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Pictures of Head Lice

Pictures include head lice at multiple stages of the life cycle.

adult lice and nit

An adult male, female louse and nit.

lice

Before feeding, lice are clear in color.

nit

The nit, or egg, attached to hair shaft can be difficult to remove.

empty nit shell

An empty nit shell can stay attached to hair shaft.

nit hatching

Double nit hatching.

adult male louse

Adult male louse.

nit nymph adult

Stages of a louse: nit, nymph, and adult.

lice with ruler

As you can see, when placed next to a ruler, lice are a fraction of a centimeter in size.

Lice life cycle facts:

  • The life cycle of head lice lasts about 30-35 days from egg (or nit) to adult.
  • The female louse can lay as many as 10 eggs per day.
  • Nits will hatch within 7-10 days.
  • After a nit hatches, the second stage of life, or the nymph stage, also takes about 7-10 days.
  • The nymph typically molts 3 times before reaching its adult form.
  • Lice cannot live off the head more than 36 hours.