Key Features:
Small, flat, wingless, grey parasites, lice are about 2mm long with strong claw legs and which feed on human blood. There are two distinct forms of this sort of louse - the head louse and the clothing or body louse, but they are similar in appearance.

Biology:
The pearly, oval eggs or "nits" stick to hairs or fibres of clothing and the nymphs moult three times before maturing, feeding as they go. The life cycle takes about 18 days. Having lice does not necessarily imply that one is dirty – there is evidence that lice prefer clean hair – but the sooner treatment is sought and the source eliminated, the better.

Lice can not fly, hop or jump, but they can crawl with surprising speed. They may temporarily move onto hats, clothes or other surfaces, but must return to a human head within 50-60 hours to survive.

Distribution:
Head lice are very common, particularly among children because they find it so easy to move to new hosts at school.

Significance:
Past epidemics of typhus and trench fever transmitted by lice are now unlikely, but the irritating bites can produce impetigo and similar afflictions.

Control:
In order to control a lice infestation, it is essential that every single louse and nit is eradicated. This can be done with specialist chemical shampoos or simply by a combination of heat, oil and painstaking manual removal of both the adult lice and the nits with lice combs.

Since lice are easily transferred from person to person in close proximity, it is advisable that all those who may be affected be treated, even if they aren’t displaying symptoms of an infestation. Lice only choose human hosts, so it is not necessary to treat pets.

If you have a problem with lice, Safeguard can help you! Contact us today for more information.