Dust mites - biology under the microscope.... Do you know what lives in your mattress? The mattress on which you spend your nights, is just like a jungle. Gigantic plants and moulds thrive quickly in your perspiration, about a litre of body fluid every night, creating a perfect breeding ground in your mattress for bacteria! Dust mites in bed are almost impossible to observe with the naked eye, but they are certainly there, 2,000 - 15,000 of them per gram of dust.   As an appetizer, they eat the moulds which best helps them digest dead skin cells and those of your pets known as dander. In fact, it is your skin cells which interests them. Every night you shed up to 1 gram of skin, a real  treat for the mites, but not for you. The old adage "what goes in must come out" they defecate the remains of their food, up to 50 waste particles a day, the most common cause of asthma and allergies.  For most people, house dust mites are not harmful. From 1921, research found house dust to give positive reactions to sensitive patients. By 1967, it was found many people are allergic to the protein in mites and faeces which can trigger rhinitis allergica or bronchial asthma attacks. Deratophogoides Pteronyssinus, Latin translation "skin eating spider" or more comonly known as the house dust mite. Eight legged members of the arachnid family, related to spiders, ticks and lice. They thrive in warm humid conditions and are less commonly found in dry high altitude areas. Dust mites do not drink free   Dehumidifiers   water, but absorb water from the environment. They are hardy, surviving and multiplying best when relative humidity is 70-80% and the temperature is 20-21 degrees Celcius. Dust mite numbers increase during spring and reach a peak mid summer. They do not survive well at low relative humidities, especially at higher temperatures. Their population reduces during cooler months when the air becomes much drier due to internal home heating.  Dust mites thrive in mattresses, doonas, pillows, underlays, blankets, quilts, carpets and rugs, upholstered furniture, curtains, clothes, soft toys, as well as your vacuum cleaner. By scheduling mattress and carpet treatment during September and October, allergen can be effectively removed before accumulation becomes an exposure risk. Adult female mites lay cream coloured eggs coated with a sticky fluid that helps them adhere. Life cycle from egg to adult is about 30 days.The proteins are so light that they float into the air when disturbed. The slightest movements, like simply ruffling bed clothes, are enough to cause large amounts of mite proteins to swirl into the air around us. Fortunately for all, in every jungle, however microscopic, there are preys and predators like the silverfish, dust lice and pseudoscorpions and other predatory mites including the Cheyletus Aversor, which spends it's life hunting dust mites. For further detailed information and studies about dust mites, please visit:  stand by. Dust mites in bed     Dust Mite Allergy Bedding Mite-Y-Fresh Service "Even when new homes and furniture are dust free, within a month they are polluted with dust mites. They come from other areas in which people spend time, such as their vehicles and other people's homes."  - American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Did you know that your pillow can be ten times heavier, five years after you first bought it? It has acquired both living and dead dust mites, their faeces (droppings), mould spores, dead skin cells, moisture. Bunk beds produce a dust mite sandwich as research from the University Hospital of Tarragon, Spain shows. The allergy provoking dust mite allergens fall from the top mattress while junior sleeps on the bottom mattress. The study showed, from 47 pairs of brothers and sisters sleeping on bunk beds, significantly more asthma cases among those who slept on the bottom one. Steps to reduce dust mite allergens Wash normal bed linen regularly at 55°C. Let washing sit for at least 20 minutes in hot water.  Add a few drops of tea tree oil in the wash.Regularly air bedding, pillows, mattresses and rugs in the sun. All bedding including mattress, pillows and doonas should be covered with dust mite protective covers to form a guard between your self and the dust mites Avoid sheepskin mattress covers as they can harbour a large number of mites which thrive on natural the fibres. Damp dust furniture and hard surfaces to prevent allergens from floating in the air.  Vacuum weekly.Consider a good system that draws up  the allergens and prevents them from being re circulated in the atmosphere.  Empty vacuum after each use as the dust mites continue to thrive in the storage area. Air the bedroom, keep windows open as much as possible, except if you are allergic to pollen. Natural light reduces indoor humidity and mould. Keep indoor relative humidity below 70%. Clean the air in your home Remove carpets if possible     Vinyl, leather and wood furniture is best.   Vertical blinds is consierably better than heavy cloth curtains.  Remove soft toys from the bedroom.   Dogs and cats should be kept outside. Do not allow them in the bedroom.  Adhering to the above steps will greatly reduce the amount of dust mite related airborne allergens and improve your health and well being. (This information is intended as only for general purposes and not a substitute for medical advice). As part of a comprehensive allergy and asthma treatment strategy, prevent exposure to house dust mites in the wash with Total Laundry Care, decrease indoor humidity with dry home dehumidifier, prevent mould spores and cockroach allergens. Carpets can be covered as well with Mite-Y-Fresh service or dust mite controller. Reduce exposure to environmental allergens and other air borne irritants with an air purifier.