Head lice may be nasty, itchy and very contagious, but the poisons sold to get rid of lice are even worse . We do not suggest the use of poisons to control lice. Lice are wingless insects whose legs have claws that grip and hold onto hair shafts. Their abdomens are distinctly longer than they are wide. Although body lice usually deposit their nits on unwashed clothing fibers, the nits are sometimes found on body hair as well.
Crab lice live only on the hairy portions of the body .
Their legs are adapted to grasp hairs which are rather widely spaced, and for this reason, these lice prefer the pubic and perianal regions. Nits may also be found in sports headgear, hats, combs, barrettes, scarves, brushes, etc. The incidence of infestation is greater among persons with long or dense hair, particularly when regular and thorough grooming and washing is neglected. The eggs hatch in 5 to 10 days, and the young, which resemble the adults except for size, mature in 8 to 22 days during which time they undergo three skin molts to allow for their ever increasing body growth. Adults normally live only about 3 weeks or more, depending upon conditions.