1. Cat Flea - Ctenocephalides felis - (80% of the fleas on pets)
2. Dog Flea - Ctenocephalides canis (20% of the fleas on pets)
3. Rat Flea - Nosopsyllus fasciatus

Fleas are pests of humans and animals. They are small wingless insect, 1/12 to 1/6 inch long. Brown and can jump several inches to get on a passing animal. They can find animals from the vibrations of the animal walking or from the CO₂ emitted from breathing and from emissions from the skin.

The female flea will lay a few eggs each day on the host animal. These eggs fall off when the animal moves, therefor the closer to where the animal sleeps more eggs will be found. Female fleas take several blood meals per day. They use some of the blood for energy, then excrete the remainder of the blood as undigested material. This excretion dries and falls off the animal with the eggs. When the eggs hatch into larvae the larvae eat and survive on the blood excretion of the female fleas on the animal. When the larvae stage is compete the larvae makes a silk line cocoon in which it pupates. Once the larvae has undergone metamorphosis into an adult flea it can stay in the cocoon for many months waiting for a suitable hose to walk by. It comes out of the cocoon and jumps on the animal to begin another life cycle. Animals may be carrying several female fleas all laying eggs every day. There may be several hundred eggs, larvae and cocoon's in and around where the animal lives and roams.

Treatment involves cleaning / vacuuming in and around where the animal spends time. Treating of the pet by the owner followed by treatment of the premises where the animal lives and roams. Often two treatments are necessary to retreat where the cocoons have matured after the first treatment.