How long does a louse take to lay eggs? - briefly
A female head louse starts laying eggs about seven days after her final molt and can deposit up to five eggs daily for roughly a month. The eggs hatch in an additional 7–10 days.
How long does a louse take to lay eggs? - in detail
A female head louse reaches sexual maturity approximately 5–7 days after hatching. Once mature, egg‑laying begins and continues for the remainder of the adult’s life, which averages 30 days under typical indoor conditions.
Egg production follows a regular schedule:
- First oviposition occurs about 1 day after the initial mating.
- Subsequent eggs are deposited at intervals of 12–24 hours.
- A single female lays between 4 and 6 eggs per day.
- Total clutch size ranges from 30 to 50 eggs before the adult dies.
The timing of each oviposition event is influenced by temperature and host availability. At 25 °C (77 °F) the 12‑hour cycle is most consistent; lower temperatures extend the interval, while higher temperatures may accelerate it slightly but also reduce overall lifespan.
Eggs (commonly called «nit») remain attached to hair shafts for 7–10 days before hatching. The hatching period, combined with the adult’s egg‑laying schedule, results in a continuous cycle of new lice emerging every 2–3 days once the first generation matures.
In summary, a mature female louse initiates egg deposition within a day of mating and proceeds to lay an average of five eggs each day for roughly a month, producing a new cohort of offspring at intervals of one to two days.