What is the difference between fleas and head lice

It is however easier to manage and get rid of a flea infestation in the earlier stages, rather than later. There are two basic ways to address the problem: try to prevent any stage of the pest from entering the home and keep immature stages from maturing into adults. For prevention in pets, using a flea comb on the cat or dog and wash the bedding weekly has proved to be effective. For humans, an effective repellent applied to skin and clothing, prevents fleas from attacking for a few hours.

Other effective measures include dusting clothing with insecticide powder, or by using insecticide-impregnated clothing, keeping houses well swept and floors washed, treatment of floors with detergents, insecticides or a solution of naphthalene in benzene, and spraying or dusting insecticides into cracks and crevices, corners of rooms and areas where fleas and their larvae are likely to occur.

Fleas can be quite dangerous, as they can act as a vector for disease. Fleas transmit not only a variety of viral, bacterial and rickettsial diseases to humans and other animals, but also protozoans and helminths.

Nits, on the other hand, are the eggs produced by the hair lice. Head lice are tiny, wingless, parasitic insects that live and feed on blood from your scalp. There are other types of lice, including body lice, which affects the body and pubic lice, which affects the pubic area. The head lice are the most common form of infestation that most humans face.

Head lice are a very common problem, affecting millions of people each year. They commonly affect preschool and elementary school-aged children, who unknowingly infect each other and others close to them, such as family members. However, getting a head lice infestation is not a sign of bad personal hygiene or an unclean living environment. It is an itchy infestation commonly spread through close personal contact and by sharing personal belongings, such as caps, hats and scarves, brushes and combs, hair decorations, such as barrettes, and headphones.

It may even rarely spread through home furnishings, such as towels, clothing, blankets, pillows, upholstered furniture. Female head lice lay up to eggs a day. These eggs are attached to the root of an individual hair strand by means of a special type of glue excreted by the female lice.

Get Your Quote. How did I get human head lice? How serious are human head lice? What are the signs of a head lice infestation? Color: Eggs look translucent, white, or yellow-brown.

Diet Head lice are parasitic on humans since they take blood meals by puncturing the skin and sucking blood several times a day. Habitat Head lice live on the skin among the hairs on the head. Geographic Range Head lice are found throughout the United States. Life Cycle Lice appear in three life stages — eggs nits , nymphs juvenile adults and adults.

Lifespan Should a nymph or adult head louse become dislodged from their human host, they survive for only days. Lice vs. Fleas A flea infestation can easily be confused for a lice infestation. More Information Bird Lice. Connect with Us Our customer care team is available for you 24 hours a day. Find a Branch Our local technicians are the pest experts in your area.

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Tapeworm Dewormer praziquantel tablets for Dogs. Over the Counter Dewormers. Lice: What You Need to Know. Master Brand. Lice may cause one to scratch the head so vigorously that the skin breaks.

These scratches may get infected. An effective repellent applied to skin and clothing, prevents fleas from attacking for a few hours. Dusting clothing with insecticide powder, or by using insecticide-impregnated clothing, keeping houses well swept and floors washed, treatment of floors with detergents, insecticides or a solution of naphthalene in benzene, and spraying or dusting insecticides into cracks and crevices, corners of rooms and areas where fleas and their larvae are likely to occur.

Comb wet hair with a fine-toothed or nit comb to remove lice from wet hair. Repeat every three to four days for at least two weeks. Nonprescription shampoo that's specifically formulated to kill lice. If the person faces any severe reaction to the flea bites or if the bites are persistent and refuse to heal or go away. If nonprescription shampoo doesn't kill the lice, the doctor can prescribe a stronger, prescription shampoo.

If scratches are infected. Difference between Fleas and Lice. Key difference: Fleas are tiny, wingless, parasitic insects that live and feed on blood from humans, dog, cats, and other animals. Affects Fleas prefer to live on dogs and cats, but may also be found on humans and other available animals, especially if there is no easy excess to the dogs or cats. Risk factors The flea species does not usually remain on the person after feeding and by day it rests in cracks, crevices, carpets and bedding.

Females of all ages get head lice more often than males do. Symptoms Their bites can cause irritation, serious discomfort and loss of blood. Intense itching, adult lice on scalp, lice eggs nits on hair shafts. Treatment An effective repellent applied to skin and clothing, prevents fleas from attacking for a few hours.