Where do fleas live in winter? - briefly
During the cold season, adult fleas remain on warm‑blooded hosts or in insulated indoor sites such as bedding, carpets, and wall cracks where temperature stays above freezing. Their eggs and larvae develop in the same protected microhabitats, hidden from external cold.
Where do fleas live in winter? - in detail
Fleas survive the cold months by seeking protected micro‑environments where temperature remains above the lethal threshold (typically 10 °C) and relative humidity stays near 70 %. The primary refuge is the body of a warm‑blooded host; adult fleas remain on dogs, cats, and other mammals, feeding intermittently and reproducing when conditions permit. When hosts retreat indoors, fleas follow, establishing colonies inside homes.
Additional winter shelters include:
- Pet bedding and furniture: Flea eggs, larvae, and pupae accumulate in cushions, blankets, and upholstered seats, where insulation maintains suitable warmth.
- Carpet and floor cracks: Soil‑like debris in carpet fibers or gaps between floorboards provides a stable microclimate for development stages.
- Animal shelters and nests: Wild rodents, rabbits, and other mammals create insulated burrows that protect flea populations from external cold.
- Indoor heating zones: Areas near radiators, heating vents, or warm appliances retain higher temperatures, allowing pupae to complete metamorphosis.
In the pupal stage, fleas form a protective cocoon that can remain dormant for months, awaiting a host’s passage. This diapause mechanism enables survival even when ambient conditions dip below the normal activity range. Once a host moves through a suitable habitat, the cocoon ruptures, and the adult emerges ready to feed.
Effective winter control requires treating both the host (using veterinary‑approved flea preventatives) and the environment (vacuuming, washing bedding at high temperatures, applying insect growth regulators to carpets and cracks). By eliminating the insulated refuges, flea populations cannot persist through the cold season.