Adults - 1/8" long. Soft-bodied insects, off-white in colour. Each leg bears a single claw with which the louse can grip hair or clothing.
Lifecycle
The eggs of the head lice are called nits and are found firmly attached to the hair shaft. They are oval and usually yellow to white. Nits take about 1 week to hatch into nymphs (immature adults).
Nymphs mature into adults about 7 days after hatching.
Adult lice can live up to 30 days on a person's head.
To live, nymphs and adult lice need to feed on blood.
Habits
Lice move between hosts when the hosts are in direct contact.
If a louse falls off a person, it dies within 2 days.