Head Lice Information: Lice, Nits And

Their Life Cycle

Author: Paula Tooney

There are countless myths about head lice and this is why it is essential to have access to
reliable, unbiased head lice information. Here is a detailed description of the head louse and
its eggs, called nits, as well as more information on the life cycle of head lice.

The Head Louse

The head louse is a small wingless insect, which body is flattened. Its color is white but once
soaked with blood, it becomes red or black. It measures 2 to 3 mm. Wingless, it does not fly
nor does it jump but it moves quickly (speed of 23 cm per minute under natural conditions)
between the hair to which it clings tightly with 3 pairs of short legs. Its abdomen is wider than
the rest of the body.

The head louse breathes through holes that can close themselves and become impermeable to
water. These openings also have a function of excretion. Its head has short antennae and
highly specialized mouthparts that allow the head louse to perform piercing and sucking
actions. Feeding exclusively on the blood of its host, who it bites 2 to 4 times per day for
meals that last about 30 minutes. It can live on the scalp for over a month (30 to 40 days).

Far away from his host, the head louse rarely survives more than 36 hours, it dies of starvation
or dehydration. It must indeed be regularly fed with blood, and the weather and moisture
conditions necessary to its survival are quite strict: temperature between 28 and 32°C with
70% to 80% humidity. The head louse is an external parasite of humans, which means that it
absolutely must be on a human in order to survive. We know of no head lice predators.

Nits

The eggs of head lice are called nits and have the appearance of grain with a caramel color
when laid, and they become more or less white when they are empty.

Nits are very hard to spot as they measure approximately 0.8 mm and are glued to the hair by
a secretion of the female louse.This secretion (cementum) coats the base of the nit and the hair
which hold together firmly.

The female lays its nits at the root of the hair very close to the scalp (less than 1 mm) where
the incubation is easier thanks to the heat and humidity.

After hatching, the empty shell of the nit can remains on the hair for several months. Whitish,
it gradually moves away from the root as the hair grows.

Empty nits can easily be taken for dandruff but unlike those, they are resistant to washing and
brushing hair.
The life cycle of the louse

Lice reproduce very quickly. The male is a tireless lover who can fertilize 18 females in a row
without having a rest. The females mate several times during their adult life that can vary
from ten to forty days. They lay from 4 to 10 eggs or nits daily for about 3 to 5 weeks, which
means a total of 100 to 300 eggs or nits.

The nits hatch occurs after 7 days, giving birth to a larva. The latter resembles the adult but of
course is smaller, measuring about 1 mm. The adult stage is reached after approximately 10
days after 3 successive molts. Thus from the laying of the egg to the emergence of the adult
there are 17 days, and the adult will live for 30 to 40 days.

Since the 1970s, there has been a global increase in the number of cases of pediculosis. It is
considered by some authors as the most common contagious disease in schools, after
respiratory infections. Indeed it affects mainly children, and particularly children from 5 to 11
years. Head lice are present all year with peak periods (summer and autumn).

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/head-lice-

information-lice-nits-and-their-life-cycle-2034787.html

About the Author

For more head lice information, visit http://headlicecenter.com.

Paula Tooney is a mother of two and a home remedies enthusiast.