| By :
Stewart Wrighter
Although it is rather unusual, some people have been bitten by lice from some rather unexpected sources. We have all heard of those which love to sit on a human host and feed away, head lice being one of them, but how many of us are aware that bird lice like to bite us too? There are many types of lice that infest bird species but the more common ones which can come into contact with humans is the ones carried by pigeons and sparrows and the like. Because these birds are often found where human beings are, it is inevitable that they will somehow get onto a person at one time or another. Chickens too carry lice and anyone who is around them will most certainly be bitten at some time or another. The odd thing about these lice is, although they cannot live on a human host, they do like to bite us. We have all probably seen nests stuck up in the corners of buildings, or birds that constantly sit on window sills outside offices in the city, and this is where the contact can begin. Once the bird has flown the nest, the lice that were in residence there come looking for other hosts and we humans just get in the way. Of course, older buildings, like churches, will certainly have their fair share of wildlife hanging around since they are not normally inhabited by people on a daily basis. This makes the ideal location for birds to nest and bring up their young and we, being the animal lovers that we are, are prone to let them stay there until the young ones are gone. But once spring has sprung and the birds move onto pastures new, the lice are left with nowhere to go but into the building itself. People being bitten by these pests are the first obvious sign that something has infested the building and this is time to call in an entomologist to figure out what is going on. Once the bug has been identified they can give advice on how to treat the building so that people do not have to suffer the consequences anymore. Since these insects only bite human beings, it is really the annoyance factor that makes people want to be rid of them. There is usually no cross over disease which is carried by the birds and their lice so some people tend to ignore the problem until a lot of complaints start coming in. What building keepers can do to prevent such an infestation is to make sure there are no nesting materials under the eaves of the building or in dark corners anywhere. Holes in building should also be blocked up to stop bats and other night creatures from taking up residence and a general clean up to make sure that there is no debris that these little creatures can hide in. Finally, for those who love to feed birds in the garden, make sure to keep them some distance from the house so that the lice do not get onto window sills and the like.
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