A group of lice is called a colony, but they may also be called an infestation or a flock.
Lice are tiny, wingless parasitic insects that live directly on their hosts, and their collective nouns reflect exactly how people tend to encounter them: not as a curiosity, but as a problem to be dealt with.
What Is a Group of Lice Called?
The most neutral, scientific term is a colony of lice, describing a population living and reproducing together on a host. Infestation is the far more commonly used term in everyday speech, carrying an obvious negative charge. Flock shows up occasionally as a lighter, almost ironic alternative.
Where Did the Name Come From?
Unlike many collective nouns rooted in medieval hunting traditions, “infestation” comes straight from practical, functional language, it’s simply the standard English word for a harmful, spreading population of pests, applied to lice because that’s precisely what they are. “Colony” borrows from broader biological terminology used for groups of organisms living together, while “flock,” when used for lice, appears to be a wry, informal borrowing from bird terminology rather than anything historically documented.
Lice Facts
- Habitat: Lice live directly on their hosts, humans, animals, or birds, depending on species, and cannot survive long away from a host.
- Social behavior: Not truly social in the way flocking or herding animals are, lice simply reproduce rapidly on a shared host, creating dense localized populations.
- Diet: Most lice species feed on blood, skin debris, or feathers, depending on whether they’re sucking or chewing lice.
- Lifespan: Adult lice typically live around 30 days, but a single female can lay hundreds of eggs during that time.
- Distinctive: Lice are almost entirely host-specific, meaning human lice, for example, cannot survive on cats, dogs, or other animals.
Example Sentences
- The school nurse discovered a colony of lice during the routine head check.
- An infestation of lice spread quickly through the crowded coop.
Other Names for a Group of Lice
Lice are also called an infestation or, less formally, a flock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a group of lice called?
A group of lice is called a colony, though “infestation” is the more commonly used everyday term.
Why is “infestation” used for lice?
It’s the standard English term for a harmful, rapidly spreading population of pests, which accurately describes how lice populations grow on a host.
Can lice survive away from a host?
No, lice cannot survive long without a host to feed on, typically dying within a day or two.
Are lice species host-specific?
Yes, most lice species can only survive on one type of host, human lice cannot live on cats or dogs, for example.
Related: Collective Nouns for Insects