How do lice nests look? - briefly
Lice nests are tiny, irregular clusters of white or yellowish eggs (nits) glued to hair shafts near the scalp, resembling specks of dandruff. They occur within a few millimeters of the hair root and adhere tightly, requiring a fine-toothed comb for removal.
How do lice nests look? - in detail
Lice colonies form a compact, three‑dimensional mass that adheres tightly to the host’s hair shafts and scalp skin. The core consists of adult females, their eggs (nits), and newly hatched nymphs, all embedded in a silken matrix secreted from the female’s ventral glands. This matrix appears as a faint, almost invisible web that binds the insects together and to the hair.
Key visual features include:
- Egg clusters: Oval, translucent to slightly yellowish, attached at a 45‑degree angle to each hair strand. The shells are smooth, about 0.8 mm long, and remain fixed until the nymph emerges.
- Adult bodies: Small, wingless insects 2–4 mm in length, gray‑brown, with a flattened dorsal surface that makes them difficult to see against the scalp.
- Silken threads: Thin, colorless strands that interlink insects and eggs, creating a subtle net that can be observed only under magnification or with bright lighting.
- Location pattern: Concentrated near the nape of the neck, behind the ears, and at the crown, where hair density and warmth are greatest.
When inspected closely, the nest resembles a dense, irregular tangle of hair shafts peppered with tiny, glued‑on ovals and a faint webbing. The overall impression is a microscopic “bush” of insects and eggs, invisible to the naked eye unless the scalp is examined under a loupe or microscope.