We thank the thousands of schools who deliver the Bug Busting wet combing message to parents.

Link your school website to www.nits.net so parents can find information on the best way to defeat head lice.

Listen to the science

Head lice are adept at hiding. Noticeable cases are surrounded by undiagnosed ones.

In dry or damp hair lice move quickly away from disturbance evading detection, but really wet lice stay still. Combing thoroughly wet, conditioned hair with a Bug Buster comb is a reliable detection method even when very few lice are present.

• Often cases are light and easily missed and remain contagious if the Bug Busting wet combing method is not used.
• Parents need to check the efficacy of any treatment choice because none guarantees a complete cure.

Bug Buster combs are unique in design.

The spacing between the teeth is narrow enough to trap the smallest lice but wide enough to pass easily through the hair.

There is an exact balance between the slim handle and the deeply bevelled edge of the teeth. This ensures that the teeth slip between the hair roots at the correct angle. They slide naturally under the lice which live near the scalp for food and warmth.

The information-packed with the comb enables parents to detect lice reliably even when there are only 1 or 2 on the head – other combs slide over tiny newly hatched lice.

Review the evidence here

National Bug Busting Days

The secret of eradication is co-ordinated detection

Bug Busting Days offer education in reliable head louse detection. They deliver the ‘whole school approach’ (National Healthy School Standard)

You can choose any date that suits your timetable for sharing the knowledge and encouraging every family to have a Bug Buster wet combing Kit to hand. State clearly that lice can affect anyone regardless of cleanliness and socio-economic status. Assure families that the Kit is a tool for use in the privacy of the home.

It is important to ask the whole school community to take part in Bug Busting together. This avoids stigmatising any family or group by singling them out. The best date to raise awareness is on one of the National Bug Busting Days. 31 October is good as a practice run for 31 January, participation on 15 June offers families a lice-free end to the summer term. Many schools take part on these dates and by synchronising Bug Busting on a pre-determined date, it prevents lice from circulating from head to head …and back again.

Real Facts about Head Lice

• The eggs of head lice usually take 7 to 10 days to hatch (recorded range 5 to 11 days). Live eggs and head lice are not easily spotted on the head, therefore the school nurse cannot solve the head louse problem for schools and parents.
• Combing dry or damp hair with a fine-tooth comb is not a reliable way to detect lice, and especially deceptive in short, straight hair, where you would think it would be easy.
• Metal combs are not suitable for louse detection because these combs are primarily nit combs. Lice caught between the tightly spaced teeth remain unnoticed against the metal and can be combed back into the hair unharmed at subsequent strokes.
• There are no studies proving that wet head lice grasp hairs more tightly, thus hampering their removal with a fine-tooth comb.
• It is not scientifically proven that head to head contact has to be prolonged to catch lice – close contact is enough.
• Head lice are a community problem About 20% of cases are amongst people over 16 or under 4 years old.

For further information read our Mistaken Advice Page

A successful strategy for head louse control

The late Dr RJ Donaldson, affectionately known as Paddy, demonstrated in the 1970s that an intensive detection/treatment campaign can dramatically cut the prevalence of head lice. He was the tireless mentor of the Bug Busting Days organised by Community Hygiene Concern, taking a personal interest from 1986 in our development of wet methods of detection in preference to less effective dry or damp methods.

“Public education is, indeed, a most effective insecticide” (Donaldson, 1979)

The goal must be informed self-care, co-ordinated by community health, schools and nurseries, given that head lice affect most families from the time the first child begins to socialise with other children.

Community Hygiene Concern (CHC) is a non profit-making organisation set up in 1988 to help schools, community health services and parents cope successfully with head lice. Using action research techniques, we assessed methods of detection and cure, working with families and schools. We disseminate information on best practice when we find evidence of effectiveness. We welcome an independent evaluation of our findings. To date the only re-usable treatment for head lice, tested in independent clinical trials that have been reported in peer-reviewed journals, is the Bug Buster Kit. Find out more