Bed Mites
All About Bed Mites
Author: Ling Tong
Bed mites are dust mites that make their homes in your mattress and bedding. You may not even realize that they exist until you develop an allergy or have an asthma attack, which is made worse by these mites. They are microscopic bugs that feed on the dead skin cells shed by humans and house pets. Since most of these dead skin cells come off as you move about in bed, this is where you will find most of them. They are not dangerous, as such, in that they do not cause diseases. They cause allergic reactions because of the feces droppings that they leave behind.
The mattress in your bed could contain tens of thousands or even millions of mites. Mites prefer the warm, moist environment that a bed provides for them. Some of the symptoms you may have that can be attributed to dust mites include:
- hay fever
- watery eyes
- runny nose
- itchy skin
- sneezing
- asthma or difficulty in breathing
- eczema in infants
These symptoms can be present at any time of the year since dust mites will live in the bedding all year long. They continue to breed, so the population of mites continues to grow. There are some times of the year when this problem is worse than others, such as during the winter months when you have the heat turned on and all the windows closed. During the summer months when there is more sunshine and you have the windows open, you may not encounter the symptoms to the same extent.
Some of the conditions inside the home and the bedroom that will provide the optimum environment for these mites include:
- poor air circulation and ventilation
- high temperatures
- high levels of humidity
- indoor air pollution
Dust mites are too small to be seen with the naked eye. You have no way of actually seeing them unless you use a very strong magnifying glass or microscope on your bedding or mattress. Adult females can lay up to 40 to 80 eggs in groups of four or five. The life cycle from egg to adult is about one month and the adult lives for about another three months. Thus you have the eggs, the feces and the dead insects inside your bed.
The most effective ways of controlling this mite population include covering your mattress with plastic coverings. This also includes covering the pillows, but you can choose to use pillows that have synthetic filling instead of feathers and down. You should change you bedding at least once every two weeks and wash it in hot water. The high temperature of the water will kill any dust mites that are present. Freezing the bedding that cannot withstand high water temperatures is also effective.
Vacuuming the carpet and rugs in the bedroom every few days is also important. If you do not have carpeting, when you sweep the floor with a regular broom you could be putting more dust mites into the air that will land on the bed. For this reason it is better to wash the floor with a damp mop that will take up all the mites.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/all-about-bed-mites-630543.html
About the Author
For more information on bed mites, dust mite spray and how to kill dust mites, visit http://www.Dust-Mites.org
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
doubt it ?
…hows tht possible…….
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
No, in fact the high protein in mites sperm actually evolves into thread eventually (similar to a caterpillar into a butterfly). You will have a 1000 thread count in no time. Good luck!
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
bed mites they might be from the pillows or Dona so i think you go and buy new ones mites hang around old pillows and donna covers, when you do this give your sheets and pillow cases a good wash with the sheets and clean the room with a vac um this is the only way you can get rid of them but if your pillows are near new then just out them in the wash.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
If it was fleas you’d know cause it would be a red area and itchy the next day, and also fleas where I live (Washington) are solid black and easy to see and it would only be a week or so before your house was crawling with them.
I checked internet and found this site:
http://delusion.ucdavis.edu/bedbugs.html
It explains fleas and bedbugs with great detail. Hope this helps.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
Most dust is made of human skin cells, so the mites in the dust actually transfer from your skin with the dust. They are the same
August 4, 2008
6:33 pm
Is there a difference between bed mites and dust mites?
If those little bed/dust mites gets onto your skin, is it like getting head lice or are lice a whole different nuisance?!
November 28, 2008
3:01 pm
How can i get rid of bed mites?
My bed is covered in them. I dont even know how i got them. My room is clean but i did previously own a dog. How do i get rid of them?
December 11, 2008
8:23 pm
Could I be the only one in my household affected by bed mites?
I live in a house with 4 other people and I share a bed with one of them.
If my house has bed mites could I be the only person being affected by them??
August 6, 2009
7:13 pm
How do I know if I’m getting bitten by fleas or bed mites?
I just moved into a new apartment and started getting bitten by some kind of bug. I have not seen anything, only the bites! I have no pets, but I’ve sprayed for fleas twice. Still getting bit tho. What should I do?
February 20, 2010
10:51 pm
Can mites lower the thread count in bed sheets?
I bought sheets with a 250 thread count and I am worried that bed mites could eat the threads causing my sheets to lose thread count. Any answers would be much appreciated.