What are Bed Mites?
The most common "Bed Mite" is the house dust mite. House dust mites can be a problem in any building, in any city, clean or dirty.
Dust mites are generally found in beds, pillows, upholstered furniture, rugs, or other places where people sleep or sit for long periods. Bed mites require a damp environment and that is why beds are a mites favorite place to hang out.
Adult mites live for one to three months, feeding on a variety of foods including dog food, cereals, yeast and their favorite food our dead skin. They like our pet's skin too. By the way dust mites don't bite , they can't. Believe it or not, they do not have a mouth.
If you are waking up with bites on your skin then more than likely you have problems with bed bugs or fleas.
The good news it is easy to deal with dust mites and make your home pretty much dust "Bed" mite free.
- Keep the bedroom as dust-free as possible.
- Cover the bedding - mattress, pillows, box springs, duvet and featherbed with dust mite proof bed covers.
- Wash your sheets weekly in hot water.
- Use a denaturing product - ADMS or ADS spray, X-mite Carpet treatment on the furniture, drapes and carpet.
- The use of dehumidifiers to remove excess moisture.
Some other mites that some people have called bed mites include;
Bird Mite: As the name implies, bird mites are a species of mite that feeds on birds. Their primary food source is blood and they will attach themselves to a bird and feed until they are engorged. Mites will target most birds, but they are most commonly associated with starlings, sparrows, pigeons and chickens.
Bird mites can be most readily found in and around the bird nests, where they feed on featherless hatchlings. They are tiny and clear in color when they are not feeding, which makes them difficult to spot against the skin. As they feed and become full of blood, they become darker in color and easier to spot.
Itch Mite: The bite of this mite can cause scabies" or the "seven-year itch." We can be bitten when we get around straw, hay, grasses, leaves, seeds or similar material. Like dust mites, the Itch mites cannot be seen and the bites are not felt, but leave itchy red marks that can resemble a skin rash.
Favored sites are in the skin between the fingers, the folds at the wrists, at the bend of the elbow or knee, and under the breasts. Fortunately, the Itch mites cannot live on humans, do not survive indoors, and are not known to transmit disease.
Tropical Rat Mite: This mite is associated with rats and it feeds also on humans and many other warm-blooded animals. The bite is painful, causing intense itching and a skin irritation known as rat-mite dermatitis.
The most common areas where these Rat mites are found are areas that may be infested with rats, such as warehouses, stores, apartments and old buildings.
Chiggers: These mites attack people and dogs during the larval stage. They are most common in the southern U.S. where it is warmer during the entire year. They primarily live in plants like grass.
These mites are barely visible to the naked eye and are very active. When you come in contact with infested areas they will literally swarm over your body.
They don't burrow into your skin. Usually someone suggests nail polish or a highly caustic cleaning product, such as bleach. Don't do it.
According Mississippi State University Extension entomologists Dr. Blake Layton and Dr. Jerome Goddard confirmed chiggers don’t burrow. “Chiggers usually attach at the base of a hair follicle and begin injecting digestive fluid into the skin.
This digestive fluid dissolves skin cells, chemically boring a hole into the skin. It is our bodies’ reaction to the saliva and digestive enzymes that causes the itching.”
These mites cause severe itching and definite dermatitis. I dislike chiggers more than dust mites.
The world is full of different types of mites. Usually, the only one you have to worry about being in your bed is the most common, the dust mite.
If you have any questions please give us a call.
Wishing you the best of health
The Allergy Store
Works Cited
Mississippi State University Extension. https://extension.msstate.edu/blog/chiggers-step-away-the-nail-polish