Pest Control Community

“Back to school”—the little three word phrase that means so much to so many: Vacations are over. Parents can breathe a sigh of relief in the fact that they no longer have to scramble to figure out what to do with the kids for the summer, as they settle back into their routines. Yes, the new school year has begun. Children all over the country anticipate new friends, new teacher(s), and new scholastic challenges. Back to school is more than an event, it’s a ritual that families with school-aged children go through each and every year.
But, amidst all of the excitement looms an ugly, scary reality. Each year, usually during the first month of the new school year and often along with the emergency contact information requests and school supply lists, comes the dreaded memo that brings fear and trepidation to most parents: The head lice outbreak memo. Parents are warned that there has been an outbreak of head lice and are urged to check their children’s hair and head weekly for the parasite. You know—the one, “A case of head lice has been discovered in your child’s class. Please do your part to prevent the spread of this communicable condition. Check your child(ren) daily for the next few weeks, and on a regular basis thereafter. If you should find a case of head lice, or if you need assistance, please contact the school nurse. Thank you for your cooperation,” (signed by the principal).
Unfortunately, these school system notices don’t provide any or adequate information about what to do to eliminate this pest once it has shown up in one’s family.
The World Health Organization lists head lice as the most prevalent human parasite in the U.S. and Europe. Here’s some background on these creepy critters: Head Lice are about the size of sesame seeds. They have six legs and are clear in color when hatched, but develop a reddish-brown color after feeding on human blood. Head lice are crawling, wingless insects and cannot hop, jump or fly. Female lice lay eggs called nits, “gluing” them tightly to the hair shaft very close to the scalp. Nits are small yellowish-white, oval shaped eggs which, once laid, take about 7 to 10 days for a nit to hatch. Off of the human body, lice survive for only about 24 hours.
Head lice are spread via direct contact of the head or hair with an infested individual, pillow, headrest or infested hats, towels, hair brushes, etc. Schools, particularly elementary schools are susceptible because there are a large number of children in close contact with each other. And, despite common belief, head lice are not a sign of poor hygiene practices. In fact, lice prefer clean hair. In addition, head lice do not discriminate when it comes to socio-economic status.
There is much controversy, recently, over the safety and efficacy of treatment today. Most of the over-the-counter and prescription shampoos that are sold to kill head lice have been proven to be carcinogenic and/or toxic. Additionally, it appears that head lice are becoming resistant to a number of these shampoos. One of the safest and most effective methods for controlling head lice is to wash the hair with regular (or an olive-oil based) shampoo and comb the (wet) hair with a good lice comb (one with 3 or 4 rows of closely-spaced metal teeth). In addition, wash all towels, bed linens and clothing in hot water and dry them on the hottest automatic dryer setting. Finally, be sure to vacuum upholstery (rugs and furniture,) pillows, and stuffed animals to be sure to get any hairs that may have fallen.
No need to panic when (notice that I didn’t say “if”) you get the memo this year. As a mother of adult children (my youngest graduated from college this past May) I can honestly attest to the fact that one day, the “scary memo” will be but a distant memory. For now, just take the required precautions and you and your family should be fine.

TAGS: Pest Control, American Pest Management, Biting Insects, Lice, Head Lice