How Long Does Lice Live Off The Body

Lice are insects that are wingless and extremely tiny. They live in human hair and are very annoying as it is very difficult to get rid of them. Lice are usually transferred from one human to another through hair contact or by using a common comb or a hair brush. People often ask that how long does lice live off the body. This can be better understood if one understands the life cycle of lice. To know how long does lice live off the body, continue reading this article.

Whenever a louse occupies space in our hair, it immediately lays eggs. This stage is called as Nit stage. It is a six day stage in which lice appear from the eggs. They are oval in shape, white in color and very small in size. Some people get confuse in between dandruff and eggs of head lice since both are white in color. Nits exist in the bottom area of human head which has a warm climate. The female louse releases some glue to keep the egg stick to the hair. The second stage is called as Nit Hatching. This is a three day stage in which louse emerges out from the egg.

The third stage is the development stage. In this stage, the louse appears as a very small insect. The more they feed, the higher are the chances of their survival. Most of the lice die in this stage. They turn yellow in color depending on the amount of blood they are feeding on. In the fourth stage, lice become larger and resemble to a nymph. They are called as second nymph. The final and the fifth stage is the adult stage. By this time the louse is sixteen to eighteen days old. It is more active and quick.

By the time it reaches this stage, the louse can reproduce and can lay further eggs. The last stage is the death of louse. You can identify a dead and alive louse by poking it. If it does not move, it has died. The whole life cycle takes approximately thirty five days. Now you would have got a better idea of how long does lice live off the body.

We can even tell you further about how long does lice live off the body. Lice are transferred from one person to another through sharing of combs, scarves and hats. In order to get rid of lice you have to make sure that no one in your house has lice in his or her hair. This is because you will be putting efforts to get rid of it but in actual you won’t because the other family member would be having it in his or her hair.

Instead of seeking the reasons behind how you or your child got lice in hair, pay attention to the measures of removing them. After going through this article, you would have got solution to how long does lice live off the body.