What Causes Head Lice?
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
2. A Nymph
A nymph is the name given to a baby head louse. They look very much like adult lice but they are a lot smaller. However, they will grow rapidly and will mature with 12 days after the day they hatched. They need blood to live and grow just like the adults do, and they feed by drinking the blood from just beneath the surface of your scalp.
One of the main differences between a nymph and an adult is that nymphs cannot lay eggs. This thankfully slows the rate of infestation, but the lice can still be transmitted to other people at this stage. Depending on how many nits the patient was originally infested with, they will probably not be aware the lice are present at this stage.
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