Help, lice! Or is it nits or fleas?

Recognizing Lice (Nits)

Every child sometimes has to deal with head lice. The small creatures crawl from head to head through the electrostatic attraction of the hair. As a result, your children easily pick up the critters in the classroom or at the youth movement from their playmates. Lice are:

• 2 to 4 millimeters in size and thus visible to the naked eye
• sand-colored to dark grey
• dark red when they have just sucked blood
• insects with six legs with hooks
• fond of warm places, which is why they usually sit behind the ears and close to the scalp

From about one week old, adult female lice lay up to eight eggs per day. Because of this speed, it is extra important to tackle lice infestation as quickly as possible! Those small larvae – as big as a pinhead – are called nits. New lice will eventually hatch from these nits, and what remains is a white shell. Beware: dead nits look like dandruff. But while dandruff flakes lie loose between the hairs, nits really stick to the hair.

Fleas are mainly found on pets

A flea becomes 2 to 3 millimeters in size and has a brown or red color. Unlike lice, fleas do not stick to the hair or skin. They can therefore fall on the ground or in your pet’s basket. If a human is bitten by a flea, they have most likely contracted the creature from a pet, such as a dog or a cat. This can happen through a hug, but also from a distance, as fleas can, unlike lice, actually jump. However, the creatures will not survive on human skin: they prefer to nestle in thick fur. A flea bite can lead to itching and skin irritation, but is no cause for panic. In addition to the animal flea, there is also the human flea, but it is rare in Europe.

How do you fight lice, nits, and fleas?

You can tackle fleas with a natural insect spray, such as Pistal. To combat lice and nits, it is best to get Elimax 2in1 at home. This product kills lice and nits and protects against new infections. Simply available at the pharmacy!