Nits, which are lice eggs, cannot jump. They are firmly attached to hair shafts and are immobile until they hatch into nymphs. More generally, head lice—the insects associated with these nits—also cannot jump or fly. Instead, lice move by crawling and are adapted to cling tightly to hair fibers. Head lice can crawl quite fast, covering up to about 23.5 centimeters in one minute, but they do not have the anatomical capability to jump like fleas or other jumping insects. Transmission happens mainly through direct head-to-head contact because lice crawl from one person's hair to another's rather than jumping or flying. Nits remain attached to hair and necessary close contact facilitates lice spread, not jumps.
