What is the life cycle of head lice?

A mature head louse can lay 6-10 nits daily and up to 180 lice eggs throughout its lifespan, which is approximately 30 days long. Nits are generally laid within 1 cm of the scalp, as they need warmth to develop and hatch. A louse glues each egg to the hair shaft. The glue serves as a protective shell for the developing embryo. It takes approximately one week for a nit to develop into a nymph and an additional week for a nymph to develop into an mature adult louse and start the reproduction cycle all over again.