The 3 Stages of Head Lice

Understanding the stages of lice helps explain why professional treatment is so important.

Stage 1:  Nits (Eggs)

  • Less than 1mm in size – almost invisible.
  • Microscopic for the first 3 days and easy to confuse with dandruff or hair residue.
  • Yellowish or tan color, oval in shape
  • Firmly attached to the hair shaft, usually near the scalp, behind the ears and at the nape of the neck on adults and older children and on the crown on younger children.
  • Hatch in 6–9 days.

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Stage 2:  Nymphs (Young Lice)

  • Hatch from eggs and are tiny and transparent at first.
  • Feed on blood and grow quickly, darkening in color.
  • Go through three stages of growth moulting
  • Mature in 7–10 days.

stages

Stage 3:  Adult Lice

  • About the size of a sesame seed.
  • The six-legged parasite, they are small and wingless, between 1mm and 4mm long.
  • They cannot fly, hop or jump.
  • Their claws are specially adapted to allow them to grip the hair shaft. They live next to the scalp to keep warm.
  • Live up to 35 days on the scalp.
  • Lay 8–10 new eggs per day, causing infestations to spread fast.

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