Can Lice Crawl on Smooth Surfaces?

Head lice are blood-sucking parasites that infest the hair of their human hosts and are transmitted by direct contact. They cannot fly or jump, but they can crawl surprisingly fast.

Description

Infestation with head lice is called pediculosis. Head lice spread by crawling from one host to another. They can be spread by contact with anything that has been in contact with an infested head, including hats, combs, car upholstery and headphones. A louse that falls on a smooth surface will crawl more slowly than one that falls on a textured surface.

Considerations

Lice spread by crawling from person to person. They move rapidly on surfaces like upholstered furniture that offer places for their claws to grip, but more slowly on smooth surfaces like tabletops or counters. They cannot survive apart from a human host for more than 48 hours, and cannot reproduce anywhere but on a human.

Treatment

Head lice infestations are generally treated with a combination of manual removal and cleaning the hair with a medicated shampoo. It can take two or three weeks to eliminate an infestation. The procedure also requires thorough cleaning of anything that came into contact with the infested person's head.

References

• University of Georgia: A School's Guide to the 'Nitty-Gritty' About Head Lice
• Oregon Dept. of Human Services: Head Lice
• University of Florida: Head Lice 101: The Basics