Wander Lord

Interesting on art, nature, people, history

Flea – interesting parasite

Flea – interesting parasite

Flea – interesting parasite


Fleas are insects that live as parasites on birds and mammals, including humans. They depend on the animal they live on for food. Fleas bite the animal and feed on its blood. They can spread diseases. There are about 1,600 species of flea. The largest individual is only about 1 centimeter long. Fleas are excellent jumpers.
A flea has four stages of life: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. A female flea can lay more than 20 eggs every day. Adult fleas live for a few weeks to about a year.
Fleas commonly spend a great deal of time off their hosts, for example, in vegetation or on the ground. They can generally survive for a long time without feeding.

The most deadly disease that can be spread to humans by fleas is bubonic plague or black death. Bubonic plague can occur in epidemics that afflict large numbers of people, and can result in high mortality rates. Another disease is murine flea-borne typhus.
Trained fleas from ancient times entertained the audience in small circuses. In Europe, for a long time, there were people who knew how to train insects and stage rather complex performances.
In the XVII century gallant young people caught a flea on a date with a lady and put it in a medallion.
Cute fleas

Cute fleas


In the XVIII century there were so many fleas in the palaces of the French nobility that it was necessary to invent flea traps – small gold boxes with holes. People carried them on their necks, but the effectiveness was questionable.
King Louis XIV of France ordered the establishment of a special post at the court – a page for catching fleas.
Another effective medieval way to get rid of parasites was to give it another victim. For this purpose, the young ladies carried ermines, martens, ferrets and small dogs: their body temperature is higher, so the bloodsuckers willingly jumped on animals.
Great masters of the word, beginning with Aesop, almost all paid tribute to the flea and artists dedicated them their paintings.

Flea – interesting parasite

Dangerous flea

Dangerous flea

Flea on the skin

Flea on the skin

Fleas are eating

Fleas are eating

Interesting flea

Interesting flea

Pretty flea

Pretty flea

Flea traps in art

A monument to the cyber flea was opened in Tula

A monument to the cyber flea was opened in Tula

Elegant 18th century flea trap, Germany

Elegant 18th century flea trap, Germany

Elegant hand-made flea trap

Elegant hand-made flea trap

Elegant hand-made flea trap

Elegant hand-made flea trap

Flea on the ball

Flea on the ball

Flea trap netsuke in the form of an egg

Flea trap netsuke in the form of an egg

Francesco Parmigianino

Francesco Parmigianino

Hans Holbein the Younger. Portrait of a lady with a squirrel and a starling

Hans Holbein the Younger. Portrait of a lady with a squirrel and a starling

Jacopo Pontormo. Portrait of a lady in a red dress

Jacopo Pontormo. Portrait of a lady in a red dress

Lavinia Fontana. A noble lady

Lavinia Fontana. A noble lady

Leonardo da Vinci. Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani (Lady with the Ermine)

Leonardo da Vinci. Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani (Lady with the Ermine)

Madame Bouvillon is asking Ragotin to look for fleas. Jean-Baptiste Pater, 18th century

Madame Bouvillon is asking Ragotin to look for fleas. Jean-Baptiste Pater, 18th century

Monument to Levsha who managed to shoe a flea. Chelyabinsk

Monument to Levsha who managed to shoe a flea. Chelyabinsk

Monument to Levsha who managed to shoe a flea. Chelyabinsk

Monument to Levsha who managed to shoe a flea. Chelyabinsk

Nicholas Hilliard. Elizabeth I Tudor with an ermine

Nicholas Hilliard. Elizabeth I Tudor with an ermine

Paolo Caliari (Veronese), 1551. Countess Livia da Porto Thiene.

Paolo Caliari (Veronese), 1551. Countess Livia da Porto Thiene.

Willem Basse. Catching fleas

Willem Basse. Catching fleas