Head Lice Facts

• Head lice do not carry or transmit disease.
• Head lice do not live on pets such as cats or dogs.
• Head lice are reddish-brown wingless insects.
• Head lice are about the size of a sesame seed.
• Head lice are human parasites and require    human blood to survive.
• They feed on human blood 3-4 times daily.
• Head lice eggs (nits) are small, grayish-white, oval shape that is glued at an angle to the side of the hair shaft.
• Head lice cannot live off the human host for more than 24 hours.
• Head lice females can lay up to 100 eggs and require just one mating to be fertilized.
• Head lice are able to reproduce after approximately 28 days and live eggs hatch in 7-10 days in warm weather. In cooler weather this can take up to 30 days.
• Head lice live on a host for approximately 60 days, 30 of which can egg laying days.
• Head lice eggs further than 1-2cm from the scalp are usually empty cases which remain attached to the hair.
• Head lice are mainly transmitted by hair-to-hair contact and secondly by head-to-head contact. It is highly irregular for them to be spread through the sharing of personal articles such as hats (because like any creature, head lice will not leave their food source to an inhospitable foreign environment.
• Head lice cannot hop, jump or fly. They swing and climb on the hair and move to the scalp to feed.
• Head lice can often make the scalp itchy but it is possible to have them without any symptoms.
• Head lice don’t distinguish between clean and dirty hair. Clean hair has more fly aways though, which are useful for the lice to use when transferring from person to person.
• Head lice infestations occur worldwide and are more common during warmer weather.

• Head lice can be caught by anyone. Pre-school and primary-school-aged children and their families are infested most often. Girls get head lice more often than boys and women more often than men due to length of hair and type of play.

• Head lice is an increasing problem because the lice are developing resistance to the traditional pesticide products on the market. For this reason, people are turning to natural remedies which are not only more effective, but safer for the health of our children.

• Head lice cannot be washed away or drowned with water alone. Head lice breathe through 7 paired spiracles, one on the thorax and 6 on the abdomen.

• The location of these spiracles contributes to the ability of head lice to survive under water for up to two hours. Air trapped against the louse’s body serves as an air reserve when the insect is submerged and this trapped air is breathed through the spiracles.

Editorial

Kids Exposed To Dangerous

Chemicals

Many head lice products on the  market contain harmful chemicals which may be exposing your child to unnecessary risk!

In a recent article published in The Adelaide Review, Jospehine Scott discussed the use of dangerous chemicals in household products. In   particular, she mentioned that carbaryl, a “nerve deteriorant”, is present in some head lice         treatments.

“Carbaryl has been reviewed by the Australian Perticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) which has recommended that the use of carbaryl on food-producing plants in the garden should be cancelled due to unacceptable exposure risk”.

This reason alone should be cause enough not to cover your child’s head in this particular chemical, let alone the concoction of other chemicals present in regular head lice treatments.

Don’t place your child at risk. Keep your child chemical and head lice free by using the naturally derived products in the eco.kid range.

See more eco.kid information at

www.ecokid.com.au