Pest Pro Fleas/Ticks

Flea: Order Siphonaptera

Appearance: Black to brownish-black, about 1/12 to 1/16 inch long; six legs, with many bristles on body and legs; flattened body.
Habits: Found on cats and dogs year-round, but most common during warm and humid weather; readily attack and feed on humans; can jump as much as 7 to 8 inches vertically, and 14 to 16 inches horizontally.
Diet: Blood
Reproduction: Female can lay about 25 eggs a day, and up to 800 eggs during her lifetime; fleas undergo complete metamorphosis, usually in 14 to 90 days.
Other Information: Carrier of many diseases; adults can live one to two months without feeding.

Tick: Order Acarina

Appearance: Appearance differs by species, but all adults are very small, roundish, with eight legs (larvae or seed ticks have six legs); 1/8 to 1/2 inch long.
Habits: Live on the bodies of mammals, birds and reptiles.
Diet: Blood; all species can swell to a considerable size after feeding.
Reproduction: Mating usually occurs while adult ticks are on the host animal; female hard ticks feed only once, and lay one large batch of up to 10,000 eggs; female soft tick will feed several times and lay 20 to 50 eggs after each meal; eggs hatch in 19 to 60 days.
Other Information: Ticks are known carriers of many serious diseases, including encephalitis, tick paralysis, typhus and Lyme disease. Adults can live over 500 days without a meal.

Silverfish: Order Thysanura

Appearance: About 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, somewhat "carrot-shaped" from above; gray or silver in color; three filaments extend from rear.
Habits: Nocturnal; move swiftly, can jump; found where there is excessive humidity; are attracted to books, wallpaper and other paper products that have a high starch content.
Diet: Prefer starch, paste, glue; paper products of all kinds; starched textiles.
Reproduction: 2 to 3 month reproductive cycle; lay about 50 eggs per batch; live 2 to 2.5 years.
Other Information: Thought to belong to one of the most primitive existing insect orders, more than 400 million years old.

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