Dust Mites Pictures

Close up and personal with house dust mites pictures using a scanning electron micrograph at about 120 times magnification thank you to Allergen Control Services 2005

Dust mites Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae are microscopic 8 legged members of the arachnid family (spiders and ticks) living in house dust. They are important triggers responsible for allergic disorders such as dust mite allergies.

The dustmite is so small, about 0.3 mm in length, that 50 of them can live on the head of a pin and up to 2 million can live in your mattress.

They live on a diet of skin scales, which we and our pets shed daily, as well as animal skin and mould.They thrive in warm, humid conditions, relative humidity 75 – 80% and temperature range 20 – 21ºC or more, making mattresses, doonas, pillows, underlays, blankets, quilts, carpets and rugs, upholstered furniture, curtains, clothes, soft toys, as well as your vacuum cleaner, a perfect environment to flourish in. Mite numbers reach a peak mid summer.

The dust mite lives between 2-4 months, with each female producing 20-50 eggs. The usual population is about 100 to 500 dust mites per gram of dust (weight of a paper clip)!

Each dustmite produces up to 50 faecal droppings a day, one of the most common triggers of what causes asthma and allergies. The only way to get rid of dust mite droppings is to get rid of house dust mites. Allergy specialists promote specifically designed dust mite covers providing welcome relief for asthma and allergy sufferers rather than using dust mite spray.

Dust mites absorb moisture from the atmosphere (mostly water from our skin and breathing) using small glands on the surface of their legs. They are less commonly found in dry, high altitude areas and they die when the humidity falls below 40-50% because they cannot get enough water from the atmosphere.

Dust mites don’t have eyes, yet have no trouble feasting on all the human dead skin flakes they can eat, which has been broken down by moulds in your mattress, pillow and doona. With excreted, sweaty moisture from our sleepy bodies and warm, cosy temperatures for at least eight hours a day, makes an ideal living environment. Another delicacy, based on a study, found that mites given a diet of dried semen residue and dead skin produced more dust mite eggs than other mites! Your mattress becomes a favourable breeding ground for dust mites, the mould that breaks down the skin scales and bacteria.

Keep in mind, dust mites only live in the environment, they don’t bite, don’t spread disease and never live on people. They are only unpleasant to people who become sensitive to dust mites allergy.

Compared to cat allergens and other materials that contribute to dust allergies, lint, feathers, mould and fungus spores, bits of insects and cockroaches, dust mite allergens are relatively heavy and tend to float less easily in the air. Therefore, mite allergen is close to the source, inhaling near a pillow, mattress, doona or a soft toy.

Pregnant female dust mites live for around 70 days, males around 10-19 days, around 40 trillion faecal pellets in your mattress over a 3 month period. Once they die off, they are constantly being replaced. One female lays 60 to 100 eggs.

Faecal pellets dry up and become powdery, reducing the 15 micron size to an even much smaller size. Dust mite bedding prevents all the contaminants in your bed becoming airborne each time you roll over in bed, several times a night, or each time you fluff your pillow, or of course every time you and your significant other bounce on the bed.

Further methods of dust mite control include airing bedding, well ventilated and sunny, dry room, wash bed linen in hot water weekly and keep dust to a minimum. Covering your dust mites mattress correctly is important.

Dust mites pictures copy Allergen Control Services New Zealand 2005

Click here to see our range of dust mite covers.