Hundreds of tiny bugs
crawl across your scalp,
your neck and under your clothes.
They pierce your skin
and suck your blood.
The itching is unbearable.
You may want to spray pesticide
all over your body
or burn down your house
to get rid of them,
but hold on, buddy.
That's only going to make things worse.
“Daddy.”
Lice are parasitic creatures
that spread by hopping
from one person to another.
They never miss the opportunity
to jump onto your body,
lay hundreds of eggs on your skin
and start drinking your blood
until they quench their thirst.
Lice infestations affect
six to 12 million people
every year in the United States alone,
so they're closer than you think.
Make no mistake,
these little suckers can kill you.
Lice lay their eggs in the hair,
very close to the scalp.
Early signs of a lice infestation
can be mistaken for dandruff,
making you waste time
on dandruff-fighting shampoos
and allowing them to thrive.
They only live for 30 days,
but lay up to eight eggs every day.
During their lifetime,
they can lay more than
200 tiny bloodthirsty
vampires on your head.
On average, children with a lice infestation
have 20 to 30 live lice on their scalp.
If left untreated,
this is enough to cause
severe anemia
that can lead to heart failure and death.
Unlike other common
crawling nightmares
like bedbugs,
lice can't thrive on furniture,
and can't survive away from us
for more than 24 to 48 hours.
So, no need to burn down the house
or get rid of your pets this time, my friend.
Simply vacuum your furniture
and put any clothes, pillows
and blankets through the wash
to kill any eggs.
Thousands of bugs
crawl all over your skin,
biting into your scalp,
flesh and
nether regions.
You may be tempted to jump
right into a pool or a lake
and wait for them to drown.
But that may take longer than you think.
Lice can hold their breath
for up to eight hours,
so chances are
you'll drown long before they do.
Well, water hasn't helped you
get rid of these suckers,
but how about pesticides?
You may want to spray
bug cleaners
all over your house
and body to kill them outright,
but that's the worst thing you can do.
Your body can absorb pesticides
through your skin,
causing severe poisoning.
So don't even consider this as an option.
You may think
a lice infestation
is a sign of poor hygiene,
but over-washing
your scalp
will only make you
more attractive to them.
Since their goal is to feed on your blood
and lay their eggs,
lice prefer clean, washed scalps
to dirty, greasy ones.
Fortunately,
there are many over-the-counter
and prescription treatments
that can help you overcome
this nightmare.
But if you're worried
about little critters
that can make you bleed to death,
you might want to check out
this tiny caterpillar.
You only need a quick brush
against a tree
to die at the hands of this furry killer.
What should you do if you bump into one?
We'll tell you here,
on How to Survive.