Jan 24, 2011 - Dust Mites Everywhere
QUESTION:
I have a customer who wants to know if she has dust mites. How does one verify whether there are dust mites present or not?
ANSWER:
Unlike paper mites, dust mites actually do exist, and often could be present in a home in extremely large numbers. However, there have been a lot of internet sites in the past few years that attempt to sell products to homeowners for dust mite control, and I have a strong suspicion that the statistics these sites throw out there are wildly exaggerated (such as half the weight of your pillow or mattress could be dust mites and their body parts). Many of the items they are selling also are likely to be a lot less effective than advertised, so buyer beware with dust mites.
These are microscopic mites, and verification of their presence would need to be done with a decent microscope or good dissecting scope - something that would magnify probably 80X or higher, allowing you to see with clarity that it is a mite and to see some distinguishing features of it. If present the mites could literally be anywhere in a home, and as common as they are they likely are present in nearly all homes at some level of a population. They rely heavily on high humidity, so regions that are very low in humidity, such as my region in the Central Valley of California, are going to have very, very few dust mite problems. Controlling humidity inside a home is one step in a program for reducing the levels of these mites.
They feed on the tiny flakes of dry skin that slough off of our bodies on a constant basis. This is called dander, and supposedly dander composes a high percentage of the household "dust" that we see building up under furniture or on tops of things. I have read that in the proper light you can see dust floating in the air, and that even this could be dander. So, dust mites have a continual and adequate supply of food. They do not bite or parasitize us in any way, but they are well known as a major cause of allergies in humans. Their fecal material contains a protein that can really set off sensitive people, causing anything from itchy eyes to serious attacks of asthma and difficulty in breathing. It is estimated that up to 1/3 of people have legitimate allergies to dust mites.
You would need to gather some of the dust that you find around in a home and examine it under high magnification to verify the presence of the mites, and if they are present you should have no trouble finding some in your sample. You might place some insect glue traps throughout the home and inspect the glue under that magnification after about a week, looking especially around the edges of the glue where the wandering mites may have gotten stuck. These tiny mites easily become airborne too, and are carried with slight breezes in the home, so they could be on any part of the glue. They are short legged, as opposed to the long legged rat and bird mites, and their body is fairly hairless, compared with cheese and mold mites. They are a creamy bluish color, and on a shiny dark surface you could even see them moving around as light specks.
Control will never eliminate dust mites - there are just too many to get rid of them all. But, unless someone is really suffering from allergic reactions there is no major need to eradicate them. Humidity control, dust removal with a vacuum equipped with a HEPA filter, damp wiping surfaces to remove dust, and the use of a dehumidifier with a HEPA filter can all work together to reduce the mites and the conditions they need. Since beds can often have large numbers of the mites, due to plenty of dry skin and warmth and humidity from sleeping persons, frequently laundering sheets and pillow cases can reduce the mites and the dander they look for. Pesticides would be of very little use in dust mite control.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
I have a customer who wants to know if she has dust mites. How does one verify whether there are dust mites present or not?
ANSWER:
Unlike paper mites, dust mites actually do exist, and often could be present in a home in extremely large numbers. However, there have been a lot of internet sites in the past few years that attempt to sell products to homeowners for dust mite control, and I have a strong suspicion that the statistics these sites throw out there are wildly exaggerated (such as half the weight of your pillow or mattress could be dust mites and their body parts). Many of the items they are selling also are likely to be a lot less effective than advertised, so buyer beware with dust mites.
These are microscopic mites, and verification of their presence would need to be done with a decent microscope or good dissecting scope - something that would magnify probably 80X or higher, allowing you to see with clarity that it is a mite and to see some distinguishing features of it. If present the mites could literally be anywhere in a home, and as common as they are they likely are present in nearly all homes at some level of a population. They rely heavily on high humidity, so regions that are very low in humidity, such as my region in the Central Valley of California, are going to have very, very few dust mite problems. Controlling humidity inside a home is one step in a program for reducing the levels of these mites.
They feed on the tiny flakes of dry skin that slough off of our bodies on a constant basis. This is called dander, and supposedly dander composes a high percentage of the household "dust" that we see building up under furniture or on tops of things. I have read that in the proper light you can see dust floating in the air, and that even this could be dander. So, dust mites have a continual and adequate supply of food. They do not bite or parasitize us in any way, but they are well known as a major cause of allergies in humans. Their fecal material contains a protein that can really set off sensitive people, causing anything from itchy eyes to serious attacks of asthma and difficulty in breathing. It is estimated that up to 1/3 of people have legitimate allergies to dust mites.
You would need to gather some of the dust that you find around in a home and examine it under high magnification to verify the presence of the mites, and if they are present you should have no trouble finding some in your sample. You might place some insect glue traps throughout the home and inspect the glue under that magnification after about a week, looking especially around the edges of the glue where the wandering mites may have gotten stuck. These tiny mites easily become airborne too, and are carried with slight breezes in the home, so they could be on any part of the glue. They are short legged, as opposed to the long legged rat and bird mites, and their body is fairly hairless, compared with cheese and mold mites. They are a creamy bluish color, and on a shiny dark surface you could even see them moving around as light specks.
Control will never eliminate dust mites - there are just too many to get rid of them all. But, unless someone is really suffering from allergic reactions there is no major need to eradicate them. Humidity control, dust removal with a vacuum equipped with a HEPA filter, damp wiping surfaces to remove dust, and the use of a dehumidifier with a HEPA filter can all work together to reduce the mites and the conditions they need. Since beds can often have large numbers of the mites, due to plenty of dry skin and warmth and humidity from sleeping persons, frequently laundering sheets and pillow cases can reduce the mites and the dander they look for. Pesticides would be of very little use in dust mite control.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
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