There are three forms of body lice: the egg (sometimes called a
nit), the nymph, and the adult.
Nit: Nits are body lice eggs. They are generally easy
to see in the seams of clothing, particularly around the waistline
and under armpits. They are about the size of the mark at
the end of this arrow . Nits may also be attached to body
hair. They are oval and usually yellow to white. Nits may
take 30 days to hatch.
Nymph: The egg hatches into a baby louse
called a nymph. It looks like an adult body louse, but is smaller.
Nymphs mature into adults about 7 days after hatching. To live,
the nymph must feed on blood.
Adult: The adult body louse
is about the size of a sesame seed, has 6 legs, and is tan to
greyish-white. Females lay eggs. To live, adult lice need to
feed on blood. If the louse falls off of a person, it dies within
10 days.