What are lice?

Head lice are very small,contagious parasitic insects that are about the size of a sesame seed and live on the human scalp. They move by crawling and are brownish, tan or gray in color. They can spread quickly from person to person in group settings. So, items like sharing clothing, bed linens, combs, hats help to pass lice along.

Lice are unable to jump or fly and they do not transmit diseases. They spread from head to head contact.  They feed on human blood and without it they cannot survive. Head lice can only live on human scalps.

• Lice are not known to cause disease.
• Lice infestations are not due of poor hygiene.
• Lice live on the scalps of people and not on animals.
• Lice eggs (nits) are tiny yellow or often tan in color and after hatching shall remain white or clear
• The nits lay on the shafts of the hair close to the surface of the skin where it is warm until they hatch
• The nits can appear like dandruff; however, they can not be removed
• Nits hatch 1-2 weeks after being laid
• Lice (after the eggs have hatched) feed on blood, a host
• They can only survive 24-48 hours without a host to survive