How many lice live outside a person’s head?

The appearance of lice is an unpleasant event for every person. This is not only the discomfort caused by "new residents", but also the danger of infection of others. What kind of ailment is this, how to deal with it, is it possible to avoid infection and how many lice and nits live outside the head?

Lice are ...

A louse is a parasitic insect that leads its way of life on the body of a person or animal. This type of insect is very dangerous, because they not only cause annoying inconvenience to their owner, but can also lead to serious diseases. Infection with lice is called head lice. In order to get rid of the disease, you should find out what kind of life lice have, how they reproduce and develop, as well as how many lice and their nits live outside of a person’s head.

What does lice look like?

In order to be sure that a person has head lice, you need to know what a louse looks like. This is a small insect whose body length is up to 3 mm. The louse, as a rule, is gray or brown in color, has all the parts of the body necessary for the insect: legs (6 pieces), abdomen, antennae and cephalothorax. Moreover, the parasite has no wings at any stage of development. If you look at a louse without magnifiers, then it resembles an ordinary grayish bug. And the insect, known as the clothes louse, has a white color. The pubic parasite of a dark color is closer to brown, and the body resembles a crab.

Signs of lice infestation

To diagnose the disease "lice", it is necessary to identify a number of symptoms. Typically, these are:

• Low immunity.
• Increased drowsiness.
• Chronic fatigue.
• Depression.
• Frequent headaches and spasmodic pains of internal organs.

Also, the main sign that a person has lice is the detection of places of bites and scratches. The fact is that parasites feed on blood throughout the entire period of development and existence. This raises the logical question: how many lice live without a person outside the head?

Can a louse live without a person and for how long?

Almost every person has a danger of contracting pediculosis, regardless of their financial or social status, age or gender. Infection can occur in any government institution, school, hospital, elevator or transport. Once on the human body, the parasite begins its reproduction very quickly. Infection can occur through contact with clothing, bedding, personal hygiene items (combs), or objects surrounding people. But in the latter case, how long lice live outside the head depends on the rate of population of the parasite per person. Also, personal hygiene does not provide 100% protection against lice, one contact with the sick person can lead to the transfer of the disease.

In the first days after contact, you may not be able to identify the ailment, provided that the insect does not appear on the eyes. The fact is that a parasite in a single copy does not cause any inconvenience to a person. But it’s not worth counting that the louse that has hit a person will leave on their own. The insect just does not let go of its new victim. The parasite clings tightly to the hair, while actively multiplying. For a period of thirty days, one female lays up to one hundred and fifty eggs - nits. In this case, a logical question arises: how long does louse live outside the head? The answer is simple: an insect can survive no more than two days without food. But if the ambient temperature drops to 10 degrees Celsius, then the louse is able to survive the period of hunger up to 10 days.

Can nits live separately from humans?

Nits are lice larvae. For its full and proper development, one condition is required - the human body and its heat. Under other conditions, the larva may die. But under favorable temperature conditions, nits safely pass through all stages of development, and lice are born. But if for a short period of time the newly parasite does not have access to food, that is, blood, then the insect will die. This means how much lice live outside the head depends on access to human blood.

Lice Life Cycle

Reproduction and development of parasitic lice occurs in a fairly short time. Under suitable conditions, the period of formation of adult lice from an egg lasts an average of 15 days. But in the case of unfavorable conditions, this period may increase to one month.

There are several stages of development of lice:

• An adult female lays two to five eggs at a time, which are especially firmly fixed by the parasite in the hair, at a small distance from the surface of the scalp. This method of attachment is provided by a sticky substance in the outer shell of the egg, which is a nit. When trying to remove from the hair, difficulties arise due to strong fixation. The stage in which nits develop before the appearance of lice lasts from five to eight days.
• A larva is a small louse emerging from an egg (nits). As a rule, the larva of ordinary insects is not similar to an adult, but this parasite is an exception. The larva is similar to an adult louse, but small in size, with an underdeveloped reproductive system. As soon as the larva takes food for the first time, it begins to molt, and it becomes a nymph. The period of the initial development of the nymph lasts up to five days.
• Shedding occurs three times, which means that the nymph is in three stages of development. Shedding is necessary for the parasite in order to throw off the chitinous shell. It cannot grow with the individual, and lice must be replaced.
• After all three stages of the change of chitin, lice turn into an adult. This stage is called the imago. The female begins to mate immediately and after one day, and in some cases several hours, lays nits. Over the entire life period, a louse can lay up to one hundred and forty eggs. As a rule, a month and a half is the period how many lice live. Outside the head, they cannot exist for a long time, up to a maximum of two days.

So, we can say that the life span of a louse from the moment an egg is born to the death of an individual is up to two months maximum, provided that it exists on the human body.

The habitat of lice on humans

A louse is a parasite that is not adapted to exist without a person and his blood. Insects that parasitize on the human body are not able to exist on other species of mammals. That is, a human louse lives only on a person and cannot survive on another animal. The only kind of food for individuals is blood. Lice do not feed on hair, as some mistaken people believe. Such an opinion could arise due to the fact that the louse clings tightly to the hair, so as not to fall off the person when he carries out hygiene procedures or simply scratches his head.

In nature, there are three types of human lice:

• headaches;
• pubic;
• linen.

Head specimens parasitize on a person’s head, long hair is preferred. Transmission of insects is possible from one carrier to a new host with minimal contact. And how many lice live outside the head and body of a person without access to food? In the process of moving from one person to another, the maximum life span is up to forty-eight hours. The parasite must receive food or it expects death. Lice feed for 24 hours, with numerous bites inflicted by parasites.

Pubic parasite infects areas where there is coarse hair. This can be a mustache, eyebrows or eyelashes, as well as the axillary region and vegetation on the human genitals. The route of transmission of such lice is sexual or contact.

The woven look of insects lives on human clothes, in dirty bedding, especially in its folds and seams. The parasite moves from tissue to person to saturate with blood. In the process of evolution, the parasites are so adapted to the environment that using conventional means to get rid of them is not so easy.

How to deal with lice and nits

There are several ways to combat parasites. It can be specialized drugs or alternative methods. However, the most effective are special tools - insecticides. However, their use has a number of contraindications. These are pregnancy, childhood, allergies and asthma. In such cases, milder products may be used. Or resort to natural recipes. It should be remembered how many lice live outside a person’s head - up to 48 hours.

Natural parasite control agents include:

• cranberry juice;
• vegetable oil;
• tansy decoction;
• juice or decoction of shingle and rosemary;
• cosmetic hair spray.

When applying these funds to the hair, lice and nits die, after which they are usually combed out with a comb. If you managed to comb the louse, but she is still alive, then you should remember how many lice live outside the head. It depends on how quickly the insect gets on the person again. Therefore, all combed individuals should be destroyed immediately.

How to avoid lice infestation

The process of getting rid of lice is quite unpleasant, so you should adhere to some rules in order to avoid infection with parasites:

• Do not use other people's personal hygiene products and head ornaments (towels, combs, combs, hairpins);
• observe hygiene;
• systematically check for pediculosis infection of all family members;
• Do not wear other people's hats.

Observing these simple precautions, you can save yourself and your loved ones from such an unpleasant ailment as pediculosis. After all, everyone now knows how many lice live outside the head and body of a person.