Flea Life Cycle

Flea populations typically explode about 5 to 6 weeks after the weather starts to warm up. Below are the flea stages:

EGG
A female can lay approximately 2,000+ eggs in her lifetime. In one day, a female flea can lay up to 50 eggs. The eggs don't stick; instead, they fall off of your pet and get into the areas of your home. In about 2-10 days, the eggs will hatch.

LARVAL
After the eggs hatched, the larvae head toward dark places around your home and feed on flea feces containing partially digested blood from your pet. The larvae grow, molt twice, then spin cocoons, where they grow to pupae.

PUPA
Immature fleas spend about 8–9 days in their cocoon. During this time, they continue to grow to adulthood, and wait for the signals that it is time to emerge.

ADULT
The flea adults detect heat, vibrations and exhaled carbon dioxide from inside their cocoons, telling them that a host is around. The adults leave their cocoons, jump onto a host, find a mate and begin the life cycle again.

The life cycle of the fleas can be as short as 2 to 4 weeks.

Adult fleas on your pet are only the tip of the infestation iceberg:

Frontline® Brand Products break the flea life cycle by killing adult fleas before they can lay their eggs. Frontline Plus provides additional flea control by killing flea eggs and larvae.

Video clip of Flea Life Cycle: