Fleas are tiny wingless insects that are parasites on pets. For all pet owners, the flea problem in their pet is the most dreaded problem.
There are many ways to control fleas living both indoors and outdoors.
However, introducing flea eaters in your yard is one of the most underrated ways of biological flea control.
In this guide, you’ll find out the bugs that eat fleas. The bugs and insects that you’re about to find out are beneficial insects that not only eat fleas but also many plant pests too.
Let’s find out the bugs that eat fleas and immensely help in keeping flea infestations at bay.
Ladybugs Eat Fleas
Ladybugs are natural predators of fleas. And they eat fleas in all the life stages, which include flea eggs, flea larvae and the instars.
The method effective method to reduce the flea population in your yard is by introducing ladybugs in your yard.
Or you can also create an environment to attract a few ladybugs to property.
Ladybugs are active from the early spring to late fall. And this is the period when fleas are active too.
Flea eggs hatch during the summer when many flea larvae come out.
These flea larvae are major contributor to the flea infestation in your yard and home if you don’t eliminate them.
Fortunately, ladybugs love to devour the flea larvae. They also eat other pests like mealy bugs, aphids, whiteflies, caterpillar larvae, and many other soft bodied plants pests.
They play a significant role in reducing the pest problem in your property.
Ladybugs are not poisonous. They don’t bite humans and they don’t carry any diseases either.
But your pet can have a problem if it swallows a mature ladybug.
Spiders Are Also Helpful In Flea Control
Spiders, especially the tiny jumping spiders, that live outdoors are prolific flea hunters. Jumping spiders hide in the grass blades, flower petals, and on the soil waiting for any tiny bug to hunt.
Fleas also hide in the tall grasses and dense bushes in your yard. And when spiders see fleas, they hunt and eat them.
All outdoor spiders will eat fleas if they can find them. Spiders also eat other parasitic and harmful bugs that hide in the yard, such as ticks.
Spiders are also harmless to humans unless you try to handle them. All spiders are shy of humans and they try their best to avoid human contact.
However, the spiders in your yard can sneak inside your house when the weather outdoors become too dry or wet for them.
But spiders will go for the adult fleas and not for the flea at the larval stages. So, they can’t eliminate a flea infestation in your yard entirely.
But spiders in the yard will hunt and eat other bugs in your yard, including the damaging pests.
Fire Ants Eat Fleas
Fire ants hunt and eat fleas. They’ll eat the adult fleas and fleas larvae too.
Fire ants are not the kind of ants that you’d like to see in your property. These ants are extremely dangerous and their bites and stings are very painful.
When the fire ant infestation in your yard increases, these ants invade homes.
And fire ants inside the house can even get inside electrical outlets and cause damage.
Like the fleas, fire ants build their nests in those places in your yard that moist and don’t receive direct sunlight.
These are the same areas in the yard where fleas live.
So, in the real estate between the fire ants and the fleas, the fire ants always win.
The fleas can’t escape the fire ants when they attack in droves. It’s because the fleas are wingless insects and despite being good jumpers, most of them can’t escape the onslaught of fire ants.
But we wouldn’t recommend you to tolerate fire ants in your yard just because there are fleas in the yard. Fire ants are not the solution for the flea problems in your property.
There are extremely effective methods of flea control in your yard.
However, there are microscopic worms that are natural flea predators that you can buy from the local gardening store. These are worms are nematodes.
Nematodes Eat Fleas
Nematodes work by penetrating the bodies of the bugs and releasing bacteria into the hosts’ bodies. They then slowly eat fleas and bugs from the inside cause the fleas to die.
Beneficial nematodes isn’t chemical method of flea control. It’s a biological pest control.
Nematodes work by entering the bodies of the bugs through the cavities like anus and mouth. Some nematodes work by directly penetrating the exoskeleton of the fleas and flea larvae.
Then the nematodes consume fleas from the inside. It causes the fleas to die within a few days.
But there’s more to it.
The nematodes also lay eggs inside the bugs’ bodies . And when new nematodes come out of the dead bugs’ bodies, they hunt more bugs and insects.
Using beneficial nematodes with things like diatomaceous earth can greatly help in reducing the flea population in your yard.
Praying Mantis Eat Fleas
Praying mantises are also natural predators of fleas and many other bugs in your yard and garden.
Like spiders, praying mantises are hunter. An adult praying mantis eats fleas in bulk.
They don’t pose any threat to your yard or garden. And they’re harmless to humans and pets as well.
Praying mantises love to hide in between lush vegetation and tall grasses, where fleas and many biting bugs hide.
One praying mantis is can significantly reduce the flea population in your yard because they’re natural predators of the fleas.
They also help in reducing harmful bugs for your plants by hunting them.
Other Ways Of Flea Control
Bugs that eat fleas are not the solution for full blown flea infestation in your property.
The source of fleas can be your yard. So, it makes total sense to engage in outdoor bug control if there are fleas in your property.
That also help in flea control.
One of the ways to reduce the flea problem in your property is by attracting birds.
There are many small birds that are natural predators of fleas.
So, putting in bird feeders to attract the birds will also help to keep your yard or garden free from bugs and pests.
You can also scatter diatomaceous earth in the moist and shady areas of your property.
Diatomaceous earth kill fleas by penetrating the soft bodies of the fleas and by absorbing the fats and moisture in the fleas’ bodies.
Using diatomaceous earth, nematodes, killer granules, and helpful insects helps immensely to get rid of fleas in your outdoors.
Pet owners only check their pets for fleas when their pets scratch and start to lose hair.
That’s a big mistake. If there’s a lush green yard with dense vegetation, then you must check your pet for fleas.
Your pets can bring fleas home and can transfer fleas to your bed. Fleas in the bed can cause flea bites which can trick you into thinking that there are bed bugs in the bed.
So, to prevent fleas, check your pet for any flea problem. If you find any signs of fleas, then it’ll be best to take your pet to a vet for flea removal.
Do Flea-Eating Insects Eat All The Fleas In Your Home And Yard?
Introducing bugs and nematodes that eat fleas are not effective methods of flea control.
These bugs can help in reducing the fleas in your yard, but they’re not the solution to fleas.
These bugs will also not help your pets with fleas.
So, the best way to get rid of fleas in your home and property is to hire professional pest control.
Conclusion
Ladybugs, spiders, fire ants, nematodes, and praying mantis are the five bugs that eat fleas. Attracting these bugs, except the fire ants, to your yard will help you to fight fleas.
But these insects will not eliminate all the fleas in your home and property, though they’re non toxic ways of flea control.
Female fleas lay more than 2000 eggs in her lifetime of 12 months. So, even a single female flea left behind can cause hundreds of fleas.
So, if there’s a severe flea infestation, then it’ll be best to hire professional pest control to get rid of fleas in your home and property.
Dr. Thomas Orbert is a PhD in Entomology with extensive research experience in ectoparasites and microbials. He has also worked in the spaces of ecology conservation and has multiple years of experience in field research and scientific publishing.