Head Lice, A Million Years To Design

Head lice have been roaming the earth, via their hosts for over one million years. It has taken this long for the current design to evolve into what we have today.

When you look at the head lice it doesn't seem like a significant insect, but when you delve deeper what you find is something a little more special.

The head lice has a total life cycle of less than fifty days, this is from the egg being laid till the adult dies of old age. It can only survive when on the head of a human; if it loses its home on a human head then it will die in less than forty-eight hours.

Now, when you put this into perspective, this insect is very vulnerable because its home is such a specific area, it only lives for such a short period of time, yet it has managed to survive for over one million years, when many animals have become extinct.

What makes the head louse so special that it can last this long?

The head louse has evolved to have the perfect body functions for its terrain. Before mentioning it's design you have to remember that it lives in the human hair.

The head louse is no bigger than a sesame seed and is tan to brown in color; this offers camouflage in most hair types and a size that can easily be concealed.

The body design is close to that of most insects, and is strikingly similar to the ant, although it has one perfect design feature for its terrain. The head louse has extra long front legs, these are used for gripping onto the hairs on the head for support and movement.

The female head louse is slightly bigger than the male head louse, while this doesn't strike out as being anything special, what the female can do that is quite unbelievable is to lay between 3 and 6 eggs a day for the whole duration of her adult life.

The female also has special saliva that has strong glue like qualities; she uses this to glue the eggs to the hair, near the scalp so they do not easily fall out of the host. This saliva is so strong that the only way to remove the eggs is by manually picking them out by hand as the chemical treatments can kill the eggs but cannot dissolve the strong bond the saliva created.

The head louse has also become very good at adapting to treatments and has even been able to become immune to insecticides. If the wrong dosage is given in the first instance then the second time round the treatment will be ineffective as the head lice are able to resist the chemicals.

The Future

As evolution has dealt the head louse a strong hand, this durable, strong little insect will carry on having a close relationship with the human race for many years to come. Treatments may stop this insect for a short period, but the head louse will over come them like they have always done.

About the Author:
Mike Serovey is the owner and webmaster for http://www.mikeserovey.net where you can submit your articles for free.