Lice

LiceBeaters was founded in 1996 to make home visits to help people control the lice problems without the need to visit a doctor's office. Lice are tiny crawling insects that live on the human scalp and are very annoying to deal with, along with being embarrassing. These insects survive by sucking small amounts of blood from the head of the host and cause constant scratching.

Lice cannot live more than 24 hours away from a human host, so they try to remain in contact with human hosts by moving from host to host when the opportunity exists. Their life cycle begins with eight to ten days in an egg - known as a nit. Nits are located at the base of the hair shaft and it is very small with a yellowish-white color and oval shaped. The egg can be found glued to the side of the hair shaft at an angle. The egg is about the size of the letter "u" in United States on the back of a penny. They are quite small and can be easily missed when looking. It is best to use a bright light when searching for the nits.

When you discover lice, the best time to get rid of them is while they are in the nit stage. They are easy to control and remove at this point, because they can be picked from the hair shaft. Once the eggs hatch then it becomes a matter of trying to keep them from spreading to other people who come in contact with host's hair. If a host lays the head on a pillow for example and then some else lays their head on the pillow within 24 hours they will probably become infested with lice as well.

Adult louse (louse is the plural form of lice) are wingless, with six legs and color ranges from reddish brown to grey. Once a nit hatches it becomes a nymph louse for nine to twelve days before becoming an adult. One single female louse can lay up to 6 eggs a day. This means that they can multiple fast if left untreated.

Lice have claws that allow them to grasp hair and hang on tightly; they can not jump or fly. However, they are easily transferred to another person if the host's hair comes in contact with another person's hair. Adult lice are about as long as the distance from the top of the Lincoln Memorial Building on the back of a penny to the top edge.

Lice are not dangerous; however they have been known to transmit diseases from one host to another host on occasion. Scratching the scalp when the hair is infected with lice tends to lead to red and raw spots on the scalp that may become infected. This is why it is necessary to treat lice as soon as they are detected, they will not just go away without treatment. They will continue to multiply and easily spread to other hosts.

If you have any questions you can contact us by phone at 718-969-7540, 516-625-0689, or 516-851-7412. You can also contact us by e-mail at licelady1955@aol.com or visit our website at http://www.LiceBeaters.com/index.shtml . We serve the Long Island and the New York Metropolitan area for our home visits.