What are the life cycle and incubation periods of head lice?
The first stage of the life of a head louse is the egg, which the adult attaches to the hair with nit glue very close to the scalp for warmth. This glue is very strong and makes manual removal very difficult. In 5-9 days the egg hatches into the nymphal stage which is the early stages of the adult louse. The term ‘nit’ refers to the empty shell left behind once the egg has hatched. The nymph immediately seeks out a suitable place to feed. Over the next 7-10 days he nymphs will shed their exoskeleton in three separate metamorphoses before they mature into adult lice. Once mated, the adult female louse can then lays around 3-4 eggs a day until the end of her adult life (around 30 days).
