At what temperature do lice and nits die?

Head lice adapt quickly to different antiparasitic agents. It is becoming more difficult to treat pediculosis, and there is no desire to waste your body once again. If you know at what temperature lice and nits die, you can fight without using harmful substances.Changing environmental conditions helps to quickly get rid of unwanted insects and their eggs.

What temperature for lice is comfortable

Parasites have adapted to life on the human body among the hair. These pests did not need to adapt to low temperatures or uncomfortable conditions. At temperatures from 20 to 38 degrees pests feed, lay nits and live for about forty days.

If the thermometer is crawling up or down, the bloodsuckers begin to experience discomfort. When a man with pediculosis will catch ARVI, then his body temperature will rise. Parasites will prefer to move from the skin to the ends of the hair.

Temperature and lice

Interesting!

The spread of lice occurs more actively when the body temperature of the patient with head lice increases. Pests tend to find a more comfortable habitat. This is one of the reasons why children’s groups are so fast. lice are transmitted. The child moves a lot, runs and is in close contact with other children.

The larva inside the nits protects a solid shell, so it is more resistant to temperature extremes.An insect egg can survive even when the air warms up to 50 degrees.

For low temperatures nit is more susceptible. At subzero temperature, the development of the larvae inside the egg will slow down.

At what temperatures lice and nits die

Bloodsucking bugs are sensitive to abrupt changes in the environment. When the temperature drops below 20 degrees, the parasite's vital processes slow down. The pest becomes sluggish, holds its hair weaker and reproduces more slowly. In the body of the female eggs mature not so quickly.

If the thermometer reaches the mark of 40 degrees, the louse stops putting off the nits.

Cold exposure

Some people think that if lice and nits die at temperatures below zero, then it’s enough in the winter to walk without a hat in the open air or plunge into a hole. But this method will not work. Faster sick pediculosis sick than lice die.

This happens because the temperature of the human body can not be with a minus sign, and in the scalp of the head is almost always maintained comfortable for life lice environment. Therefore, man will freeze, and lice breeding cycle will continue.

Interesting!

Durable shell keeps the larva alive for a greater amount of time. If during the appearance of the nymph the conditions are suitable, she will continue her development cycle and turn into an adult individual ready for breeding.

Cold and warm from parasites

Decreasing degrees has the following effects on insects:

1. If the temperature drops below 20, the pests become inactive. Their life processes are slowing down.
2. When the thermometer shows -5 ° C, the pests stop multiplying and feeding. Nits slow down the development.
3. At -15 ° C nymphs and adults die. The larvae inside the egg continue to live.
4. Nits die when the thermometer mark drops to -20.

Scientists have repeatedly conducted research, trying to figure out - lice die in the cold or not. Entomologist James Busvin discovered in 1944 that bloodsuckers at -20 became dead after 45 minutes. The death of insects in two hours resulted in a temperature of -17 ° C.

Heat exposure

Head lice are afraid of frost less than heat. From the cold, the insect protects the body and hair of the host. But when a person is sick or moves a lot, he produces too much heat and the parasite tends to move to a more comfortable place.

But ARVI or training in the gym can not be regarded as a way get rid of lice on the head. At 40 degrees Celsius above, the insect will only stop laying eggs.

An increase in ambient temperature affects the vital activity of the pest as follows:

1. At a temperature of 40-45 degrees, the female will stop breeding.
2. From forty to sixty, adults die, and nits continue to develop.
3. The nit can die only when the thermometer shows a temperature above 60.

Scientists found out that lice react more strongly to an increase in air temperature. Their internal organs are destroyed, which leads to the death of the parasite.

On a note!

If you wash the hair on the head with hot water, the parasite will not die. But the heat will greatly weaken it.

In 2006, Israeli entomologists conducted several experiments and found that at a temperature of + 3 ° C the louse dies on the ninth day.

How to get rid of lice

Heat treatment for lice

Head louse killing by changing the ambient temperature is difficult. It is protected from cold by hair, and the person himself will not sustain severe overheating.

Temperature effects are most often applied to body lice. These insects feed on human blood, but live in clothes that are easy to treat with steam or cold.

Heat exposure

To kill clothes louseenough to boil contaminated items.Some nits can survive. Therefore, a week later you will need to process the fabric a second time. All this time, clothes should not be worn and should be stored in a tightly sealed bag.

You can kill a louse using high temperatures in the following ways:

1. Iron seams, folds, pockets and cuffs of clothes with a hot iron.
2. Steam sofa upholstery and carpets.
3. Wash things using laundry detergent. Body lice during washing will die.

To destroy the head lice in the United States invented a special dryer. It gives a high temperature at which adults die. In Russia, such a device is not for sale, but you can use the available tools.

1. Heat the iron or curling iron to the maximum and process each strand. Keep the device on the curls 2-3 minutes.
2. Turn on the hair dryer to maximum heat. Using a nozzle-diffuser to process hair with hot air for at least thirty minutes.

Iron and hairdryer are not effective. lice control methods. But the hot air will weaken the insects and their larvae. Should take comb against lice and carefully comb the hair from the weakened and dead individuals. Procedure combing nits need to spend at least four times a day.

Cold exposure

Lice die not only from heat. But cold kill head or pubic louse will not work. But low temperatures will assist in the destruction of the wardrobe form.

Our ancestors used snow and ice water to clean carpets and clothing. They noticed that the cold is destructive for parasites. Therefore, in this way they got rid of insects and dirt.

Modern man can follow the example of his grandparents. If it is winter outside, you can take out clothes contaminated with lice on the balcony and leave it there for a day. During this time, insects will die.

On a note!

Things can not be immediately carried to the house. You should shake them off and choose a frozen animal.

In the warm season freezer will help out. Things need to be folded in a bag and sent overnight in the freezer. Lice eggs can survive the cold. Therefore, after seven days of cold treatment will need to be repeated.

In order to achieve the maximum effect, it is better to process additional clothes with steam and wash them in a washing machine.

Doctors do not advise treat pediculosis only a change in temperature.They recommend connecting an effective antiparasitic drug. Can come to the rescue folk remedies for lice. If, before drying a hair dryer or ironing process hair cranberry juice or vinegar, insects will become weaker, and the substance holding the nits on the hairs, dissolves.