So, how far do fleas jump? We will discuss this pest species’ jumping capacity and how high they scale.

This is an area we’ll be shedding more light on. Some readers may wonder how knowing fleas’ coverage or jumping distance helps with their control. There’s a connection!

Fleas are pesky insects that feed on blood and create discomfort whenever they’re around.

What makes them even worse is the fact that they lay in wait for potential hosts and make a jump when an opportunity presents itself.

Fleas are better managed when their coverage area in jumping distance is known. We will supply further details as you read on.

Do You Have A Pet?

Pets are the primary targets of fleas.

These are brought into the home and spread around. Pets such as dogs pick up fleas from the outdoors and bring them indoors. The primary attraction for fleas is the blood they feed on.

These pests need to be close to their hosts to guarantee the next meal.

How Fleas Spread

Unlike some blood-sucking pests with wings, such as mosquitoes, fleas have none of such movement capabilities.

These creatures have flat bodies and powerful legs that spring them towards their targets or hosts. Fleas will readily jump onto animals and humans to feed on blood.

During a full-blown infestation, the ground zero or hot spot of their presence are areas where your pets sleep or rest. Such infestation continues as they lay their eggs and remain undisturbed.

Their presence results in a distressed pet that scratches and bites on the skin.

This is likely to cause further irritations and disease spread through infection of exposed bite areas. Immediate extermination of fleas and treatment of bite or scratched areas are necessary for containing the problem.

Jump Distance Covered By Fleas

Fleas can quickly launch themselves to cover relatively significant distances due to the presence of a solid back leg.

This is usually much longer than the others and springs it towards its prey. A flea can jump as much as 100 times its height to about 30 cm moving horizontally.

When jumping vertically, fleas can go as high as 8 inches or about 150 times their height. This is enough movement to reach a potential host that passes close by.

Possible hosts include humans, cats, and dogs. Although fleas feed on human blood, humans are their least favorite hosts.

Using Jump Knowledge To Control Fleas

With the jumping distance and movement pattern of fleas now known, what follows is to find ways to contain their spread. When fleas infest your home, these pests will hide in multiple locations.

One of their favorite locations is around areas where they feed.

Fleas need hosts to feed. So, you’ll find them around living rooms and pet bedding. The warmth and access to food (blood) found indoors make such a location ideal breeding grounds for them.

Fleas may also lay an ambush waiting for a possible host to pass. These may be found around lawn areas as well as entryways. Now, such knowledge serves as the basis for action.

You can control fleas through a variety of methods, including natural and non-natural means, such as the application of insecticides.

  • Flea Repelling Plants

You can curtail flea presence by planting certain plants known to have flea-repellent properties.

These include pennyroyal, spearmint, chrysanthemums, and lavender.

An additional benefit of these plants is repelling other pest types.

All of these benefits are derived while improving the look of your surroundings. These plants derive their repellent properties from compounds, oils, and chemicals.

Such chemical and oil contents irritate fleas.

You can have these plants potted or planted in beds or wherever you wish. The aim is to have them around your home to create an invincible barrier to fleas.

  • Rosemary

Rosemary comes in handy when dealing with flea infestation. As an organic flea treatment, it poses no risks to your pets and kids and can even be used for topical treatments on pets.

To use rosemary, it needs to be crushed into powder form.

To prepare this herbal flea treatment, you’ll need peppermint, rue, wormwood, and fennel. These are all placed into a mortar and crushed or grounded using a mortar.

The contents are sprinkled onto flea-infested areas such as pet bedding, carpets, and furniture.

  • Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth has proven to be an excellent remedy for various pest infestations, including fleas. This fine powder is formed from fossilized remains of algae.

When applied onto flea-infested areas, it pierces their undersides, leading to dehydration.

The application isn’t complex; you only need to sprinkle a thin film across infested areas. This is left to sit for about two days before clearing the powder and dead flea carcass area using a vacuum cleaner.

  • Baking Soda

Baking soda is another natural remedy that you can apply for flea control. This method is most effective when used with a vacuum cleaner.

Baking soda must be applied onto surfaces such as carpets and furniture and worked into the fibers using a brush or other useful tool.

This is followed by vacuuming to pick up fleas and their eggs. You can repeat this process twice a week until there are precise results.

  • Lemon spray

Citrus spray is known to be effective against flea presence.

To make a spray, get a pint of water, add thin slices of lemon, and boil. This solution isn’t used immediately but is allowed to cool overnight before emptying into a spray bottle.

Now, you only need to spray the contents around infested areas. It would be best if you didn’t soak up such sites but only dampen them. This should be enough to rid your home of these jumpy and pesky creatures.

We’ve seen that a flea can jump as much as 8 inches or 150 times their height vertically and about 100 times their height horizontally. Also included are ways to contain or treat a flea infestation.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *