pair of legs is modified for jumping. They have numerous spines and hairs on their body, and their mouthparts are adapted for piercing the skin and sucking blood. The whisker-like spines on and near the head are important characteristics used in the identification of fleas. Three kinds of fleas are important in Pennsylvania - the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis; the dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis; and the human flea, Pulex irritans. The cat flea is the most common type found in the Commonwealth. While this flea is usually found on cats and dogs, it will attack other animals and humans as well.

For more information, please visit this Penn State Fact Sheet.

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Penn State Entomology Department

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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