The Snow Flea

Have you been noticing ting black critters in the snow we had this year? They go by the name of snow fleas. Suzanne Blatt, an Entomologist has explained that they are the total opposite to the blood sucking flea that is interested in your pet. The snow flea is a type of scorpion-fly and is totally harmless despite the harsh name.

At 5mm long, it is not as small as a flea, but it can leap from place to place. It cannot fly as it does not have wings. It lives in moss but is mostly noticed when on snow due to the colour contrast. You will most likely see them emerge in the cold months, between October and April.

The larvae of the snow flea are active between the warmer months of the year, between late Spring and summer. It lives in the soil and pupates at the end of its burrow. Like the adult snow flea, it is predatory.

The snow flea likes cold weather, so it is native to areas which have a harsher winter. If you are in the South-West of England, you probably won’t see them, whereas If you are between Kent and Scotland you will.