An adult female head louse can lay 3-4 eggs per day and the average life span on the host is 30 days. Eggs hatch within 7-10 days after being laid. Immature lice pass through three stages before becoming adults, which takes another 8-9 days. One pregnant adult female can produce enough offspring so that a significant infestation can occur within a month. A child that has a significant infestation has been infested for at least a month or more.
Nits are white when they are first laid and turn brownish before they hatch.
This glue is so strong that the nits cannot be as easily removed as dandruff and other hair debris. Even though some products claim to remove nits, there is no safe solvent for this glue. Head lice must feed every few hours, but can survive off the host for two days to a week depending on environmental conditions, primarily temperature. Lice die more quickly when temperatures are warm and humidity is low. Many parents routinely examine their child s head on a weekly basis.