How long does a scabies mite live? - briefly
A scabies mite remains alive on a human for roughly 30–40 days, completing its life cycle before it dies. When removed from the skin, it survives only about 24–36 hours.
How long does a scabies mite live? - in detail
The scabies mite (Sarcoptes scabiei) survives for a limited period once it has established a burrow in human skin. An adult female typically lives 4–6 days after laying eggs; during this time she can produce up to 30 eggs. After oviposition, the female dies and is expelled with the crusted skin. Male mites emerge from the egg, mature within 3–4 days, and live roughly 2–3 days, primarily to locate females for mating.
The complete development cycle proceeds as follows:
- Egg: 2–3 days before hatching.
- Larva (six-legged): 3–4 days, during which it seeks a new burrow.
- Nymph (eight-legged): 2–3 days, undergoing two molts before reaching adulthood.
- Adult: 4–6 days for females, 2–3 days for males.
Environmental factors influence survival outside the host. In ambient conditions (20–25 °C, 50‑70 % relative humidity), a detached mite may endure up to 48 hours, but survival drops sharply with lower humidity or higher temperatures. On clothing or bedding, the mite can persist for several days if protected from desiccation, yet it cannot reproduce without direct contact with human skin.
Thus, the organism’s viable presence on a person is confined to roughly a week, while its capacity to remain viable in the environment does not exceed two days under typical household conditions. Effective control therefore requires prompt treatment of the host and thorough laundering of textiles to eliminate any residual mites.