Where Do Head Lice Live in Nature?

Head lice are wingless, reddish-brown insects that live in your head. Adult females weigh around a quarter of an inch and lay 50 to 150 eggs, called nits. These eggs hatch into nymphs and eventually change into adults. This process takes about three weeks, depending on temperature and humidity.

Head lice can be spread through physical contact. They can attach themselves to your hair or clothing and crawl across the head. They cannot live more than a day without food or water. Having a head lice infestation is embarrassing for both children and adults. However, it is important to remember that it’s not a sign of poor personal hygiene or lack of sanitation. In fact, head lice can affect people of any age, race, gender and nationality.

The first stage of the life cycle of a head louse is the nymph. The nymph stage lasts 10 days and is followed by an adult louse. Once it has grown up, the adult louse will continue to feed and lay eggs on human hair. It will then die in around twenty-four hours.

The fully grown adult head louse is about the size of a sesame seed. It has six legs and is white or gray in color. The body of the adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed, and can only be spotted by focusing on it with close attention. It is a parasitic insect, living on the human scalp for up to 30 days.