General Info
Head Lice (scientific name pediculosis humanus capitis) are small parasitic insects that live on the human hair/head. They do not live on other parts of the human body.
Nits are eggs laid by female adult lice. They can be found at the base of the hair shaft close to the scalp.
Adult lice are six-legged, wingless insects 2-4 mm long. They have translucent grayish-white bodies if they haven’t fed and are brown when they have fed…. with six legs. Their heads have two tiny eyes (too small to be seen without magnification) and two small antennae (usually visible). Six pairs of hooks surround the mouth parts, by which they attach themselves to the skin of the scalp for feeding. The mouth contains two retractable, needle-like tubes that pierce the scalp. Salivary juices are injected into the scalp to prevent blood from clotting, and then the lice feed by sucking blood through these same tubes. Their translucent bodies turn reddish brown when engorged with blood. Nits are oval-shaped and very small, which make them hard to see. Nits can appear yellow or white when attached to a dark or brown hair shaft. However, nits are in fact sandy color brown. Nits are often confused with dandruff, scabs or hair styling products.
Head lice are very small and hard to see. They camouflage and hide well in almost any hair color. Adult lice are approximately the size of a sesame seed or small ant and can crawl extremely fast. The nits are approximately the size of a sesame seed which makes them very hard to see. The best way to determine if your child has lice is to use a professional lice comb.
There are three types of lice that live on humans: head lice, body lice and pubic lice (commonly referred to as crabs).
Super lice are lice that exist in the world today. They have mutated like many other ancient bugs and become resistant to harsh chemicals and pesticides.
Human head lice do not spread blood born pathogens, infection or disease. The scratching of the feces into the lice bites and open sores, can at times cause an infection.
Head Lice cannot infest your home like bed bugs or fleas. They can only infest your head. A louse can live in bedding, a rug, clothing or fabric for a maximum of 48 hours. Lice cannot reproduce off the head. If a nit (egg) falls out of the head, it cannot reattach to the hair, and it cannot hatch unless the environment it is in is 98.6 degrees or greater.
Lice can live on the head for approximately 30 days.
Lice can be found anywhere on the head. They are found closest to the scalp. The area across the top of the head from ear to ear and the crown is the danger zone. The danger zone is where people mostly touch heads. This is where an infestation is most likely to start.
Head lice feed off of the blood in your scalp.
Lice can be found anywhere on the head. They are found closest to the scalp. The area across the top of the head from ear to ear and the crown is the danger zone. The danger zone is where people mostly touch heads. This is where an infestation is most likely to start.
Lice crawl very quickly.
Lice have 6 legs.
No, Lice can only crawl very quickly.
While you do not need to spray or fog your home, there are certain things that need to be done to make sure that no lice have fallen off of the head. Lice cannot infest your home. They do not jump, fly, or burrow. The lice bugs can only survive a maximum of 48 hours off of the head, and if the nits (eggs) come out of the hair they cannot re-attach. They cannot hatch unless it is 98.6 degrees or greater.
Yes, they bite the scalp and feed off of the blood.
Absolutely not, as a matter of fact lice prefer cleaner scalps.