What Do Flea Bites on Humans Look Like?

Flea bites are very itchy red bumps that can cause you a lot of discomfort. Although fleas don’t live on humans, they can jump on you and bite you when dogs, cats or other pets bring them into your home. Flea bites on humans are often confused with other insects’ bites, so in this article I will explain how flea bites on humans look like and I’ll also include at the end of the article pictures of flea bites.

Flea bites on humans can occur in any part of the body, but most commonly fleas bite the lower part of the leg, mainly feet and ankles. These areas are close to the ground hence are easy target for the fleas. However flea bites on humans can appear in the upper part of the body, if, for example, your pet sleeps in your bed or climbs on the sofa.

What Are Fleas?

Fleas are tiny wingless insects which are adapted for piercing the skin and suck blood of warm-blooded animals. Adults fleas are up to about 3 mm (0.12 in) long and they range in color from light brown to almost black. These parasites are well adapted for jumping and can jump upwards more than 30 cm (13 in).

The life cycle of fleas is typical for an insect: the female lays eggs on the host animal. Several days later the eggs hatch and begin developing as a larvae. At a later stage they change into pupae until they are ready to emerge as adult fleas. The main goal of an adult flea is to suck blood and reproduce.

Adult fleas usually live for 2-3 months, and under ideal conditions of food supply and temperature it can live much longer, but without a host to feed on, its life span can be only several days.

What do Flea Bites on Humans Look Like?

If you want to know if you have flea bites, you need to know their common symptoms.

Most flea bites on humans appear like groups or clusters of small red dots or bumps. Usually flea bites appear in groups of three or four. The flea bite can start from a tiny red spot on your skin that can be hardly noticeable. But your body’s immune reaction to the flea bite causes your skin to swell and become red and itchy and the skin around the bite may become red, sore or painful, and it might be accompanied with burning sensations.

Some people are very sensitive to flea bites, and may also develop an allergic reaction which can result in large areas of redness, intense itching and small pimples. Some of the symptoms of severe allergic reaction to flea bites on humans are:

• Dizziness
• Difficulty in breathing
• Nausea and swelling of different body parts

When you scratch the itchy flea bite, your skin can become injured and develop a skin infection. This is why it’s important to treat flea bites quickly to soothe the itch and the discomfort they cause, and to prevent further complications.

You can easily treat flea bites at home with common ingredients that can be found in many kitchens. Apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, and honey are some of the best natural remedies to soothe itchy flea bites and shorten the healing process. You will find detailed instructions on how to use these remedies in my article on natural home remedies for flea bites.

In addition to treating your flea bites, it’s important to make sure and get rid of any fleas from your pets, home and garden. One of the natural ingredients that is used to kill fleas is food grade diatomaceous earth.

How Long Do Flea Bites on Humans Last?

The redness which is a result of the flea bites usually lasts from several hours to several days, depending on your body reaction to the bites and their extent. Scratching the flea bites will delay healing time and can cause a secondary skin infection. In rare cases, flea bites can cause prolonged effect that can last several weeks or months.

Flea Bites vs. Other Insect Bites

Sometimes it can be very difficult to distinguish between flea bites and other bugs’ bites, such as mosquitoes and bed bugs.

Flea bites vs. bed bug bites

Sometimes bed bug bites are confused with flea bites, as both can cause severe itching, redness, inflammation and swelling. But while flea bites on humans occur at any time you are around the house, bed bugs are mostly active when it’s dark, so you will be bitten while you are asleep.

Flea bites on humans appear more like clusters of small red spots and they don’t always swell. Bed bug bites tend to appear more inflamed and become red, swollen, raised and look more like mosquito bites with the possibility of forming blisters. Bed bug bites also tend to appear in a straight pattern.

Flea bites on humans commonly appear on the legs and ankles whereas bed bug bites are located all around the body, mostly on the face and arms.

If your house is infested with bed bugs, read my article about the top 10 home remedies to get rid of bed bugs naturally.

Flea bites vs. mosquito bites

Mosquito bites can appear as a single bite and occur on all body parts that are not covered by clothing. Flea bites on humans tend to appear on the lower part of the leg and ankles and tend to appear in groups or clusters.
Mosquito bites are also larger with slightly raised red area whereas flea bites are smaller, and usually look like red spot, and usually appear less inflamed.

Flea bites can occur during any time of the year and day, whereas mosquito bites appear during the warm season and tend to occur during the evening and nighttime or near areas with water source.

If you have a lot of mosquitoes around your area, you can use these 10 natural ways to repel mosquitoes, or plant these 14 best plants that repel mosquitoes. And if you’ve been bitten by mosquitoes, here are the 15 best natural ways to relieve mosquito bites.

Flea Bite Pictures

Below you can find flea bite pictures to help you determine if your bites are indeed flea bites. As I mentioned previously this can sometimes be difficult as there are similarities between flea bites and other insects’ bites or allergic reaction. Also, people may react differently to flea bites so your bites may look slightly different than the flea bite photos below.

As a general note, it’s always a good idea to see your doctor if you are unsure about the cause of your bite.

Flea bite picture #1: flea bites on feet and ankles

As I’ve mentioned in this article, most commonly fleas bite the lower part of the leg, mainly the feet and ankles as they are close to the ground hence are easy target for the fleas.

Flea bite picture #2: flea bites on legs

After the feet, naturally, the fleas will start moving up to your ankles and legs. The picture below is an example of flea bites on legs.

More flea bite pictures

As you’ll notice in the below flea bite pictures, the fleas have bitten other skin areas. This might be a result of a pet (with flees) sleeping in a bed together with the person.

Read my other related articles:
1. How to Naturally Get Rid of Fleas From Your Home, Garden and Pets
2. How to Get Rid Of Flea Bites Quickly and Naturally
3. How to Use Diatomaceous Earth (DE) to Kill Fleas
4. Wolf Spider Bite: Effective Treatments and Identification
5. How to Effectively Kill Bed Bugs Using Diatomaceous Earth (DE)