Influence of temperature and humidity on survival and development of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae).

The survival and development of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, were assessed at various temperatures and relative humidities (RH). The upper and lower temperature limits for development (egg to adult) were 32 and 13 °C. The length of the developmental period ranged from 14 to 140 days at these temperature extremes. Complete development occurred from 50-92% RH. Immature C. felis reared at 92% RH produced larger adults than those reared at 50% RH. At 27 °C, the minimum RH necessary for greater than 50% survival of the immature stages was egg, 33%; larva, 50%; and pupa, 2%. Adult longevity increased with increasing RH and decreasing temperature. The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouche), is an annoying pest of man and his household pets. Bites of this flea may result in localized allergic reactions (Hudson et al. 1960). Cat fleas serve as an intermediate host of the dog tapeworm, Dipylidium caninum (Cheng 1973) and, of greater concern, C. felis may transmit murine typhus (Traub et al. 1978) and plague (Pollitzer 1960). There is a paucity of information on the habits and environmental requirements of this flea. Bacot (1914) and Karandikar & Munshi (1950) described the life history of C. felis. The effects of temperature, relative humidity, and larval dietary requirements on C. felis development were briefly discussed by Bruce (1948). In another larval dietary study, Strenger (1973) reported that under natural conditions larval survival was dependent upon the availability of adult flea excrement. The present laboratory studies were undertaken to gather better information concerning environmental factors, namely temperature and humidity, as they relate to cat flea survival and development. MATERIALS AND METHODS