The Original Orange Oil Company!

   
     1-800-634-1313
Tap To Call

Tampa Lice Control   arrow

Tampa Lice Control

Most of the pest insects on this planet come and go in cycles. Unless you’re a bedbug, that is. But one of those cycle observing pest insects is the lice. Now, you can find people with infestation all year round, that is true. But you see a spike of these infestations during the school year. And we’re deep in the swing of that very same school year. So today we’re going to discuss lice, times of the year when you should be the wariest, and whether or not you need Tampa lice control.

Tampa Lice Control: Overview

Lice are tiny insects that, once infested, are found all over your body. But most commonly you’ll find these tiny insects on your head, eyebrows, or eyelashes if you become infested. They’re about the size of a sesame seed, have six legs, and are greyish-white in color. Lice that live close to your scalp are known as head lice. Most commonly, lice are found behind your ears or on the back of your head. And though they can’t jump or fly, they spread easily from person to person through head-to-head contact. Not only that, but they also spread easily through shared clothing or personal items. Personal hygiene doesn’t have much effect on who they will or won’t infest, though. You can be clean as a whistle and still end up with head lice.

Funny enough, you can’t spread lice from or to dogs and cats. They’re a people only parasite.

Life Stages

Head lice generally come in three different forms through the stages of their life. These stages are as follows:

  • Nits – A nit is an oval-shaped egg that lice lay and attach to your hair shafts. You often can’t quite see them with your naked eye alone, and for good reason. These tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots are even smaller than the fully formed adults, which are already pretty darn small. Lice lay their eggs so close to your scalp to make sure that the egg is properly incubated by your body heat. They become easier to spot after the louse hatches, though. Your hair will continue to grow, which moves the empty nit away from your scalp.
  • Nymph – A nymph is an immature louse that has emerged from the nit. It takes about nine to twelve days for the nymph to mature into an adult.
  • Adult Louse – and then you have the final stage, the adult. As was said above, the lice are no bigger than a sesame seed and are greyish-white to tan in color.

Lice Infestation Symptoms

The most common symptom of a lice infestation is itching. You get this itching reaction because it is caused by an allergic reaction to the bites of the louse itself. This usually has a delayed reaction, which can lead to delayed detection. Increased scratching on the back of the head or behind the ears is also a sign that you should check for lice. But this extra itching can also come with another symptom. This symptom is irritability, caused usually by a lack of sleep and raw skin from all the itching. The lice are always the most active in the dark, which directly contributes to the lack of sleep.

Tampa Lice Control: Lice Boom Periods

Throughout the year, there are somewhere between twelve and twenty-five million lice infestations reported. There’s a handful of things that make lice populations boom. The two biggest factors are going to be the weather and crowds. Specifically, activities that tend to keep people in close contact with each other. These factors make children much more likely to contract head lice than adults. In the warm months, children are more likely to be outside and playing together in the sun. In addition, camp and school are also conducive to many kids being around each other for long periods of time in close proximity. Not only that, but children at camps or schools are also out from under your watchful eye. This makes it less likely for you to notice itching, nits, and other symptoms of an infestation.

Halloween

Unsurprisingly, Halloween is also another small boom period for head lice. Head lice can survive temporarily in places like wigs, hats, and masks. Costumes can also be temporary homes for lice when an infested individual tries one on, only to return it to the rack. It’s best to get your costumes from online or a sealed package. Another reason that this holiday is a slight lice boom period is the number of pictures that get taken with multiple costumed people. Standing arm in arm with an infested person is very likely to lead to you getting at least a few unhatched nits on your own body somewhere. This could very well also lead to you needing the help of Tamp lice control.

An ounce of prevention

When a lice infestation gets bad enough, there’s really nothing you can do outside of contacting a Tampa lice control specialist. That’s why you have to be on your toes and ready to prevent the spread of the parasite before it gets bad. Kids during these times of year are going to play, and some of them are going to get lice. But you can take a few steps to really halt the spread and increase your chances of being bug-free.

For one, talk to your children about not sharing items that touch another child’s head. That includes things like hats and combs. It may be tempting for young children to share these items, but it can easily lead to lice crawling onto their heads. But, also be sure that they don’t share towels if they’re taken out on a swimming trip.

And make sure they avoid activities that lead to head contact. Wrestling and horseplay are common but can be dangerous in more than just the obvious way. One stray headbutt can lead to a hair full of biting little bugs.

And finally, make sure that they keep belongings away from shared storage areas. Encourage them to use personal lockers or other similar receptacles. And if push comes to shove, store their items in a backpack that is routinely emptied and thoroughly cleaned with soap and that a cycle through a drier.