A Flea's Life CycleStopping the flea bites means killing the fleas!
There are 4 stages to their life cycle, which is the adult, egg, larva, and pupa. The adult flea survives on blood and really doesn't care where it's meal comes from, be it your pet or from you, although they do prefer to live on their victim when possible! They must also first have a meal before they are able to reproduce and lay eggs. This starts within a couple of days of eating their first meal, and the adult female can lay between 25 to 50 eggs in a given day. If you are wondering, “What do fleas look like?”, see these photos. Though the eggs are usually laid on your dog, they fall off easily as they are not sticky. They can hatch at different intervals, anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks. 
When they hatch, they are in the larvae stage and the larva then goes through 3 more phases of development, before spinning into a cocoon. The larvae stage is also variable, and can last anywhere from just under a week to 3 weeks time. Flea bites come from the adult flea as the larvae eats the adults feces which is mainly dried blood. When you hear the term "flea dirt" it is feces that is meant by that term. You can easily tell if it is feces, as when you lightly moisten it, it will turn a red color. The pupae stage is when the larvae has spun itself into a protective cocoon, somewhat like butterflies do. It is this stage that can last for a very long time! The pupae is well protected from cold temperature and insecticides. It can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to up to a year (or more!) for the pupae to emerge from their cocoon as a fully developed adult, in which the cycle starts repeating again. Knowing these flea facts actually brings good news as there are ways to "speed up" the pupae stage, and thereby lessening the complete flea's life cycle! Since only about 5% of the total flea population is the actual adult flea stage, you can easily see what it is so important to break the life cycle by using products that disrupt the reproduction process by stopping them from developing properly. Killing fleas becomes much easier when you understand the flea's life cycle and the various things that can be done to quicken it and destroy it!
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