Printable: Head Lice Prevention and Treatment

Pest Control Tips

Before your children head off to school, take a minute to review the attached Lice Prevention tips with them. Hopefully, you’ll never need the treatment. If you do, we’ve outlined that for you as well.

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Children are particularly susceptible to lice infestations due to their constant close contact in play with others. Symptoms include constant scratching of the head and nape of the neck. The presence of seedlike eggs, or nits, is the most common indication of an infestation, as they are much more numerous than mature lice. The nits are inactive and each is individually cemented to the base of a head hair. Nits hatch in 5-10 days and are mature enough to reproduce within 3 weeks. Adult head lice are gray-brown and grow to about 1/8″ long with a flat body. Adult lice live for 22-23 days.

Head lice are generally not found on eyelashes or body hair other than on the head. Head lice cannot
live in your carpet or on dogs, cats, hamsters, or rabbits. They survive less than 48 hours once they are removed from a human blood source.

Lloyd Pest Control recommends the following steps that your child can take to avoid a head
lice infestation:

1. Do not share combs, hairbrushes, or hats with other children.
2. Children’s sleeping mats and/or towels should be stored individually and
3. washed regularly.
4. Children should not store hats or caps in a common area.
5. Vacuum carpeted areas daily if there is a suspected infestation problem.

Should you or your child become a host to head lice, Lloyd Pest Control recommends that you take the following steps:

1. Implement proper use of a prescribed shampoo or over-the-counter treatment. Your local pharmacy offers various and effective medicated treatments for head lice infestations.
2. Two or more treatments are required to ensure that the unhatched nits are successfully eliminated by the medicated shampoo.
3. Anyone who has shared a bed, sheets, or clothing should also be checked for the presence of head lice. Preventative treatments are not recommended, however.
4. Hot cycle washing and drying for a minimum of 20 minutes is recommended to destroy head lice burrowing in bedding, pillows, and clothing.

Should you have any further questions, consult the National Pediculosis Association
online at www.headlice.org. Lloyd Pest Control can be reached for pest control
assistance at 1-800-BAD-BUGS (1-800-223-2847) or online at www.BadBugs.com.