What are the stages of head lice?

There are three stages in the life cycle of head lice:

1. Egg (nit):

- Female lice lay small, white eggs directly onto your child’s hair, close to the scalp.

- Each female louse can lay up to 10 eggs per day.

- Nits are about the size of a grain of sand. They’re so small they’re tough to spot.

- Nits become attached to the base of the hair shaft with a glue-like substance.

- Nits hatch in 6 to 10 days.

2. Nymph (baby louse):

- When a nit hatches, it becomes a nymph.

- Nymphs look like adult lice, but they’re smaller.

- Nymphs feed on blood and grow by molting (shedding their skin) 3 times before reaching adulthood.

- This happens in about 3 weeks.

3. Adult:

- After molting 3 times, nymphs become adult lice.

- Adult lice are about the size of a sesame seed.

- They live on your child’s head, feeding on blood.

- Female lice lay more eggs about a week after they become adults.

- Adult lice can live on your child’s head for up to a month.