Lice - Just the word can make your skin crawl. These little pests don't fail to worry many, especially those with school-going children. But with so much misinformation out there, it's high time the record on how lice move and spread was set straight. One of the most persistent myths is that lice are capable of flying. So, can they? Let's dive into the facts about lice movement and transmission.

The Myth: Lice Fly
The idea that lice fly often appears to stem from the fact that it is difficult to fathom how a creature that tiny could be so incredibly successful at transferring from one host to another in such a short period of time. In reality, lice do not possess wings; as such, they are incapable of flight. This myth likely continues its rampage because lice infestations seemingly appear out of nowhere, literally, so it seems darn near like they flew in from somewhere.

The Reality: Crawling Critters
Lice are wingless insects. Their primary mode of movement is crawling. They move from strand to strand, grasping the hair shafts using their specially adapted claws. And although they are quite efficient crawlers, their movement relates at a pretty slow pace compared to most other insects. In fact, that is why close, head-to-head contact is the most common way lice spread from person to person.
 

How Lice Actually Spread
Direct head-to-head contact is the most common way lice transmit from one child to another. Children who have close games or share a bed often, or even just take selfies with heads touching, could easily facilitate head lice transferring from one head to the other.

Sharing Personal Items: This is not as common, but lice can be transmitted by sharing personal articles like hats, hairbrushes, headphones, and pillows. Moreover, lice may only survive outside a human host for about 24-48 hours, thus making this method of transmission less likely.

Close Proximity in Shared Spaces: Places where people are in close quarters, such as classrooms and the playground, or at sleepover parties, can place people in hotbeds for lice transmission because of the closeness occurring frequently.

Lice do not spread with wings or jumping

Lice never fly or jump, hence most of their dispersal relies on direct contact. Here are a few more points to be considered about their movement:

Speed: Lice do not move very fast and, therefore, cannot cover great distances by themselves. This demands that they need direct contact to spread.

Don't share personal belongings: Teach the children not to lend/borrow hair combs, hats, or other personal belongings that touch their hair.

Regular Checks: Regularly examine your child's hair. This is particularly important if the seriousness of lice has been cautioned in school or day-care or if somebody your child comes into regular contact with has lice.

These days there are professional lice clinics available to help professionally treat head lice. At our clinic in Elsternwick we provide a guaranteed service that will grant you peace of mind. Professional head lice treatment will be effective at any stage in the life cycle, whether the eggs have hatched or not. The revolutionary heat device is designed to dehydrate and damage the eggs so they are no longer viable.

Be reminded that in fighting head lice, being proactive is key and we can help provide some tips on how to prevent and handle head lice re-infestations quickly and effectively.

After all, lice cannot fly or jump, and they depend on the propagation of the crawl and close contact. Debunking the flying lice myth frees us to better support control and prevention of these pesky invaders.

Advantage Pharmacy Elsternwick can help take care of your head lice problems with a visit to our Head Lice Clinic. CLICK HERE to find out more or to book your convenient appointment today.