How many days does a scabies mite live? - briefly
A female scabies mite typically survives for about 30–40 days, whereas a male lives roughly 1–2 weeks.
How many days does a scabies mite live? - in detail
The female Sarcoptes scabiei completes its life cycle on a human host in roughly two weeks. After mating, an adult female burrows into the epidermis, where she lays 30–40 eggs over a period of 3–5 days. Each egg hatches within 3–4 days, producing a larva that remains on the skin surface for about 1–2 days before forming a six‑legged nymph. The nymph molts into an eight‑legged adult after an additional 2–3 days. Adult mites survive for 4–6 days on the host, after which they die and are expelled with skin debris. If displaced from a host, a mite can live up to 48 hours in the environment, but cannot reproduce outside human skin.
Key points summarizing the timeline:
- Egg stage: 3–4 days
- Larval stage: 1–2 days
- Nymphal stage: 2–3 days
- Adult stage on host: 4–6 days
- Survival off‑host: up to 48 hours
Temperature and humidity influence the off‑host survival time; cooler, dry conditions reduce viability, while warm, humid environments extend it slightly. The entire cycle, from egg deposition to the death of the last adult, therefore spans approximately 10–14 days under typical conditions.