Fleas are holometabolous insects, going through the four lifecycle stages of egg, larva, pupa, and imago (adult).
In most species, neither female nor male fleas are fully mature when they first emerge but must feed on blood before they become capable of reproduction.
The first blood meal triggers the maturation of the ovaries in females and the dissolution of the testicular plug in males, and copulation soon follows.
Some species breed all year round while others synchronise their activities with their hosts' life cycles or with local environmental factors and climatic conditions.
Flea populations consist of roughly 50% eggs, 35% larvae, 10% pupae, and 5% adults.
Fleas are holometabolous insects, going through the four lifecycle stages of egg, larva, pupa, and imago (adult). In most species, neither female nor male fleas are fully mature when they first emerge but must feed on blood before they become capable of reproduction. The first blood meal triggers the maturation of the ovaries in females and the dissolution of the testicular plug in males, and copulation soon follows. Some species breed all year round while others synchronise their activities with their hosts' life cycles or with local environmental factors and climatic conditions. Flea populations consist of roughly 50% eggs, 35% larvae, 10% pupae, and 5% adults.
Flea