Fleas are normally associated with our pets, but can bite humans too. Learning about flea bites on humans helps you deal with them safely and effectively.
Fleas are tiny insects that live on furry or feathered animals. Sometimes, they bite humans to eat their blood. Their bites cause itchiness, swelling and red dots. These symptoms normally disappear on their own, but you can soothe them with ice, topical creams or antihistamine pills. Rarely, flea bites cause diseases in humans. Prevent flea bites by treating your pets for fleas and cleaning your house.
Fleas are pretty annoying insects to have to deal with. If you want to learn more about them, keep reading this article.
Please check out my two related articles “What Do Bed Bug Bites Look Like?” and “Ant Bites On Humans – A Complete Guide“
What Are Fleas?
Fleas are a species of 1/16 to 1/8 inch long wingless, parasitic insects. There are about 2,500 types of these brown to black colored bugs globally, with about 300 living in the USA.
These parasites feed on the blood of mammals and birds and live on the surface of their skin. Their six legs have strong claws on the ends, allowing them to hold onto their host animal.
The hind legs of fleas are stronger and longer than the front two pairs, allowing them to jump more than a foot in the air. They have hard bodies, making them difficult to crush with your fingers.
What Do Flea Bites On Humans Look Like?
Flea bites look like pimples. They are small, red bumps and may have a faint halo around the puncture site. Multiple flea bites might occur in a cluster or a straight line.
Fleas frequently bite humans on the ankle, foot and calves but rarely above the knee. You may see larger red areas of irritated skin around flea bites if you scratch to relieve the itchiness.
Why Do Fleas Bite Humans?
Fleas bite humans because they need animal blood to survive. Often, they bite people after jumping off an animal searching for food, normally from a house pet.
The human body isn’t a good place for fleas to live because we don’t have enough hair for them to hide in. In fact, they are much more comfortable living on cats and dogs with thick fur to grab onto.
Luckily, fleas can’t reproduce on human skin. Also, they have a high body temperature and get too cold without animals’ fur for insulation. Studies show that fleas stay on humans for an average of four to seven minutes.
Flea Bites But Don’t See Fleas?
Because fleas only stay on people for four to seven minutes, you’re not likely to witness them in the act of biting. In fact, they are most likely to bite you while you’re sleeping or staying still for an extended period.
If you have pets and feel flea bites, watch them and see if they are scratching themselves more than usual. That’s a sign they have fleas, and their fleas bit you.
Besides pets, fleas might be living in pet bedding or on furniture. You also might encounter fleas outdoors, where they wait in grass and bushes for a host animal to come by.
Why Are Flea Bites Itchy?
When fleas bite, their saliva enters your bloodstream, which your body recognizes as an allergen. Furthermore, itchiness is your immune system’s reaction to the fleas’ spit.
When your immune system senses an allergen, in this case, flea saliva, it sends a chemical, histamine, to the area to remove it. Histamine is what causes your skin to swell and itch.
Flea Bite Treatment
Flea bites should stop itching and go away on their own within one to three days. Avoid scratching your flea bites because you could further irritate the skin or cut yourself. Then, your wound would be susceptible to infection.
In case you accidentally break open the skin around your flea bites, wash it with soap, apply anti-bacterial cream and cover the wound with a bandage. Seek a doctor’s help if you suspect you might have an infection.
Home Remedies To Soothe Flea Bites
While you wait for flea bites to go away, there are some home remedies you can try to soothe the itchiness:
Hydrocortisone Ointment
Hydrocortisone is a steroid used for treating many aches and pains but also works on flea bites. The best method is to apply a cream containing this medicine directly onto the affected area twice per day.
Aloe Vera
The slimy juice of the aloe vera plant contains salicylic acid, which is great for relieving skin pain and itchiness. You can apply pure aloe vera or a product containing aloe vera to your flea bite.
Antihistamine Medication
As mentioned earlier, histamines cause the itching from flea bites and antihistamines block your body’s response to them. This medicine comes in pill form or as a skin ointment.
Ice Pack
Ice stops swelling by constricting blood flow to the bite area, which helps with itchiness. The cold itself is immediately soothing.
Cover an ice pack with a cloth and place it on the flea bite for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, remove the ice and wait 10 to 15 minutes for the area to warm up. Continue this cycle until the bite stops itching.
Chamomile Tea
Brewing and sipping a steaming or cold mug of chamomile tea can take your mind off your flea bites. Plus, the flowers contain flavenoids and terpenoids, natural antihistamines.
Steep your chamomile tea in boiled water for more than 20 minutes until the water is dark golden brown. Take the tea bag out, squeeze the water from it, and place it on your flea bites for about 10 minutes.
Keeping the tea bag in the fridge will allow you to take it out and use it throughout the day if your itching continues. The coldness will be extra soothing on your skin.
Raw Honey
This sweet bee food has so many medicinal properties it seems like magic sometimes. Curing flea bites is just one of the things honey can do for you.
In this case, the enzyme catalase acts as an anti-inflammatory to relieve itchiness. Simply rub a thin layer of honey over your flea bites, then put a bandage on top to avoid a sticky situation.
Oatmeal Poultice
This breakfast food is also good for relieving itchiness from flea bites. First, grind the oats into as fine of a powder as possible, then mix it with warm water to create a poultice.
Next, apply the oatmeal poultice to the flea bite. Leave it on for a minimum of ten minutes, then clean it off.
Are Flea Bites Dangerous?
Most flea bites are harmless and go away on their own. But, fleas are vectors, meaning they can spread several diseases to humans, including:
- Plague – The USA averages 1 to 17 cases per year, likely caused by flea bites. Luckily, there are effective treatments now and almost everyone recovers, unlike during the Black Death of the 14th century which killed up to 200 million people.
- Cat Scratch Fever(Bartonella) – This bacterial infection causes a red rash around the infection site and normally passes without treatment.
- Murine Typhus – This disease causes flu-like symptoms and rashes. Fast antibiotic treatment helps most people recover.
- Parasites – If you swallow a parasite-infected flea, it could spread to your body. It causes nausea, weakness and stomach pain.
If you develop a serious reaction, tiredness or flu-like symptoms up to two weeks after a flea bite, you should see a doctor. Luckily, these diseases are rare and can all be treated effectively.
Flea Bite Prevention
The most common cause of flea bites is pets with fleas. Therefore, preventing fleas on your furry friends is the best method for stopping flea bites.
First, check your pets for fleas by running your hands against their fir, exposing their skin. If you see small dark dots, those are fleas. Some options to remove them include:
- Flea shampoo- A special insecticidal soap you can bathe your pet in to kill the fleas. Soak them thoroughly with warm water and scrub into their fir, being careful not to get shampoo in their eyes.
- Flea comb- These combs have close-together tines that pull fleas out of your pet’s hair. Run the comb through your pet’s hair, if you see a flea, stick the comb into a soapy water bowl.
- Flea medicine- These topical or oral medicines kill existing fleas, ticks and mites and prevent them from returning for a period.
- Clean beds- Pet beds and your bedding should be washed in hot water and dried on the hottest setting.
- Vaccum furniture and carpets- Any fabrics where fleas might hide should be vacuumed or washed.
What If I Don’t Have Pets and I Get Flea Bites?
If you find flea bites but don’t have pets in your house, hopefully, you were bitten when you were outside. Wait a few days and see if you have more bites. If not, you’re safe from fleas.
If you see more bites, there’s another source of fleas you need to root out. Some of the possible causes are:
- A rodent infestation could bring fleas into your house. You need to get rid of mice, rats or other critters that are living in or under your home.
- A flea infestation in your neighbors home, especially if you live in a condo or apartment. You should help your neighbor with the problem and block passages between your houses.
- Stray cats or dogs living near your home. You must call animal control to have them taken to a shelter.
Fleas or Bed Bugs?
Another insect could also be the culprit if you’re not sure where flea bites would have come from. Bed bug bites are a little bigger than flea bites, and they almost always form a line or row of bites on your skin.
Bed bugs live in your bedding and feed off your blood while you sleep. Unfortunately, they can be trickier to eliminate than fleas.