ON-HOST VIABILITY AND FECUNDITY OF CTENOCEPHALIDES-FELIS (SIPHONAPTERA, PULICIDAE), USING A NOVEL CHAMBERED FLEA TECHNIQUE

The on-host viability and fecundity of cat fleas, Ctenocephalides feli s (Bouche), confined within a novel chambering system are described. U sing this system, all fleas and flea eggs are recovered from chambers after fleas have fed on cats. Thus, accurate calculations of both adul t flea survival and female flea fecundity can be made. The technique p rovides a microenvironment in which adult fleas exhibit >90% survival over 14 d. Female fleas lay an average of 9.5 eggs per day on the 2nd d of feeding, 22.1 eggs per day between days 3 and 7, and 19.6 eggs pe r day between days 3 and 14. These numbers are similar to values previ ously reported for studies in which fleas were not confined. The techn ique permits accurate, multiple sampling of experimental flea populati ons during a study, and does not require the use of pesticides or exte nsive combing to collect surviving fleas at the end of a study. Moreov er, the technique does not require that cats be caged or prevented fro m grooming. Collecting data from fleas confined in chambers is much le ss time consuming and labor intensive than studies with free-roaming f leas.