The crab louse is called Phthirus pubis or pubic lice. It’s easy to tell the difference between human lice and crab lice. The human louse has a large abdomen. The abdomen of the crab louse is wider than it is long and has small protuberances on each side. Crab louse nits are smaller than those […]
The body louse
The body louse, Pediculus humanus corporis, is similar to the head louse. The differences that separate it from the head louse are small and uncertain. Even specialists may find it difficult to distinguish between the two subspecies. Body lice lay their nits in the clothes etc. we wear on the body. One can assume that […]
Lice control
Lice can be killed between two nails or between the front teeth. It takes a pinch of approx. l kg. Mechanical methods such as these have been used for millennia. Combing the hair with a fine-tooth comb can be an effective method; however, this method can be both painful and laborious. These methods plus shaving […]
Spreading of head lice
Head lice are transmitted by direct contact between human heads. Other ways of transmission is highly unlikely. In what stage of a lice infestation, lice is most infectious is not known. Biologically speaking, it is logical that the lice migrate as soon as possible, once they have established themselves in the head, and when they […]
Detection
To detect lice requires experience, patience and good eyesight. It is important that as many people as possible have this experience – especially in periods with very few lice infestations. The lice should be shown to others; however, respect and consideration of the infected person should be kept in mind. Lice. If moving lice are […]
Suspicion of head lice
The five different indications listed here, each contributes to the suspicion that there are lice in the hair. Suspicion should not result in a headlong eradication process; however, it can be a cause for inspection. 1. If you see one or more small, red patches on the scalp especially behind the ears the back of […]
Life cycle
Head lice glue their eggs (called nits) to the base of the hairs. The glue hardens within 20 seconds, and then is insoluble. The glue is made up of a substance which – chemically speaking – is similar to hair. The nits are laid one by one and are quite large compared to the lice. […]
Lice bites
A louse about to suck, stations itself with the body perpendicular to the skin. A short tube appears from the mouth. It has many small and sharp chitin teeth in the front of the tube. They act as barbs when the louse head is anchored to the skin. Then three long, elastic rods are shot […]
Occurrence
In scalp hair, the lice mainly keep to the quietest areas: In the neck and behind the ears. Age and sex. Lice are not equally common to all people. In young children – under 4 years – head lice are seen equally often among boys and girls. As children get older lice are more common […]
The head louse
The head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis, is a small, flat and elongated insect. The adult females measure 2.4 to 3.3 mm in length. Lice in other stages of their life and the males are smaller. In the front, there is a small head with a mouth and two antennae and two simple eyes. The chest […]
Lice
Lice form an insect order Anoplura, or sucking lice, that do not have close relations to other insects. Lice are bloodsuckers. They live in the fur of mammals but not all kinds of mammals. They only live on one family of predators, namely the Canidae. Pediculus humanus is a species of louse that infects humans. […]
Introduction
These days, there is an eager debate about whether or not there was room for all the animals on Noah’s Ark. We will not interfere in the scholarly debate but simply point out that there indeed exists a very large number of animal species. Today, roughly one million different animals are known, and studies of […]
Bedbugs – Bites, Stings and Itches
Preface, 1st edition “Bites, Stings and Itches” is a presentation of ectoparasites in humans, dogs and cats, as well as other animals that can cause skin symptoms in humans in Denmark. Many different people are involved in advising others on how to remedy these problems. These can – depending on the animal species – be […]
Where to go for further guidance
Pests in houses and stores The Environmental Health Department of the Local Authority should be able to advice on choosing one of the many firms specialising in pest control; some Local Authorities may carry out disinfestations themselves. Fungal diseases An estate agent/chartered surveyor or the local telephone directory will have the names and addresses of […]
Resistance
One of the weak points in using poisons is that some animals can apparently develop a resistance to them. This is not a question of a single individual becoming resistant during its lifetime. Within a large number of individuals, such as a population of flies, there will be numerous different combinations of hereditary material, and […]
Risks of using poisons
During recent years there has been much discussion about the risks involved in using these poisonous substances. In order to avoid misunderstanding it is important to differentiate between three main kinds of hazard. There is, first, the risk of acute poisoning. A substance may just be so poisonous that a small dose taken by mistake […]
Methods of treatment in pest control
Vacuum cleaners There is no doubt that the daily use of a vacuum cleaner is the most important method of keeping pests under control, and this applies both to private houses and to industrial concerns. Many invertebrates are immediately killed and removed by vacuum cleaning. As already mentioned, some pests thrive best in places where […]
On pests in general
One might get the impression that all the world’s invertebrate animals are wholly bent on making life difficult for us, but in fact only a tiny proportion of them can be regarded as pests. The insects are, of course, by far the largest group in the animal kingdom, and they also include the largest number […]
Sounds
Normally the presence of animals in a house will be confirmed either by directly seeing them or by finding their tracks. Sometimes, however, we can use our sense of hearing, as well as of smell. The sounds made by animals are very varied and naturally these come mainly from the larger species. Most of us […]
Scent
The sense of smell is not nearly so well developed in man as it is in most other mammals, but there are occasions when even man’s olfactory apparatus is of some use to him. This applies particularly in the case of foods. We are, for instance, very sensitive to the smell of decomposing food, but […]
Faeces
It is not uncommon for the faeces or droppings of animals to be found before the animals themselves are seen. In some cases it will be possible to identify the species that has produced the faeces from their shape, colour and size, and from the conditions under which they were found. Spider faeces are greyish-white […]
Crane fly
(Latin: Tipula paludosa) Crane flies are among the animals which can cause panic in the bedroom when – attracted by the light – then fly in from outside and flap against the lampshades. Crane flies are merely large flies. They do not feed as adults, nor do they bite or sting. The female lays eggs […]
Drone fly larva
(Latin: Eristalis tenax) This is the larva of a hoverfly (Family Syrphidae), and it is not very well known, perhaps because it lives in drainage channels, in pools receiving water from dunghills and similar places with water that is grossly polluted with organic matter. At its rear end this larva has a breathing tube which […]
Hoverfly
(Latin: Syrphus ribesii) During the late summer of some years the house may be swarming with enormous numbers of rather attractive insects, resembling small wasps. These are hoverflies which on a sunny day can be seen hovering almost motionless in the air, and suddenly darting off so quickly that it is very difficult to follow them […]
Cis boleti
(Latin: Cis boleti) A great number of different animals may be brought into the house with cut flowers and other garden produce, and there is seldom any doubt about where they come from. It is however particularly annoying when a house or flat is suddenly found to be teeming with these small, dark beetles. The […]
Devil’s coach-horse
(Latin: Staphylinus olens) This large predatory beetle is common in woodland, but is also found in gardens and sometimes enters houses when hunting for prey, usually small insects, slugs and worms. It is easily recognizable by its size (up to 3 cm long) and by its dark colour. As is typical of the staphylinid beetles […]
Carabus nemoralis
(Latin: Carabus nemoralis) Commonly known as: European ground beetle These are fast-moving, agile beetles with powerful legs and long antennae. The species normally seen indoors are 2-3 cm long and black or brownish. Only a few of them can fly, and in some species the elytra which cover the abdomen are fused together. Most carabid […]
Cone bug
( Latin: Gastrodes ferrugineus) This is an example of an insect which has nothing to do in a house, but which may be brought indoors from time to time. It is a bug that lives in coniferous forests where it can be found under the bark of trees. In winter large numbers of these bugs […]
Dusky cockroach
(Latin: Ectobius lapponicus) As already mentioned (p. 59) the cockroach species commonly found indoors come from warmer climates. On the other hand, the dusky cockroach occurs throughout Europe from Lapland to the Mediterranean. These small, active cockroaches live mainly in woodland and on heathland where they run around among vegetation on the ground; they also […]
Earwig
(Latin: Forficula auricularia) Earwigs start to come into houses in late summer, seeking good hiding-places, for they are nocturnal animals which spend the day in sheltered places. These they find in abundance in the human environment, in the cracks and crevices of doors and windows, folded handkerchiefs, bath towels and so on. By mid-September, however, they […]
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