Sand fleas are small, stealthy parasitic creatures that lurk in moist sand and salt water. Salt marshes and tidal creeks are the perfect breeding grounds for these annoying pests. When you come into contact with them, they will feast on your blood like vampires, biting you repeatedly until they find another host or you extract them from your body. You’ll likely feel their bites before you see them. The first indication of their presence is a stinging sensation like that of nettles or mosquitoes. As the parasites feed on your blood, they will burrow under your skin and itch terribly. If this sounds like something you want to avoid at all costs, read on to learn how to get rid of sand fleas on your body.
How To Get Rid Of Sand Fleas On Your Body?
Use a flea and tick spray
Many people try to wash sand fleas off their bodies with water, but this is not effective because sand fleas are able to hold on to your skin with their claws. Instead, use a flea and tick spray to kill the sand fleas that are on your body as soon as possible. You can also use a disinfectant spray to clean your clothes if sand fleas have crawled into them. Alternatively, you can put your clothes in a hot dryer (on high heat) for about 20 minutes, which will kill the sand fleas and their eggs.
Remove your clothes immediately
As soon as you get home from the beach, remove your clothes. Sand fleas can live for days on your clothes, so you want to get them off as soon as you can. If you have a suitcase full of sand flea-infested beach clothing, they can jump to your other clothes in your home. Thus, it’s best to throw sand flea-infested clothes in the dryer as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can also place your clothes in a hot dryer bag to kill the sand fleas and their eggs.
Change your environment
If you live in a sandy area, your sand flea problem is going to be a lot more serious than if you live in a more grassy area. So, you can change your environment by planting long grasses in your backyard or moving away from sandy areas. You can also put sand flea traps near your house to catch sand fleas before they make it indoors.
Try natural remedies for sand fleas
Many people search for natural remedies for sand fleas because they want to avoid using potentially dangerous chemicals on their skin. Thus, you can try using a mixture of lemon juice and coconut oil on your skin to kill sand fleas. You can also use aloe vera to soothe the itching. You can also try using a poultice made from hot peppers and cloves. You can also try a homemade remedy of vinegar, baking soda, and water. You can spray this on your body to kill sand fleas.
Wash with soap and water
If you still have sand fleas on your body after trying the other methods, then you can always just wash with soap and water. Be sure to clean all of your skin, especially your feet and ankles. You can also use a loofah to scrub hard-to-reach areas of your body. Be sure to throw away any clothes that have sand fleas on them as soon as possible. If you follow these 5 ways to get rid of sand fleas on your body, then you should have no trouble getting rid of them and their itchy bites. Now that you know how to get rid of sand fleas, you can enjoy spending time at the beach without being bothered by sand fleas. Now that you know how to get rid of sand fleas, you can enjoy spending time at the beach without being bothered by sand fleas. Follow these tips, and you’ll be sand flea-free in no time.
Why Sand Fleas On Your Body?
They are Small, Dark, and Hard to Spot
First of all, let’s say that these little sand flea pests are incredibly hard to spot. If you are walking through grass or sandy areas, you might not even notice when some of these pests crawl under your pants and bite you. They are small, and dark and they blend in with sand and soil – it’s almost impossible to see them unless you’re looking for them. If you decide to go outside and spend a few hours in your backyard, you should expect to come home with some bites on your legs – sand fleas are crazy when it comes to biting. They usually bite you on your ankles and lower legs, but you can also get them on your arms and hands. They usually don’t bite you on the torso, so if you have a few bites on your legs and arms, you can bet that it’s sand fleas.
They Like Shady Areas
Sand fleas are a very common sight in areas with sandy soil or lots of grass. If you have a vegetable or flower garden, you will likely have sand fleas. They also like shady areas, so if you live near a forest, you are less likely to have them. When they bite you, they inject some saliva into your blood. This saliva is their food – it allows them to feed on your blood without harming you. If you notice a few bites on your ankles and lower legs, the best thing you can do is wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts when you’re in these areas. If you’re going for a hike through sandy areas, you can also use a long-sleeved shirt, a long-legged pair of pants, and a hat – this way, sand fleas won’t be able to bite you and you’ll have an enjoyable hike.
The Bites Can Cause Irritation and Itching
As we already said, these sand fleas usually feed on humans. They usually don’t bite animals like cows and chickens, so these animals aren’t affected by them. These pests have a very strong jaw – when they bite you, they pierce your skin and inject a small amount of saliva. The saliva contains proteins, which are the sand flea’s food. The best way to deal with sand fleas is to kill them before they have a chance to bite you. If they have bitten you, you can use some anti-itch creams to soothe the irritation and itching. You can also use some aloe vera gel to soothe and heal the bites. You can even use a warm compress to calm the itching.
How To Tell If You Have Sand Fleas?
- Before you try to kill sand fleas, you have to first find them. Since they prefer moist areas, you’re likely to find them on warm, humid bodies of water.
- If you notice an abundance of tiny black spots in salt marshes, tidal creeks, or other moist coastal areas, there’s a strong chance that you have sand fleas.
- You may also find sand fleas in sandy, moist areas near the seashore. You can identify the pests by the tiny black spots on their backs, which resemble grains of sand.
- Lastly, you can detect these pesky parasites by their bites or burrowing sensations.
- You’ll know you’ve been bitten by sand fleas if you notice a stinging sensation and red bump like you’ve been stung by mosquitoes.
- If you feel something crawling around under your skin, you most likely have sand fleas.
Tips For How To Get Rid Of Sand Fleas On Your Body
Before you start trying to kill sand fleas, you should first try to find out where they are breeding. Look around coastal areas and creeks for signs of sand flea infestation. Once you’ve located their breeding grounds, you can try to clear them out.
- Salt water bath – Sand fleas greatly prefer areas with high salt content. You can kill sand fleas by polluting their breeding grounds with salt water. If you find an infestation near a creek or the ocean, you can try to clear them out by taking a saltwater bath. Be careful not to pollute freshwater sources with salt water, though.
- Dryer sheet trick – Sand fleas can’t survive in areas with low or no humidity. If you find an infestation near a creek, you can try to kill the sand fleas by increasing the humidity around the area. You can do this by hanging a dryer sheet wherever you’ve found signs of sand fleas. The dryer sheet will increase humidity, reducing the sand flea’s breeding grounds.
Conclusion
Finally, you can also combat sand fleas by staying out of coastal areas and creeks during their breeding season. There are several sand flea seasons around the world, but the most common season is during the summer. During the breeding season, it’s best to avoid coastal areas like beaches, lakesides, and marshes. By staying out of coastal areas during sand flea season, you can avoid sand fleas completely.
