Lice are parasites, that is, living beings, parasitic on the surface of another living organism, feeding and living at his expense. In a particular case, lice feed on hairy areas of the body. Most often, it is the head, as there are so many hair and scalp thin epidermis, which allows unhindered feed on blood of the host. However, in some cases, lice can also infest the pubic hair (pubic lice).

Lice belong to the class of insects, appearance of a small (0.4-6 mm) in size, the body has a flattened shape with an enlarged, compared with the head, abdomen. Piercing-sucking mouthparts causes a parasitic way of life.

When piercing the skin is allocated a certain amount of saliva, which prevents blood clotting, and the bite is accompanied by symptoms such as skin irritation and severe itching.

Louse, average lives of about 40 days. Without food, that is, without the host, lice can live about 10 days. But at the same ambient temperature should not be below 10 ° C. Lice is detrimental to the temperature of 44 ° C.

The lice are dangerous and what is pediculosis

Because lice feed on the blood of their mouthparts adapted to puncture the upper layers of the skin, and therefore, they can carry a variety of diseases, some of which may be so dangerous as a return or typhus and many others. Lice actively begin to develop in the conditions of natural disasters, when people can not observe basic rules of hygiene.

In Latin, the human louse sounds as Pediculus humanus. Hence the name of the disease, pediculosis.

The female louse lays a time to several hundred eggs, called nits. Within 10 days of the egg appears younger generation of lice and lice develops. If you do not start appropriate treatment, within a month or two lice simply will seize his master.