Could be a louse, what now?
November 5, 2010 9:02 PM Subscribe
So I just smooshed what looked very much like a body louse biting my forearm. It was crushed (righteously) before I thought to get a picture of it, so I'm not exactly sure, but from memory it looked like one. Should I be worried?
It looked a lot like the Google pictures of a body louse. I'm worried I might be infested like an alien colony. What are some symptoms I should be looking for to confirm my worries, and if confirmed, what should I do about it?
It looked a lot like the Google pictures of a body louse. I'm worried I might be infested like an alien colony. What are some symptoms I should be looking for to confirm my worries, and if confirmed, what should I do about it?
i know it's smushed, but could it be a tick? tick=eight legs, louse=six. not that it's any better; tick bites carry the risk of lyme disease.
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 11:02 PM on November 5, 2010
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 11:02 PM on November 5, 2010
Keep and eye out for others and make sure it's not a bedbug nymph. Depending on where you live they could be a problem.
posted by brookeb at 11:06 PM on November 5, 2010
posted by brookeb at 11:06 PM on November 5, 2010
Yeah I'd be more worried about bed bugs than anything else.
posted by Justinian at 1:55 AM on November 6, 2010
posted by Justinian at 1:55 AM on November 6, 2010
Was there any blood when you smooshed it? Unless it had been feeding a lot or you pinched it pretty damn hard, you're not likely to be able to smash a tick.
If it was a body louse, you should be fine if that's all the evidence you have.
posted by wayland at 2:00 AM on November 6, 2010
If it was a body louse, you should be fine if that's all the evidence you have.
posted by wayland at 2:00 AM on November 6, 2010
ok, i got a bit more this time than ewww tick ...
if its a head or body louse it wants warm nesting spots. body lice can live off the body for 30 days. cdc says whatevas just change your clothes and shower you'll be fine. how cavalier.
bedbug killing techniques/quarantines are also effective on lice. i personally would want to employ as much of them as i could, just for peace of mind. never make the error of skipping upholstered furniture when looking for places to kill it. this advise, though, would depend on how tropical (warm/humid) your zone is.
say you'd got a errant head louse, though. a much tougher infestation to knock off, and one where the itching might not start until things are seriously overrun, 3-ish weeks.
nits (lice egg shells after hatch) in the hair will look like dandruff that's stuck aways from the scalp on hair shafts. oily stuff and fine-tooth combs and dilligent working esp. around the edges/sweat areas. essential oils of lavendar, rosemary, and lemon are good preventatively and mixed with, say, olive oil, as an unsticker. shaving clean can be a short cut to deinfestation. do not forget to disinfect implement/clippers used.
lastly, i've always read in textbooks and internet that lice can't fly or jump they only crawl. however, i've been told by a reliable source, a hairdresser who'd worked with school children in honolulu, that the boogers seriously will jump lfrom head to head. again, must depend on how tropical the zone.
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 1:48 AM on November 9, 2010
if its a head or body louse it wants warm nesting spots. body lice can live off the body for 30 days. cdc says whatevas just change your clothes and shower you'll be fine. how cavalier.
bedbug killing techniques/quarantines are also effective on lice. i personally would want to employ as much of them as i could, just for peace of mind. never make the error of skipping upholstered furniture when looking for places to kill it. this advise, though, would depend on how tropical (warm/humid) your zone is.
say you'd got a errant head louse, though. a much tougher infestation to knock off, and one where the itching might not start until things are seriously overrun, 3-ish weeks.
nits (lice egg shells after hatch) in the hair will look like dandruff that's stuck aways from the scalp on hair shafts. oily stuff and fine-tooth combs and dilligent working esp. around the edges/sweat areas. essential oils of lavendar, rosemary, and lemon are good preventatively and mixed with, say, olive oil, as an unsticker. shaving clean can be a short cut to deinfestation. do not forget to disinfect implement/clippers used.
lastly, i've always read in textbooks and internet that lice can't fly or jump they only crawl. however, i've been told by a reliable source, a hairdresser who'd worked with school children in honolulu, that the boogers seriously will jump lfrom head to head. again, must depend on how tropical the zone.
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 1:48 AM on November 9, 2010
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posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:19 PM on November 5, 2010