Head Lice - A Lousy Problem
Head Lice - A Lousy Problem Image source: By Gilles San Martin - originally posted to Flickr as Male human head louse, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11208622 1. Three types of sucking lice infest humans: the body louse, the head louse and the crab louse or pubic louse. 2. The head louse and the body louse are physically indistinguishable, but are easily distinguished from the crab louse . Head lice (also known as "head louse") are small insects that live in people's hair and feed on their blood. 3. Lice glue their eggs (also known as "nits") to hair so they cannot be brushed or shaken off easily. Lice eggs take about six to nine days to hatch. After they have hatched they take about seven or more days to become egg-laying adults. 4. Lice die very quickly (usually about two days) without feeding and cannot live for very long away from a person's head. 5. They need blood to survive and can live up t...