Head Lice Eggs

Head lice, like most insects are oviparous, which means that they lay eggs just like fish, reptiles and birds do, with little embryonic development within the female louse. 

Head lice eggs contain a single embryo, laid close to the human scalp and are firmly attached to an individual hair shaft. The female louse secretes a glue like substance from her reproductive organ which is the “sap” that fastens the head lice eggs to the hair shaft.

What to look for: In the warmer months head lice eggs can be found further down the hair shaft (away from the scalp) and in the cooler months the head lice eggs are generally laid within 1cm of the scalp surface.

These eggs can be hard to identify given their size and overall appearance. They are commonly mistaken for dandruff as they are a yellow / white colour, but unlike dandruff they are not so easily slid down the hair shaft. Once laid this glue quickly hardens around the hair shaft and covers the egg leaving a small cap opening from which the embryo breaths.

Head lice eggs are an oval shape and are between 0.5 millimetres and 2 millimetres in length. When laid they are a yellow / white colour but can turn to a tan or coffee like colour as the embryo grows, once hatched the shell appears white.

The female louse can lay between 50 – 150 eggs and these eggs will hatch about one week after they are laid. Once laid, a nymph emerges, leaving its shell behind and still attached to the hair shaft. The egg will eventually disintegrate but this can take months and sometime years, generally the empty shell would be physically removed during head lice treatment.

The nymph will moult in three stages before it becomes an adult louse and this can take up to 20 days. Once the nymph has progressed through these stages it has reached a sexually mature age and can be paired with a mate in as little as 10 hours. Once the lice copulate the reproductive system begins, the female louse will lay eggs and the cycle begins again.

Head lice eggs, also referred to as nits, are not difficult to remove when you know how to get rid of nits. The lice can be eradicated through treatment plus thorough combing with a nit comb will remove the dead lice and head lice eggs, from the hair ! 

Don’t wait for an infestation or even an outbreak in your school, look to protect your children from head lice. Be vigilant and check for head lice in your children’s hair regularly. NitWits studies have shown that over 85% of people would consider head lice prevention.
 
Using a prevention spray daily can ward off head lice helping to avoid a potential infestation of lice and head lice eggs, saving you the hassle of a complete head lice treatment.

Check out the full range of NitWits Natural head lice products. 


Always read the label. Use only as directed.