What do lice and flea eggs look like? - briefly
Lice nits are tiny, oval, creamy‑white eggs about 0.8 mm long that are firmly glued to the base of each hair shaft. Flea eggs are smooth, white, roughly 0.5 mm spheres that drop freely from the host’s fur onto the environment.
What do lice and flea eggs look like? - in detail
Lice eggs, commonly called nits, are oval‑shaped and measure about 0.8 mm in length. Their shells are smooth, semi‑transparent, and often appear white or yellowish until they darken as the embryo develops. Nits are firmly attached to hair shafts close to the scalp, typically within ¼ inch of the skin, using a cement‑like substance that resists most combing attempts. The attachment point creates a slight bulge on the hair, and the egg’s curvature follows the contour of the filament.
Flea eggs differ markedly in size and texture. They are spherical, roughly 0.5 mm in diameter, and have a rough, matte surface. Freshly laid eggs are pale white, turning tan or brown after exposure to air. Unlike lice eggs, flea eggs are not glued to hair; they fall freely from the adult insect onto the host’s fur, bedding, or surrounding environment. Consequently, they are often found in clusters on carpets, upholstery, or pet bedding, where they can be collected by vacuuming or using a fine‑mesh sieve.
Key visual distinctions:
- Shape: oval (lice) vs. round (flea)
- Size: ~0.8 mm (lice) vs. ~0.5 mm (flea)
- Surface: smooth, semi‑transparent (lice) vs. rough, matte (flea)
- Location: firmly attached to hair near scalp (lice) vs. free‑falling onto fabrics and fur (flea)
- Color progression: white → yellow‑brown (lice) vs. white → tan/brown after desiccation (flea)
Microscopic examination reveals that lice eggs possess a clear operculum at one pole, through which the nymph emerges after about 7–10 days. Flea eggs lack an operculum; the emerging larva simply breaks through the thin shell. Both types are invisible to the naked eye without magnification unless they are clustered, but a hand lens or low‑power microscope readily confirms their morphology.