FLEAS LICE ON POULTRY SUCKING LICE

fleas Some flea species include: Fleas are the insects forming the order Siphonaptera. They are wingless, with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood. Fleas are external parasites, living by hematophagy off the blood of mammals and birds. Some flea species include: Cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) Dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis) Human flea (Pulex irritans) Moorhen flea (Dasypsyllus gallinulae) Northern rat flea (Nosopsyllus fasciatus) Oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis) Over 2,000 species have been described worldwide.

Morphology and behavior

Fleas are wingless insects (1/16 to 1/8-inch (1. 5 to 3 Fleas are wingless insects (1/16 to 1/8-inch (1.5 to 3.3 mm) long) that are agile, usually dark colored (for example, the reddish-brown of the cat flea), with tube-like mouth-parts adapted to feeding on the blood of their hosts. Their legs are long, the hind pair well adapted for jumping: a flea can jump vertically up to 7 inches (18 cm) and horizontally up to 13 inches (33 cm), making the flea one of the best jumpers of all known animals (relative to body size), second only to the froghopper. If humans had the jumping power of a flea, a 1.8 m (6 ft) person could make a jump 90 m (295 ft) long and 49 m (160 ft) high.

Researchers with the University of Cambridge in England found that fleas take off from their tibiae and tarsi (the insect equivalent of feet) and not their trochantera, or knees.It has been known that fleas do not use direct muscle power but instead use the muscle to store energy in a protein named resilin before releasing it rapidly (like a human using a bow and arrow), with researchers using high-speed video technology and mathematical models to discover where the spring action actually happens.

Their bodies are laterally compressed, permitting easy movement through the hairs or feathers on the host's body (or in the case of humans, under clothing). The flea body is hard, polished, and covered with many hairs and short spines directed backward, which also assist its movements on the host. The tough body is able to withstand great pressure, likely an adaptation to survive attempts to eliminate them by mashing or scratching. Even hard squeezing between the fingers is normally insufficient to kill a flea. However, rolling them back and forth a dozen times disables their legs, resulting in death.

Fleas lay tiny white oval-shaped eggs better viewed through a loupe or magnifying glass. The larva is small and pale, has bristles covering its worm-like body, lacks eyes, and has mouth-parts adapted to chewing. The larvae feed on various organic matter, especially the feces of mature fleas. The adult flea's diet consists solely of fresh blood. In the pupa phase, the larva is enclosed in a silken, debris-covered cocoon.

Life cycle and habitat Fleas are holometabolous insects, going through the four life cycle stages of egg, larva, pupa, and imago (adult). Adult fleas must feed on blood before they can become capable of reproduction.[5] Flea populations are evenly distributed, with about 50% eggs, 35% larvae, 10% pupae, and 5% adults

Eggs The flea life cycle begins when the female lays after feeding. Eggs are laid in batches of up to 20 or so, usually on the host itself, which means that the eggs can easily roll onto the ground. Because of this, areas where the host rests and sleeps become one of the primary habitats of eggs and developing fleas. The eggs take around two days to two weeks to hatch

Larvae Flea larvae emerge from the eggs to feed on any available organic material such as dead insects, feces, and vegetable matter. In laboratory studies, some dietary diversity seems necessary for proper larval development. Blood only diets allow only 12% of larvae to mature, whereas blood and yeast or dog chow diets allow almost all larvae to mature. They are blind and avoid sunlight, keeping to dark places like sand, cracks and crevices, and bedding.

Pupae Given an adequate supply of food, larvae will pupate and weave silken cocoons within 1– 2 weeks after 3 larval stages. After another week or two, the adult fleas are fully developed and ready to emerge. They may remain resting during this period until they receive a signal that a host is near - vibrations (including sound), heat, and carbon dioxideare all stimuli indicating the probable presence of a host.Fleas are known to overwinter in the larval or pupal stages.

Adult flea Once the flea reaches adulthood, its primary goal is to find blood and then to reproduce.Its total life span can be as short as one year, but may be several years in ideal conditions. Female fleas can lay 5000 or more eggs over their life, allowing for phenomenal growth rates. Average 30–90 days. A flea might live a year and a half under ideal conditions. These include the right temperature, food supply, and humidity. Generally speaking, an adult flea only lives for 2 or 3 months. Without a host for food a flea's life might be as short as a few days. With ample food supply, the adult flea will often live up to 100 days.

Newly emerged adult fleas live only about one week if a blood meal is not obtained. However, completely developed adult fleas can live for several months without eating, so long as they do not emerge from their puparia. Optimum temperatures for the flea's life cycle are 21 °C to 30 °C (70 °F to 85 °F) and optimum humidity is 70%. Adult female rabbit fleas, Spilopsyllus cuniculi, can detect the changing levels of cortisol and corticosterone hormones in the rabbit's blood that indicate it is getting close to giving birth. This triggers sexual maturity in the fleas and they start producing eggs. As soon as the baby rabbits are born, the fleas make their way down to them and once on board they start feeding, mating, and laying eggs. After 12 days, the adult fleas make their way back to the mother. They complete this mini-migration every time she gives birth

Flea treatments For humans Fleas can settle in a person's hair in less than ten minutes, causing soreness and itching. The itching associated with flea bites can be treated with anti-itch creams, usuallyantihistamines or hydrocortisone.Cala mine lotion has been shown to be effective for itching.

Lice on Chickens and Poultry

Lice on Chickens and Poultry There are several types of biting lice that affect chickens and other poultry. These are known as ectoparasites or external parasites as they live on the outside of the bird Lice are between 1 to 4mm long depending on the type of louse. They can be found crawling on the bird at the base of the feathers but are fast moving so soon move out of the light when feathers are parted. They spread from bird to bird by direct contact and clumps of eggs are usually found at the base of the feathers below the vent.

Off the bird lice can survive for a few days so although less likely, can also spread from bird to bird via the hen house or litter. Most chickens will have a few lice on them from time to time and won't be particularly bothered by them but it's important not to let the numbers get out of control or they will be causing severe irritation and feather loss as they over groom, trying to rid themselves of them. On chickens it is usually Menopon gallinae that infects them. These are a straw-yellow colour flat louse about 2mm long. They are fast moving - if you part the feathers you can see them run for cover amongst feather shafts. Waterfowl usually suffer with shaft lice Holomenopen spp which are dark, thin lice. They are longer around 4mm but again soon dash for cover when exposed. They can be found on feathers close to the shaft as well as on skin. Due to their colour, they are quite hard to spot on dark coloured birds.

The Signs of Lice 1 to 4mm fast moving lice at the base of the feathers. Nits stuck to the feather shafts below the vent. A drop in the number of eggs laid. Irritation, scratching. Over preening, feather loss, broken feathers, red, bare bottoms. Nits are very hard to remove, although with care and a little warm soapy water, they can sometimes be broken off with the fingernails bit-by-bit. If there are a lots of nits, it is often easier to wait for them to hatch and kill the lice by using a powder approved for dusting on hens or by using drops of Ivermectin on the back of the neck under the guidance of a Vet which is detailed below under 'Treating Lice'.

Preventing Lice Chickens will keep the number of lice they are carrying down with dust baths and preening, Diatomaceous Earthcan be added to the dust bath which will help, although make sure it isn't too dusty because chickens are prone to respiratory problems. Inspect ex-battery hens that have had their beaks trimmed (de-beaked) regularly, since they cannot preen themselves very well so are more likely to become infested with lice. Avoid contact with other birds that have lice. Check newcomers to the flock and dust them down with a louse powder as a precaution before introducing them. If you are showing poultry, always dust birds down on their return during their quarantine period.

Treating Lice Ivermectin is by far the easiest way to remove lice on chickens, it also kills most common poultry worms and has a residual effect once applied, however it is unlicensed for use on poultry and avermectins are more toxic to waterfowl so you should only use it under the guidance of your Vet. Ivermectin is available online (details on our Ivermectin page in the Medication section) in drops that are put onto the skin at weekly intervals or as your vet advises for 3 weeks. 

Powders containing the Pyrethrium are also effective however most are not licensed to be used on birds themselves so again, you should be applying these at the instruction of your vet. Organic powders often contain tea tree and other ingredients that the lice don't like. Diatomaceous Earth (likeDiatom or Smite Powder) can be effective with a few regular treatments each week over a couple of weeks, this works by drying the lice up but getting the bird dusted all over can be difficult. It is sometimes useful to add these powders to nesting areas, bedding and into dust baths (in the case of chickens, turkeys and guinea fowl) so that birds can effectively apply these themselves. The life cycle of biting lice is around 3 weeks - so it is important when using a product to remove them that you re-check regularly and re-treat as necessary after a week as most products will not kill the eggs and these will hatch over this period.

Sucking lice Scientificclassification Kingdom:Animalia Phylum:Arthropoda Class:Insecta Subclass:Pterygota Infraclass:Neoptera Order:Phthiraptera Suborder:Anoplura Leach, 1815 Diversity 15 families Synonyms Siphunculata

Sucking lice (Anoplura, formerly known as Siphunculata) have around 500 species and represent the smaller of the two traditional suborders of lice. As opposed to the paraphyletic chewing lice, which are now divided among three suborders, the sucking lice are monophyletic. The Anoplura are all blood- feeding ectoparasites of mammals. They only occur on about 20% of all placentalian mammal species, and are unknown from several orders of mammals (Monotremata, Edentata, Pholidota, Chiroptera, Cetacea, Sirenia and Proboscidea). They can cause localized skin irritations and are vectors of several blood-borne diseases. Children appear particularly susceptible to attracting lice, possibly due to their fine hair.

At least three species or subspecies of Anoplura are parasites of humans; the human condition of being infested with sucking lice is called pediculosis. Pediculus humanus is divided into two subspecies, Pediculus humanus humanus, or the body louse, sometimes nicknamed "the seam squirrel" for its habit of laying of eggs in the seams of clothing, and Pediculus humanus capitis, or the head louse. Pthirus pubis (the crab louse) is the cause of the condition known as crabs.