Fleas can survive for a few weeks without food

There are many studies that have shown that pupae can actually live for a few months or even a year without food. When they become adults, they try to find a host to help them feed, but under special conditions, they can survive for several months without eating. 

“If you go away for a weekend and don’t realize there are fleas in your house, the moment you walk on the carpet in your living room, you’ve got flea bites up to your knees,” Hohenhaus says. “This is because the fleas are starving and they’re looking for a blood meal.”