Pictures of Lice and What to Look For

Pictures of LICE and NITS

Head lice are tiny, wingless, grayish tan insects that live and breed in human hair. They hatch from small eggs, called nits, which attach themselves to the base of individual hairs.

Nits can be light or dark in color, are very difficult to remove and appear to be "glued" to the hair (unlike dandruff which is easily brushed away).

Here is the pesky 'louse'. It is very small, blackish/dark brown and can crawl very quickly.

louse

These are the eggs (egg cycle below) that the lice lay. An adult female head louse lays an average of 6-7 eggs per day and the average life span is about 32 days. Eggs hatch within 7-10 days after being laid. Immature lice pass through three stages before becoming adults, which takes another 8-9 days. One pregnant adult female can produce enough offspring so a significant infestation can occur within a month.

identification of head lice and eggs

When inspecting your child from lice, a good place to look is above the ears, and at the back of the neck. You may also notice your child scratching their head more frequently.

head louse

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