Despite both fleas and springtails possessing the ability to jump, there are many important differences between these two insects that will help to identify if you are dealing with a springtail or a flea.
Fleas are small, wingless insects and are reddish-brown in color. They are compressed (flattened) from the top to the bottom of their body, a shape that enables them to easily move through the fur of their hosts. They have strong, muscled legs that enable them to jump long distances relative to their size.
Springtails are multi-colored insects that jump by using a spring-loaded body structure called a furcula, which is located on their abdomen. When springtails coil and release their furcula it causes the insect to be “launched” into the air and avoid a perceived danger.
Flea adults are blood-feeding insects that have piercing mouthparts which enables the insect to bite. Infestations of fleas usually are the result of an infested pet that spends most of its time inside.
Flea eggs are laid on the host and when the eggs hatch, the larval stage drops off the host and seeks a hidden, protective location to develop into the pupal stage.
Flea pupa are immobile and when the pupal stage has sufficiently developed, they will become adult fleas, which will jump on a host, feed on blood and produce another batch of flea eggs.
Springtails normal habitat is in the soil, but they can be found in other places where the moisture content is high. They are common in:
Springtails are usually outdoor critters, but if outside conditions become too dry for them, they will move inside where conditions are more humid. Typical indoor locations include:
They are very hard to see unless they jump. Springtails feed on mold and fungi and do not bite.
As a pet owner nothing is more annoying than finding small jumping and biting bugs on your furry friends. You may notice these tiny insects hopping around your home and automatically assume you’re dealing with a flea infestation. However, there are several flea look-alikes that also exhibit jumping and flying abilities. Learning to properly identify these flea imposters is key to getting rid of them for good.
In this article we’ll cover 5 common household bugs that resemble fleas how to tell them apart, and effective control methods.
Common Flying Bugs Mistaken for Fleas
Here are 5 bugs commonly confused with fleas due to their small size and jumping/flying capacity:
1. Fungus Gnats
Fungus gnats are tiny, mosquito-like flies about 1/8” long. Unlike fleas, they have long legs, clear wings, and worm-like larvae. Gnats breed in damp potting soil and decaying organic material. While they don’t bite, they can be a nuisance around homes.
2. Thrips
Thrips are tiny slender insects, usually less than 1/25” long. They can be wingless or have fringed wings. Some thrips species can jump and many can fly. Thrips feed on plants by sucking out the contents of cells. They cause silver or bronze patches and discoloration on leaves.
3. Flea Beetles
Flea beetles are small, jumping beetles that feed on plant leaves. They are shiny black, brown, or metallic colored. Adults have enlarged hind legs allowing them to jump far distances like fleas. Flea beetles chew holes in plant leaves but don’t bite people or pets.
4. Springtails
Springtails are tiny wingless bugs, approximately 1-2 mm long. They inhabit damp, moist environments and get their name from their ability to jump via a spring-like mechanism on their belly. Springtails feed on mold and decaying plant debris.
5. Fruit Flies
Small fruit flies can resemble fleas due to their dark coloration. However, they have clear wings and prefer ripe or rotting fruits and vegetables. Fruit flies gather around unrefrigerated produce and wet compost piles. They don’t bite humans or animals.
How to Tell the Difference from Fleas
While the bugs above exhibit jumping or flying abilities like fleas, a closer look reveals key differences:
Appearance – Fleas are small, wingless, flattened insects about 1/16” long. The look-alikes have clear wings, fringed wings, or no wings at all. They also have more slender, elongated bodies rather than the rounded, flattened flea body shape.
Jump height – Fleas can jump up to 8 inches vertically, which is 150 times their height! The imposters only hop or fly short distances of a few inches at most.
Habitat – Fleas live on animal hosts while the others reside in soil, leaf litter, plants, or organic materials. Fruit flies need ripening fruits/vegetables.
Behavior – Fleas feed exclusively by biting animals or humans. The others eat plant material, fungi, and decaying matter. None bite humans or pets.
Life cycle – Fleas go through egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. The look-alikes either lack certain life stages or have drastically different larvae.
Carefully observing the insect’s physical characteristics, movements, preferred habitats, and feeding behaviors will help accurately identify fleas. Still unsure? Have a pest control professional inspect and identify the bugs.
How to Get Rid of Flea Look-Alikes
Once properly identified, targeted treatments can get rid of the flea imposters:
Fungus gnats – Remove excess moisture in potting soil, allow it to dry out between waterings, use sticky traps, apply BTI insecticide
Thrips – Apply insecticidal soap spray, use blue/yellow sticky traps, introduce predatory mites
Flea beetles – Apply neem oil spray, handpick adults, use floating row covers, attract beneficial insects
Springtails – Reduce moisture with fans/dehumidifiers, apply desiccant dusts, treat outdoor perimeter
Fruit flies – Clean up ripe, rotting produce, make vinegar traps, keep compost sealed, use pheromone traps
For serious infestations, contact a professional pest control company for chemical treatments and fumigation options. They can also provide proactive preventative treatments to keep the pests from returning.
While small jumping/flying bugs might initially look like fleas, identifying key differences in their appearance, habitat, and behaviors allows you to pinpoint the true pest. This lets you take appropriate control measures to eliminate the nuisance species. Give our experts a call if you need help getting rid of persistent flea look-alikes!
What do fleas look like?
Fleas (Siphonaptera order) are small insects that drink blood to survive. They may drink blood from birds or mammals, depending on the hosts that are around. Your dog, cat, pet bird, or even you could have brought fleas in from outside or from another place where they already established themselves.
There are several different flea species, including the Oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis), rabbit flea (Cediopsylla simplex), cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis), dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis), and the northern rat flea (Nosopsyllus fasciatus). Despite a large number of species (over 2,500), most fleas do look similar.
Adult fleas are usually no longer than ⅛ inch. They are dark brown or reddish brown, though some people may mistake them for black. Fleas are also hard-bodied insects, and they look a little shiny. They may appear a little flat.
One of the most notable features of the flea is its large, powerful legs. A flea can jump up to 7 inches vertically. When jumping horizontally, it can go up to 13 inches. While that long-distance jump makes some people think that fleas can fly, they actually have no wings.
Only adult fleas are easy to see due to their size and color, but eggs and larvae are big enough to see with the naked eye if you can locate them. Flea eggs are about 0.5 millimeters in length, similar in size to a grain of salt. Their outer shell is called a chorion and is off-white in color and shaped like an oval. Larvae are active in the evenings and overnight, but they are often hidden away in carpet fibers or bedding when inside. They’re also translucent white, which means they’re difficult to see even under the best conditions.
Pupae are in cocoons that are rarely seen due to their size and location. Cocoons are normally hidden deep inside carpets or tall grasses.
An organism’s scientific name is highly descriptive of what it looks like or how it acts. “Siphon” means pipe—much like the English use of the word “siphon”—and describes mouthparts that look like a straw. “Aptera,” the second part of the flea’s scientific name (Siphonaptera), means “wingless” in Greek.
What insects zoomed in looks like #shorts
FAQ
What bug looks like a flea but flies?
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Moxie Pest Controlhttps://moxieservices.comWhat Bugs Look Like Fleas? – Moxie Pest ControlWhat do they look like? Fungus gnats (Orfelia and Bradysia spp.) are small flying insects that have dark coloration. They are similar in appearance to mosquitoe…
Is there a type of flea that can fly?
However, the truth is that fleas are not equipped with wings that enable them to soar through the air like other winged insects. Unlike mosquitoes or flies, fleas lack this particular adaptation, making flight an impossibility for them.
Can other bugs be mistaken for fleas?
You may be surprised to know that there are several insects that people often confuse with fleas. Commonly mistaken insects include: Ticks. Carpet beetles.
How do you tell if you have fleas or gnats?
Telling the Difference Between Gnats and Fleas
The first, most obvious way of identifying a gnat is its ability to fly. If it is flying around in the air, it is a gnat not a flea. This also extends to the presence of wings on the insect. Fleas do not have wings, so a tiny, winged insect must be a gnat.
What insects look like fleas?
To help you identify similar bugs, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most common insects that look like fleas: Bat bugs, which are small, wingless insects closely related to fleas. They feed on the blood of mammals and can cause irritation and itching in humans.
What bugs look like fleas and jump?
As such, here are some of the most common flea look alikes or bugs that look like fleas and jump. 1. Bat bugs These ones are very comparable to bed bugs and fleas. They have the same reddish-brown color, tiny, wingless, and could jump but with more hair. Their native niche is caves because they generally feed on bat blood.
Do fleas look like ticks?
Unlike ticks, they do not take on humans but that does not spare you from being bitten with red, itchy, skin bumps. But not all flea looking pests or insects that could also jump are fleas. Like other insects and pests, fleas have their own lookalikes. In this post, we will cover some of the most common bugs that look like fleas and jump.
Do tiny black bugs resemble fleas?
It’s very easy to see tiny black bugs that look like fleas and immediately think it’s an actual flea. However, your suspect may be the victim of mistaken identity.
What are some insects and arachnids that can be confused with fleas?
Some of the most familiar bugs that look like fleas are flea beetles, flour beetles, bed bugs, snow fleas, aphids, lice, deer ticks, and carpet beetles. Identifying these insects and arachnids is also trickier than it seems – and confusing them is easy.
Do carpet beetles look like fleas?
These small round bugs resemble fleas, especially the darker-colored bugs. Carpet beetles can be almost entirely black but they also come in patterned colors. Black, yellow, and white patterns are common in carpet beetles which makes for easy distinction compared to fleas. Carpet beetles feed on all types of natural fibers.