The latter feeds exclusively on sloughing skin. The life cycle of all lice species is similar. Lice are host specific and spend all of their lives on the animal. The feeding habits of immature lice are the same as those of the adults. The life cycle from egg to adult is from three to four weeks during cold weather.
Reproduction slows dramatically in warm weather.
In the summer, lice generally can be found only in the folds of skin between the legs and body of cattle. In the winter, as populations increase, lice move to the neck, dewlap, muzzle, around the eyes, the neck and side of the face, back, sides, and tailhead. Specific locations are favored by particular species. Lice are transmitted from one animal to another by contact. Suckling calves become infested from lice-infested cows while feeding, so cows should be treated prior to calving.