A lot of excitement comes with words “head lice.”  Many people squirm and orally verbalize “Yuk!.”  Head lice are not deadly!  Relax!  This article, taken from the Harvard School of Public Health and Kids Health For Parents, will provide you with some not-so-yuky advice on how to deal with these little buggers.  Before you get into the main course of this article you need to realize one thing:  The fact that your child has head lice does not mean that you are not a good parent!  It does not mean that your home is dirty!  It certainly does not mean that you should try to hide the fact that your child has them…and do nothing! Do something…read on!

What are head lice, and how do they differ from other lice?

Head lice (Pediculus capitis) are small parasitic insects adapted to living mainly on the scalp and neck hairs of their human host. Their six impressive legs are able to grasp hair shafts and provide a striking example of biological specialization. Long associated with people, head lice have been recovered from prehistoric mummies. Head lice are equal opportunity parasites; they do not respect socio-economic class distinctions. Their presence does not connote a lack of hygiene or sanitation practiced by their host.

Head lice are mainly acquired by direct head-to-head contact with an infested person’s hair, but may infrequently be transferred with shared combs, hats and other hair accessories. They may also remain on bedding or upholstered furniture for a brief period. In North America and Europe, children are more frequently infested than are adults, and Caucasians more frequently than other ethnic groups. Neither able to fly nor jump, lice are also unlikely to wander far from their preferred habitat.

Lice and their eggs are unable to burrow into the scalp. Lice are sometimes referred to as cooties, eggs as nits and infested people as lousy. The infestation by head or body lice is termed pediculiasis, and the associated “disease” pediculosis. Delousing (more properly termed lousing) consists of any method for eliminating an infestation. Chemical treatments directed against lice are pediculicides. Those that kill adult and nymphal lice are sometimes called lousicides; those that kill the developing embryo within the egg are ovicides. This discussion relates to head lice unless specific mention is made of other types of lice.

Head lice derive nutrient by blood-feeding once or more often each day, and cannot survive for more than a day or so at room temperature without ready access to a person’s blood. A nymphal louse hatches from its egg after about 8 days of development, and begins to feed, grow and develop until it attains the adult stage about 9-12 days after hatching. A female louse may deposit more than 100 eggs at a rate of about six eggs each day. Only those eggs deposited by inseminated female lice will hatch. Generally, an infested person has fewer than a dozen active lice on the scalp at any time, but may have hundreds of viable, dead and hatched eggs. With adequate magnification, the developing nymph can be seen within the egg; hatched eggs are nearly transparent (see photos accompanying this site).

Treatment should be considered only when active lice or viable eggs are observed. Itching of the scalp or the perception that something is crawling on the head do not warrant treatment for lice. Without magnification and suitable experience, they may be difficult to correctly distinguish from other material caught in the hair. Amongst presumed “lice” and “nits” submitted by physicians, nurses, teachers and parents, most are simply artifacts such as dandruff, hairspray droplets, scabs, dirt, or other insects (e.g. aphids blown by the wind and caught in the hair). To confirm the identity of suspected material, save a few lice and louse eggs under clear tape on our specimen submission form, and record the requested information. Submit the samples to us or to a qualified physician or entomologist to confirm the identity of the offending creatures (to learn more about this, visit the section: Specimen evaluation).

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