Louse (pl.: lice) is the common name for any member of the infraorder Phthiraptera, which contains nearly 5,000 species of wingless parasitic insects.

The meaning of LOUSE is any of various small wingless usually flattened insects (orders Anoplura and Mallophaga) parasitic on warm-blooded animals. How to use louse in a sentence.

Louse, (order Phthiraptera), any of a group of small wingless parasitic insects divisible into two main groups: the Amblycera and Ischnocera, or chewing or biting lice, which are parasites of birds and …

Sep 4, 2024 · Only the body louse can spread disease. You get lice (head, body, and pubic) from close person-to-person contact with someone who has a lice infestation. Dogs, cats, and other pets do not …

May 29, 2025 · A louse has three stages in its life cycle. They begin as nits, hatch and become nymphs, and become full-sized adults within weeks. Their life cycle is fast, and they tend to reproduce quickly.

Oct 14, 2025 · There are three types of lice: Head lice. These lice feed on the scalp. They're easiest to see at the hairline on the neck and over the ears. Body lice. These lice live in clothing and bedding …

Jul 19, 2025 · A louse is a small, wingless insect and an obligate parasite, meaning it depends on a host to live by feeding on its blood. A louse spends nearly its entire life on a single host, where it feeds …

Body lice are permanent parasites of humans and typically cannot survive off a human host for longer than a few hours, and then only under optimal temperature and humidity. Spread of body lice …

Mar 18, 2025 · Head lice (Pediculus P. humanus) are one of 500 species of "sucking louse" that feed on mammalian blood, but one of only three species that feed specifically on human blood. Lice are …

LOUSE definition: any small, wingless insect of the order Anoplura sucking louse, parasitic on humans and other mammals and having mouthparts adapted for sucking, as Pediculus humanus humanus …