Facts About Head Lice
Lice have existed and lived side-by-side with mankind since the beginning of time. Lice infestations have been documented by every ancient civilization around the world. At many archaeological sites 'nit combs' have been found, including solid gold ones entombed with Egyptian mummies. There has been much folklore and myth surrounding the contraction and treatment of head lice over the centuries and we at LiceLogic are here to bring you the facts as they are known today. We hope we can dispel the myths that so often accompany an outbreak of head lice.
THE SYMPTOMS
The classic symptoms of head lice are a very itchy scalp often accompanied by vigorous scratching. A sensation of something moving or crawling through the hair is often felt. In some cases you may find red sores or superficial red bumps or bite marks that appear as small red spots, especially around the ear area and the nape of the neck, two of head lice’s favorite spots to hang out.
There are no health risks associated with having head lice and they are not known to carry any disease. However children may have swollen lymph nodes in the front and back of the neck due to excrement and bacteria in the saliva of these parasitic, biting insects.
HOW TO CHECK FOR HEAD LICE
Head lice do not like bright light so it is best to check in direct sunlight or under a bright light. They can be very difficult to spot as they move quickly. The nits are easier to spot as they do not move and stay firmly attached to the hair strand (after the eggs hatch the empty sac will still be attached to the hair strand) and the nymphs (or baby lice) are the hardest of all to see as they are very small and also move very quickly.
Carefully inspect your child’s head by dividing the hair into sections and closely examine the hair closest to the scalp, the first 1/4 - 1/2 inch especially. Depending on the degree of infestation it may be difficult to spot a lone egg but all it takes is one egg to trigger an infestation so take your time. A magnifying glass may help as eggs are often smaller than a grain of salt. If you see dots or specs in the hair try to see if they move when you blow on them. A nit will be glued onto the hair strand and will not blow away or fall off with movement. It will need to be pulled off as it is glued onto the hair strand. The eggs are usually oval in shape and can appear in color anywhere from white, to off-white, yellow, brown or reddish. See diagram below:
HOW DO HEAD LICE SURVIVE AND THRIVE?
Head lice feed on the scalp about five times a day and they do so by piercing the head with tiny hook like claws. They then inject a tiny amount of saliva into the head in order to keep the blood from clotting and begin sucking tiny amounts of blood.There are male and female head lice and the female louse, during its’ lifetime, can lay up to 150 eggs at a rate of about 6-8 per day.The life expectancy of a louse is from 3-6 weeks-from birth to death. This may vary with temperature, humidity, and climate. The cycle of a head louse has three stages: A nit, also known as an egg is laid and then hatches into a nymph, also known as a baby louse, which then in time grows into an adult louse.
The female lays eggs close to the scalp, usually nor further than the first ½ inch of the hair and may move down the hair shaft as they mature. When an egg or nit hatches, it releases a nymph (or baby louse) while the nit shell (or egg shell) stays attached to the hair.
Nits (or eggs) are usually adhered to one side of a strand of hair by a type of nit glue that the louse manufactures when laying the eggs. Therefore the nits (or eggs) will not move from the hair strand when the hair moves, gets wet, blown on, etc…to check your child’s hair blow on it to see if these small dots that are often mistaken for dandruff move. If they do not move it is most likely a nit that is waiting to hatch into a nymph.
Lice crawl about nine inches a minute but lice cannot fly or jump. They spread by crawling from head to head, i.e. when two little girls are reading a book together and their heads are touching. Lice also can “trapeze” from one persons hair to another as they have claw like hooks that will keep them from falling off hair until they are ready to let go. Lice are able to detach or let go from hair if they sense danger. Lice can crawl into a coat, couch, bedding, etc… and wait for a new human host.
Lice are able to survive for about 24-48 hours before needing to feed on a human host. If no host is available they will die.
Eggs are able to survive between 4-10 days without a human host, virtually anywhere in your environment, while waiting to hatch. After they hatch into nymphs they will need to feed within 24-48 hours or they will die.