Pediculus humanus humanus (the body louse) is indistinguishable in appearance from Pediculus humanus capitis (the head louse) but will interbreed only under laboratory conditions.
In their natural state, they occupy different habitats and do not usually meet.
Compared to the other two related lice species (head and pubic lice), body lice do not directly live on the host.
They lay their eggs in articles of clothing or bedding and only come into contact with the host whenever they need to feed.
They can feed up to five times a day and can live for about thirty days, but if they are separated from their host, they will die within a week.
If the conditions are met, the body louse can reproduce rapidly in favoring conditions.

The life cycle of the body louse consists of three stages: egg (also called a nit), nymph, and adult.

Nits are louse eggs that are laid in the folds of clothing and nowhere else.
The mother louse secretes an adhesive that is produced by her accessory gland and hold the egg in place until hatched.
They are oval and usually yellow to white in color and when in the correct temperature, they will develop 6 to 9 days after being laid.

A nymph is an immature louse that hatches from the nit (egg).
Once the nymph is hatched, it immediately starts feeding on the hosts blood and then returns to the clothing until it needs to feed again.
The nymph will molt three times after hatching and after the third molt, it has developed into an adult louse.
The nymph developing into an adult louse usually takes 9-12 days after hatching.

The adult body louse is about the size of a sesame seed (2.5–3.5 mm), has six legs, wingless and is tan to grayish-white.
After the final molt, female and male lice can mate immediately and since the louse typically lives for 20 days before dying, mating is crucial in order to increase their population size.
A female louse can lay up to 200-300 eggs in clothing, bed sheet fibers or seams of clothes throughout her life.
To live, lice must feed on blood.
If separated from their hosts, the lice will eventually die.
The digestion of the blood is done by erythrocytes and usually is digested quickly.

The two  P. humanus subspecies are anatomically similar and share a lot of the same characteristics.
Their heads are short with two antennae that are split into five segments each, compacted thorax, seven segmented abdomen with lateral paratergal plates.
Entomologists can distinguish between body and head lice based on differences in pigment coloration in the abdomen segmentation and lengths of tibia's have been observed between the two subspecies.
Pediculus humanus humanus (the body louse) is indistinguishable in appearance from Pediculus humanus capitis (the head louse) but will interbreed only under laboratory conditions. In their natural state, they occupy different habitats and do not usually meet. Compared to the other two related lice species (head and pubic lice), body lice do not directly live on the host. They lay their eggs in articles of clothing or bedding and only come into contact with the host whenever they need to feed. They can feed up to five times a day and can live for about thirty days, but if they are separated from their host, they will die within a week. If the conditions are met, the body louse can reproduce rapidly in favoring conditions.
The life cycle of the body louse consists of three stages: egg (also called a nit), nymph, and adult.
Nits are louse eggs that are laid in the folds of clothing and nowhere else. The mother louse secretes an adhesive that is produced by her accessory gland and hold the egg in place until hatched. They are oval and usually yellow to white in color and when in the correct temperature, they will develop 6 to 9 days after being laid.
A nymph is an immature louse that hatches from the nit (egg). Once the nymph is hatched, it immediately starts feeding on the hosts blood and then returns to the clothing until it needs to feed again. The nymph will molt three times after hatching and after the third molt, it has developed into an adult louse. The nymph developing into an adult louse usually takes 9-12 days after hatching.
The adult body louse is about the size of a sesame seed (2.5–3.5 mm), has six legs, wingless and is tan to grayish-white. After the final molt, female and male lice can mate immediately and since the louse typically lives for 20 days before dying, mating is crucial in order to increase their population size. A female louse can lay up to 200-300 eggs in clothing, bed sheet fibers or seams of clothes throughout her life. To live, lice must feed on blood. If separated from their hosts, the lice will eventually die. The digestion of the blood is done by erythrocytes and usually is digested quickly.
The two  P. humanus subspecies are anatomically similar and share a lot of the same characteristics. Their heads are short with two antennae that are split into five segments each, compacted thorax, seven segmented abdomen with lateral paratergal plates. Entomologists can distinguish between body and head lice based on differences in pigment coloration in the abdomen segmentation and lengths of tibia's have been observed between the two subspecies.
Body louse