Fleas are nasty little creatures. They are parasites, whose mouthparts are made for piercing skin and sucking blood. They are mobile in any direction: they can jump up to 7 inches vertically and 13 inches horizontally. That’s comparable to a human jumping 250 feet vertically and 450 feet horizontally. After emerging from the cocoon and being initially fed, an adult flea can survive from 2 months to 1 year between feedings. For a period of 2 weeks up to 8 months, a female flea can lay 15 to 20 eggs per day. That’s potentially 280 to 4,800 fleas in a relatively short time.