Lice are a parasitic insect. They can be found in hair; head, eyebrows or eye lashes. Lice survive on
human blood.
Head lice have three forms: egg (nit), nymph, and the adult.
Nits are eggs laid by adult female lice. Nits firmly attach to the hair shaft nearest the scalp. They are oval
shaped, small and hard to see. Nits are often confused with dandruff, scabs, or hair spray droplets.
A nymph is what hatches from the nit. It looks like a small adult lice. A nymph must feed on blood.
Nymphs mature into adults about 9–12 days after hatching from the nit.
An adult is about the size of a sesame seed and has six legs. Adult head lice may look darker in
persons with dark hair than in persons with light hair. To survive, adult head lice must feed on
blood. An adult can live about 30 days on a person’s head but will die within one or two days if it falls
off a person. Adult females are usually larger than males and can lay about six eggs each day.
Without blood meal the lice will only live 1-2 days without a host.