New treatments for ?super' lice available

It's all in a name: Let's talk about that for a moment. Just mentioning "lice" tends to send chills down people's spines.

I propose a name change. I think "Hair Guests" would be appropriate. Right locale. Visiting, though uninvited. You wouldn't even be embarrassed mentioning the problem to friends: "Oh, my kids brought home some hair guests from school the other day. What's new with you?" See how easy that awkward situation just became?

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 6-12 million infestations occur each year, with children 3-11 years old the most vulnerable. The lice are transferred most frequently by heads touching heads, not in the sharing of hats or scarves as frequently thought. Activities like playtime, sports or community napping areas are the primary denominators.

Super lice, a strain of mutated lice, was first recognized a number of years ago, and has spread throughout the entire country. Their quick breeding and multiplying made them adept at avoiding louse heaven through a genetic modification, hence the super label.

Head lice are parasitic insects, living and feeding on our blood. An adult louse is grayish white to tan in color, about the size of a sesame seed. Eggs (or nits) are laid on the scalp. They are yellow or tan, and resemble tiny dots. Warm body temperatures help assist in their development.

Adult lice only live about three weeks. Females only lay about five eggs a day. Each egg is essentially "cemented" to a hair follicle, so they do not easily fall out. They are immobile, do not grow in size and do not cause any health issues.

Once fully developed within the egg capsule, the nymph (immature adult) will break out of its shell and commence feeding. They molt and shed their skin multiple times until becoming an adult. Nymphs and adults will only feed on human blood.

The symptoms of lice are quite obvious: an itching, crawling or scratching sensation on the head. Like most reactions from insects, humans will vary depending on their sensitivities. People will experience anything from a delayed, mild itching to severe swelling and scratching, which can lead into a bacterial infection. And as usual, the insect saliva, injected into the skin, initiates the allergic reaction.

They have just become resistant to most common treatments, making them even more difficult to kill, and the entire discovery and eradication process all the more difficult and definitely more disgusting. The most popular over-the-counter (OTC) treatment products are Rid and Nix, both containing permethrin, which the lice are thumbing their noses at. These products only target adults, not their eggs.

There are new lice control products now available, one of which is Sklice. This is available by prescription and contains the active ingredient Ivermectin, also used in some cockroach baits. This product has shown promising results, though the claim of "no combing necessary" has been questioned by some consumers and health care professionals.

Clothing and bed linens also need to be treated with specialized products. Treatment of the environment by a pest professional is not necessary. Close attention needs to be paid to the source (humans) rather than the structure.

How long adult lice can live off the body has been a subject of debate. Most believe that the lice will die after a 24-hour absence from the body. Others believe that they can survive for multiple days away from their host.

Henry Fox is the owner of Henry N. Fox Professional Pest Management. You can ask him questions at letstalkbugs@gmail.com.