Lice have a bit of an undeservedly bad reputation. There are actually over 3,000 species of lice, some of them very beneficial to humans and our environment, but we tend to think of these little creatures only in their most negative sense, as the wingless creatures tend to stir up quite a bit of heat whenever they appear. Let’s take a look at some of the problems that lice cause in their pestilential forms.

 

* Social ostracisation. Nothing will get a kid laughed at quicker in school than the discovery of lice. No matter that lice are more likely to be found on clean hair than on dirty hair or that it is rarely the fault of the child, peers will inevitably mock any school mate who is sent home until a lice problem is cleared up. This can be pretty hard on any kid.

* Discomfort. Bites from lice seeking blood so they can survive and lay their eggs will cause severe itching and rashes in any affected human being. It can be very uncomfortable with anyone playing a host to the little parasites. In addition, the three different species of lice will cause different areas to react; pubic lice, known as crabs, can be very embarrassing.

* Highly prolific. If lice get a start, they reproduce like crazy and the problem can be hard to get back under control. The sheer numbers of the little bugs make them very hard to weed out, and they take a lot of time and patience to get rid of.

* They spread very quickly. Hardly any contact is needed for one person to contract head lice from themselves to a new host. Spreading can occur simply by shaking the head in close proximity to another person. In addition, anything which comes into contact with the affected person’s head must be treated and the lice eradicated and removed; this includes pillows, sheets, other bedding, clothes, hats, combs, hair brushes, and so one.

 

Controlling a lice outbreak is a lot of hard work and takes a lot of commitment, usually on the parts of the parent. In cases where a lice infestation is making its way around a school, the problem can take months to clear up. In these cases, most of the families with children in the school will have to coordinate and work together in order to bring the problem under control. Without a group effort, the cycle of re-infestation will continue.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 10:44 pm and is filed under Natural Pest Control. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.