Sand fleas are only one millimeter in size, at least they are before they attach themselves to a host and start feeding, the sand flea is like all fleas a parasite, it will feed on almost any warm blooded animal, including your pets and your family. Most of the time if you get bitten by a flea it is an irritation and inconvenience in some cases it can be much worse.
The bite from one of these fleas may be mistaken as a mosquito bite as it will leave a small red mark where it has bitten into the skin, this is normally sore and itchy for about a week, if the irritation continues for more than a week or if you suffer from other symptoms such as a fever it is recommended you seek medical treatment and see your doctor as soon as possible as just like mosquitoes these fleas can carry and spread disease when the bite you.
While the sand fleas start at only one millimeter in size before feeding the female can grow up to ten times this size while feeding and this can be extremely bad news for the host. The male sand flea will die almost immediately after mating, the female however does not, she can nest in the skin of the host while feeding, this can cause lumps in the skin, you may not have been aware of the flea until this point but when the one centimeter lumps appear beneath the skin it is a sign that is often noticed and an indication that something is wrong.
One of the risks you get with a sand flea that has embedded itself into your skin is a heightened risk of blood clots, and the chances of diseases being spread from the flea into your blood stream are greatly increased. The fleas can not be removed by you digging them out yourself all this will do is cause you to run the risk of contracting an infection in the wound, you need to have the flea removed by a doctor who can ensure the whole flea is removed and that the wound is cleaned and dressed properly. If you leave the flea under your skin it will continue to feed on you and will continue to grow so doing nothing is not an option.
If your pets are going to be on the beach check that the anti flea medication the use will also protect them from sand fleas.
Some simple preventative measures will help reduce your risks of getting bitten by these fleas, one is to ensure you ware socks and shoes and long trousers when on the beach, the simple reason is that if the flea can not get to your skin it can not bite you. The fleas also avoid the hottest parts of the day, so if you are going to the beach try to go during the day not in the cooler evening. While getting your sun screen from the chemist it may also be a good idea to get some insect repellent that also targets sand fleas.
