Insects have cut-up bodies, exoskeletons, and joint legs, with their bodies being divided into three parts:
- The head- It consists of the eyes, mouth, and antennae
- Three-segmented thorax- It consists of three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings
- Abdomen- This consists of different organs such as digestive, reproductive, and excretory organs.
Key Takeaways
- Fleas are small, wingless insects that feed on the blood of mammals and birds, and they are known for their ability to jump long distances relative to their size.
- Gnats are small, flying insects that belong to various families within the order Diptera; some species are harmless and feed on plant material, while others, like mosquitoes, feed on blood.
- The primary difference between fleas and gnats is that fleas are wingless, blood-feeding insects that infest mammals and birds, whereas gnats are flying insects with varying feeding habits.
Fleas vs Gnats
The difference between fleas and gnats is that Fleas are in the Siphonaptera order, whereas Gnats are in the Nematocera suborder. Fleas are tiny parasites that do not have wings and cling to hosts for survival. On the other hand, gnats small tiny insects that can fly.
There are numerous types of insects belonging to different breeds. Some can fly, some crawl, whereas some jump.
Fleas and Gnats are two such kinds. Usually, Gnats are seen around stinking drains, rotten or spoilt food, or other types of waste.
On the other hand, Fleas stick to pets like cats or dogs. They spread around the place.
Gnats do not cause any harm to humans, whereas fleas may bite. The main reason for such insects in your house may be that they seek food or water.
In the case of fungus gnats, they look out to eat fungi. On the other hand, fleas are parasites flung onto host sources such as cats or dogs.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Fleas | Gnats |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Fleas are tiny parasites that do not have wings and rely on hosts for survival. | Gnats are tiny insects with wings that feed on plants, fungi, or blood. |
| Eyes | These have plain eyes. | These have complex eyes. |
| Appearance | Fleas are flat towards the side and have muscular bodies. | Gnats have long legs and fragile bodies. They have one pair of wings. |
| Size | The size of fleas may vary from 1.5 mm to 3.5 mm. | The size of Gnats may vary from 1 mm to 15 mm. |
| Ability to move | These do not have wings; they have long legs that help them jump long distances. | These have flying insects and have a pair of wings |
| Eggs | They lay eggs on the host. The tiny eggs are white and oval. | They lay their eggs on land or water. |
What are Fleas?
Fleas are tiny parasites that rely on their hosts for survival by sucking blood. Depending on the species, they feed on warm-blooded animals.
They might also transmit diseases to their host. They are dark in colour ranging from brown to black.
Fleas do not have wings; hence they use their long-tailored legs to jump from one place to another. A fun fact is they can jump a distance of more than 50 times their body length.
If one has pets in his house, the fleas may reproduce very quickly. Even without pets, they may use the yards as their host and increase in number very soon.
The eggs laid by the fleas are tiny white eggs oval. The larvae are tiny worm-like, mainly feeding on adult fleas’ faeces.
Their bodies are flat and thin with hard shells. To kill them, one has to press them between his nails or any other rigid surface.
What are Gnats?
Gnats are tiny insects with wings in the Nematocera suborder. Some the common species of the gnats are black gnats, sand flies, fungus gnats, drain flies, and fruit flies are some of its common species.
Depending on their species, they may feed on Blood, plants, insects, or fungi. They may also feed on crops and be plant pollinators.
Their length may vary from 1 mm to 15 mm. They are small, fragile insects with a pair of wings.
They have six long legs and three body parts. They lay eggs on land or water.
The larvae laid by them may be movable or immovable. They may also be aquatic or terrestrial.
Gnats have an essential role in nature. They serve as a source of food for other insects and birds.
They also help pollinate flowers.
Main Differences Between Fleas and Gnats
- The size of fleas may differ from 1.5 mm to 3.5 mm, whereas the size of gnats may differ from 1 mm to 15 mm.
- Fleas are tiny parasites without wings in the Siphonaptera order. Gnats are tiny flying insects in the Nematocera suborder.
- Fleas have muscular bodies covered with sclerites, whereas gnats have fragile bodies.
- Fleas have plain eyes. Gnats have complex eyes.
- The eggs laid by fleas are tiny white eggs oval in shape. These are laid on the host they are surviving on. The eggs laid by gnats are laid on land or water.
- Fleas do not have wings. Instead, they have long legs which help them jump long distances. Gnats have a pair of wings to fly.
- Fleas feed on the hosts and suck blood. Their larvae feed on the faeces of adult fleas. The gnats feed on fungi, plants, or blood, depending on the species. Their larvae feed on plants.
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
The post does a great job explaining the differences between fleas and gnats, I found the table and the sections about what each insect is and what they do particularly helpful.
Agreed, for those of us not well-versed in insect taxonomy, it is crucial to have a comparison table.
This article is very informative, and it provides a clear differentiation between fleas and gnats. It is helpful to be able to identify each of them, as they may not seem different at first glance but are indeed very different creatures.
I agree, I didn’t know half of this stuff about fleas and gnats.