Facts About Sand Fleas
While taking a
walk on the beach, be careful of the sand
fleas popularly called as No-see-um or hop-along.
They live by eating fish and sucking human
blood. As we know, fleas need warm weather
for breeding, summers is the time when you
will suffer the most from them. They like
to feed on the sea weeds on beaches and whenever
waves hit the shore, sand fleas come with
them and enjoy their treat of sea weeds. They
are more active during the dawn, evening and
in night in the humid and warm areas of the
beach. They attack in groups and can jump
up to height of 10 inches because they have
strong legs. It is the female species of the
sand fleas that cause nuisance by biting.
The reason for attacks by female sand flea
is that it needs proteins for laying eggs
which are present in the blood.
Sand fleas attack fish more than humans as
they spend more time in water then beaches.
Fleas dig their stings in the slime and scales
of the fish and start destroying the skin.
There are small holes in the skin membrane
near the eyes, dorsal fins and anus through
which they enter the body of the fish. Once
they are into the skin of the fish, they can
destroy the sweet glands as well as eat other
vital organs. Their common preys are small
fish, starfish, swordfish, flying fish and
sunfish.
Though these sand fleas are small in size,
their bite can be very dangerous and painful
for humans. A sand flea bite will produce
a sensation with a high frequency wine, so
be bewaring if you hear something like this
while on the beach. The bite swells in to
large wounds and cause skin irritation and
allergy. Scratching the wound should be avoided
as that can prove more fatal. The treatments
for sand flea bite are similar to that of
mosquitoes bite. It is also advisable to wear
sandals while on beach and apply insect repellent
to repel the attack by sand fleas.
They are also carriers of various other diseases
like Carrions and Pappataci fever virus which
have many repercussions on your health. There
is a chance that some other medical problems
might occur after the bites like fever, anemia
and damage to liver and spleen. So, take the
necessary precautions so that you can have
a tension free walk on the beach.
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