Sand flea is extended in tropical Africa and tropical America. After fertilization the flea female gets under the skin of the person, mostly in foot area or under the toes’ nails where it grows till the size of a pea as its belly is inflated because of a bid number of eggs.
When the sand flea gets on a human it crawls very fast in a search of wet spots. It is remarkable that the sand flea likes to get into the socks. However, it is impossible to get rid of the sand flea even if you take all your clothes off: the flea can live in there for some days. When the flea finds a suitable place on the skin, it injects into it a liquid which contains the enzymes transforming cells of a skin in a food. When the hole made by the flea on your skin becomes deep enough, it postpones eggs there.
How long do sand flea bites last?
Each person has different health. Normally, it should take for about two weeks for the bite to completely disappear but remember: do not to scratch the sting or it will take a longer time to treat it.
Remember, never itch the sand flea bites, otherwise they will easily transform into lump or blister. The best way to protect yourself from the send flea bites is to wear long trousers with elastic bands on the ankles, a shirt with long sleeves and the closed footwear, thus it would be hard for these creatures to reach you. The life cycle of the sand flea is 24 hours and it has a lot of things to do. All in all it sucks our blood with a great appetite. Repellent doesn’t help much, on the contrary, it erodes the bites. Better put the repellent on the clothes.
The sand fleas can settle even on the lashes.
Sand flea bites treatment
- If you were bitten by the sand fleas and the stings disturb you, take an antihistamine pill and cover the bites in calamine lotion.
- Don’t scratch the sand flea bites or they will get larger, redder, and more irritated.
- You can buy anti-itch creams and gels at the local drugstore and use it on the bitten areas.
- To avoid getting more bites, put some bug spray on your body when you are out and avoid opened windows unless they are covered with mesh.
Warning
If your sand flea bite is larger than the diameter of a quarter, you may be allergic to the sand fleas. In this case you should see a doctor immediately or go to the emergency room if you have severe swelling. If you have sand flea stings, your home may be infected too. Contact an exterminator for help and while waiting spray the bug spray on the furniture for a quick fix.