10 Fast Facts About Head Lice

You may think you know lice, but do you really know all there is to know about them? Sure, they’re parasites that can make your life a living, itchy hell, but there’s a lot to be learned about them!

Here are ten facts that will have you itching for more!

They’re Considerably Small

Lice tend to be considerably tiny, roughly between 2 to 3 mm long—due to which they are frequently compared to the size of a sesame seed.

They’re Getting Resistant

According to research, lice seem to be becoming resistant to the pesticides—or peliculodes—used in lice treatment shampoos. Due to the widespread use of such chemicals to kill them, they seem to be evolving and garnering a resistance to them.

Eggs Galore

A female adult louse lays a lot of eggs—we’re talking up to ten eggs on a daily basis!

Nits Stick

Why do the lice eggs—called nits—seem to be practically glued to the head? That’s because they essentially are! The nits are encased in a covering of a glue-like substance, thereby letting them stay attached to your hair.

Their Vampire-Like Tendencies

Lice make their home in your hair, and then proceed to feed on your blood. They do this by using their special salvia, which gives them the power to open up your precious blood vessels and prevent blood clotting.

They are Partial to Humans

Lice like to stick to humans—your pets can’t give you lice and you can’t infect them with your own either.

They Have Claws

How do lice get around on your head? They use their claws! They have claw-like structures, which enable them to move around within one’s scalp and from one head to another as well.

They’ve Been Around a While

If you’re wondering whether lice are a recent development—they’re most certainly not. Lice have been known to be found on mummies that date back to up to thousands of years, proving that they’ve been around feeding on our blood for centuries.

The Nymph Between Nit and Adult

You know about the nit, and you know about the adult louse, but did you know about the nymph? This is the immature louse that emerges from the egg, and then goes on to become a proper adult louse in about nine to twelve days.

They Aren’t Afraid of the Dark

Lice love the dark! They tend to be more active without the lights on, and you’ll be more likely to find them in areas such as the nape of your neck or behind your ears.

While lice-related facts may be fascinating, having a lice infestation is certainly nothing to write home about. Lice Busters USA offers lice removal in Kendall, Pinecrest, and numerous other cities in Florida—a service you can be sure will have your head clear in no time at all!

Contact us at (800) 405-8201 to book an appointment at your nearest lice treatment center!

A Pesky Wheel Of Lice Life

Biology is fascinating, and biology of head lice even more so. After all, these parasites are a more personal and up-close problem, one that needs to be wiped out as soon as possible.

Let’s Begin A “Lousy” Story…

“How fast can lice possibly increase?”

Let’s have a look at the life cycle of a louse—a step by step of how your own new critter companion has begun its journey.

Day 0: The Miracle of Lice

The eggs, more specifically called “nits” are laid in to the hair strands. An adult female louse is capable of producing up to 8-10 nits per day.

These cocoons are usually spread out near the roots, and have a sticky exterior that keep them firmly attached to the hair, unless “nit-picked” by a high quality lice comb.

Day 6-10: Hatch Days

Our condolences! Looks like you just welcomed the arrival of healthy baby lice! The larvae are 1-2 mm long… and weigh practically nothing. What a creepy baby!

Want some more bad news? Studies reveal that the new generation of lice is stronger than their sires. Science has termed these critters as “super lice”. Continuous use of lice killing shampoos and lotions has rendered these super critters capable of withstanding the effects of chemical anti-parasite agents.

As far as appearances go, these super lice are of a light tan to brown colored, sesame seed-sized anatomy—same as regular lice.

Day 11-15: They Grow Up So Fast!

The lice get bigger and stronger, crawling around your scalp, feeding on your blood, and having a blast in your locks while you try and soothe the itches their bites have induced.

Day 16-28: Contributing To the Community

Your head lice are now capable of creating nits of their own! In the longest period of their life, the adulthood, the lice have particular set of habits. They will feed on blood, roam around, produce more nits, and basically have the time of their lives… till they finally perish.

Day 30-33: Kick the Bucket

A louse lives for approximately 30 days in a human host, and then perishes—unless conveniently picked out and terminated through an effective lice treatment prior to a natural death.

However, stow away the party poppers; your troubles are far from over.

While one round of lice may have met their end, they left behind a community of hundreds more. If you have allowed the lice to foster in your head thus far, there are now an alarming number of baby and adult critters roaming in your head.

At Lice Busters USA, we offer effective lice treatments, regardless of how a lice infestation has escalated. We provide quick and pesticide free lice removals in various parts of Florida, including Miami, Kendall, Broward and Plantation.

Call us today at (800) 405-8201 to let our lice specialists help you out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Onslaught Of ‘Lousy’ Side Stresses

There is fair chance you have experienced the ghastly feeling of critters roaming around your locks at least once by now. Or you know someone who has. Lice, a small word with a vast impact, is an age-old problem that today takes over up to 12 million people each year in the US alone. For such small anatomies, these crawlers have quite an impactful, cringe-inducing effect.

Pediculus humanus capitis, the biological term for lice, essentially defines these as parasites which make a host out of human hair and scalp. Migrated from head-to-head contact, lice settle and colonize in whatever locks they land on. From there on out, it is feeding and expanding, expanding and spreading.

We should count ourselves lucky that these lice have no intentions to cause any direct health hazards, however, their presence is enough to create a few note-worthy issues.

Scratch…And Scratch Some More

On the surface, itching seems to be a mere trouble. Scratching your skin is not exactly detrimental—till it gets severe.

The more the lice take over your head, the more of these critters will suck your blood. “Tearing one’s head off” starts taking a literal sense—in a certain way—when consistent scratching causes your scalp’s epidermal layer to tear and fray away.

If you have been negligent in countering those pesky critters right now—when the scratching is at a bare minimum—know that this is only the calm before a scratchy storm.

Slumber Troubles

It’s when you are your most relaxed self that the lice chose to throw a party in your head. They’ll feast on your blood when you are just in the middle of a peaceful night’s sleep, inadvertently causing you to wake and satisfy and the plethora of itches all over your head.

As if the stress of social stigma, itching and creepy, unwelcome guests in your head was not sufficient, lice also create wakefulness in the ungodly hours.

Parasitical Resistance

Although it is not a direct side effect of head lice, insecticide resistance is a troublesome result of repetitive and consistent contractions of these critters.

Add in the fact that most people employ lice-killers for a “quick-fix” of these pesky critters, the resistance only gains further strength. Lice, though merely the size of sesame seeds, have the capacity to adapt to the effects of common lice products—shampoos, lotions, etc.

The result: new nits break apart to reveal mutated, super lice, more durable than their sires.

With growing number of chemical products forming alliance with head lice, you are better off with natural, more manual, lice treatments.

At Lice Busters USA, we offer lice removal services in Miami, Broward, Plantation and Kendall. A single appointment and you will be gifted with a lice-free, stress-free head!

Contact us at (800) 405-8201 learn more about our services.