It’s an unpleasant thought. Mosquitos are extremely irritating; their bites can swell, itch and leave you uncomfortable for days at a time. But, unlike the irascible household flea, at least you can see them coming and arm yourself accordingly with the kitchen spatula. Fortunately, the answer to the question is no, fleas do not live on humans…usually.
“But I’ve Got The Bites To Prove It!”
There is one parasite, known as the human flea which does prefer to dine on human beings and pigs. However, these are extremely uncommon in households and are usually found in pigpens or the deep countryside. Unfortunately, just because fleas don’t consider humans suitable turf for inhabitation does not mean that we’re immune to bites. Fleas will happily latch onto human skin – usually where there is hair – and leave nasty, itchy sores.
The difference is that they will not:
- Spend days or weeks living in your hair, or
- Lay eggs on human skin
How Do I Stop Them?
If you have a pet, any flea problem almost certainly began with them: remove the source there will be none left for you. Wash and comb your pet, launder their bedding and any carpets before thoroughly vacuuming. Using a chemical flea treatment is an option, but you should always check with your vet before buying anything.
If you are one of the unlucky few who has contracted fleas without a pet, then the steps are largely the same: launder your bedding, vacuum any rugs/carpets and if you have an itchy scalp, consider passing a friend the bone comb. Usually however, a hot shower will get rid of most fleas [1]. If you take these steps, it’s highly unlikely that your flea problem will persist and you should be in the clear quickly.
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