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Life cycle

  1. Egg laid on hair shaft

  2. Louse hatches after 7 days

  3. 1st Nymph - youngest stage sheds it’s skin for the first time, 2 days after hatching

  4. 2nd Nymph - The second time the louse sheds it’s skin (3 days later)

  5. 3rd Nymph - The last time the louse sheds its skin before becoming an adult (8-9 days after hatching)

  6. Female (slightly larger) and Male lice begin to reproduce

  7. Female lays first eggs 2 days after mating. 6 to 8 eggs are laid per day for the next 16 days.

  8. Adult louse dies 33 - 35 days after being laid as an egg