What’s going on?
Lice are small (1-4 millimeters), wingless bugs with a distinct flattened body and mouthparts that are adapted for piercing and sucking.  Their legs are short and are provided with claws suitable for grasping and clinging to skin, hair, and cloth.  Once a person is infected, the female louse begins to lay eggs.  The head and pubic lice eggs are attached to the hair shaft with a gluey substance while the body lice lay eggs in the seams or lining of garments. The egg (nit) is white to yellow in color and about ½ millimeter long and will hatch in four to fourteen days and is called a nymph.  The nymph undergoes three stages in about twelve to twenty-eight days and is completely dependent on human blood.

Body lice (pediculus humanus corporus)
Body lice attach their eggs to cloth rather than hair.  They move to the body only to feed then return to clothing seams when finished.  They are found where clothing is in continual close contact with the body, such as belts.  Body lice can survive for about four to ten days away from a host and the eggs up to thirty days. Body lice are vectors of another disease.

Crab lice (phthirus pubis)
Crab lice are morphologically distinct from the head and body louse.  Transmission is almost entirely by intimate body contact.  Crab lice mainly infest pubic hair, but can infect eyelashes, eyebrows and moustaches.  Crab lice cannot survive more than twenty-four hours without a blood meal and do not vector other diseases.

Head lice (pediculus humanus capitis)
People become infected by coming in close contact with an infected person, by borrowing combs, clothing or by lying on infected beds or furniture. This louse is commonly seen in younger children and can spread easily once started. Head lice are not vectors of other diseases and cannot survive but two or three days without a blood meal.

Treatment ~personal
There are several treatments for lice available without a prescription (RID, A200, NIX).  Self-treatments should be conducted as directed on the package instructions.

Allergic reaction to the drug and/or a secondary bacterial infection usually due to scratching may occur.  A medical practitioner should treat these infections immediately.

Treatment ~ environment
The environment must also be treated. Clothing, bath towels and bedding should be dry cleaned or machine-washed (using the hot cycle of both washer and dryer).  Allow time between cycles to insure maximum temperature.  Combs may be boiled for five minutes. Articles that cannot be washed or dry-cleaned may be placed in a plastic bag and stored for a period of ten days. Fumigation of rooms is not recommended. A thorough vacuuming should suffice.  Aerosol insecticides are available.