A flea can hatch from its cocoon, jump on a passing pet, and begin feeding in as little as 7 seconds.
 

Unfortunately, scientists believe there is no such thing as an effective flea repellent. It seems that fleas are not repelled by garlic, citronella or brewers yeast.
 

Adult fleas are permanent ectoparasites. In other words, once they have landed on a pet, they'll stay there until they're removed by grooming or die. That's logical. After all, if you're already sitting in the best restaurant in town, why move?
 

Adult fleas usually live for a matter of days on a cat or dog, unless swallowed by the pet, or killed by an insecticide. They account for only 5% of a typical flea infestation at any one time (the rest existing in the egg, larval and pupal life stages).
 

Once again, some important flea control lessons here:
 

1. Remember, the objective is to kill fleas, not repel them!
 

2. Whilst it's adult fleas that make most people squirm, they are in fact the smallest part of the problem. Before they die, adult female fleas will lay hundreds of eggs around the home. Effective flea control means using a combination of 2 different types of insecticide: one that kills the fleas on your pet, and the other to prevent fleas laying eggs around your house.