Body Louse

Natural Habitat

Clothing and bedding of humans, where they live and lay eggs, moving to the skin only to feed.

Diet & Feeding

Obligate blood feeders, consuming human blood multiple times a day.

Behavior Patterns

They are wingless insects that crawl; they attach their eggs (nits) to clothing fibers, particularly in seams, rather than to hair.

Risks & Benefits

A significant public health risk as they can transmit serious bacterial diseases such as louse-borne typhus, trench fever, and epidemic relapsing fever.

Identified on: 6/25/2026