The egg hatches into a baby louse called a nymph. It looks like an adult body louse, but is smaller. Nymphs mature into adults about 7 days after hatching. To live, the nymph must feed on blood. The adult body louse is about the size of a sesame seed, has 6 legs, and is tan to greyish-white.
Females lay eggs.
To live, adult lice need to feed on blood. If the louse falls off a person, it dies within 10 days. By looking closely in the seams of clothing and on the body for eggs and for crawling lice. Diagnosis should be made by a health care provider if you are unsure about infestation. Lice infestations are generally treated by giving the infested person a clean change of clothes, a shower, and by laundering all worn clothing, bed linens, and towels.