Is that itch an itch, or a flea?

Ah, warm weather at last.

And with the warmer weather, longer days, budding trees and shrubs, bright-colored flowers come . . . and fleas.

By late spring, fleas begin to emerge from their pupae as adults and migrate to the nearest dog or cat for blood meals. An adult flea mates shortly after emergence, and begins laying eggs within 36 hours. In her brief 50-day lifespan, a single female flea can lay more than 2000 eggs.

Fleas are marvelously adapted for survival. The female lays eggs on the host animal, but the eggs fall to the ground, carpet, sofa, dog bed, owner’s bed, or easy chair where they hatch in two-to-five days.

The flea larva feeds on organic debris in the environment. Within a week or two, depending on temperature and humidity, the larva spins a pupa (or cocoon) to protect it during metamorphosis to the adulthood.

In the hard-shelled pupa, the larva transforms from a tiny maggot-like creature into a six-legged, blood-thirsty super-jumper able to leap 150 times its own body length, and the cycle begins anew.