Talk:House dust mite

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[edit] Dust mites are the most common cause of asthma and allergic symptoms worldwide

it says that, yet it also says this about cockroaches I am a heavy asthmatic, and have no idea what to trust —Preceding unsigned comment added by Coheed56 (talk • contribs) 12:21, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Size

How big are these puppies? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.50.4.4 (talk • contribs) 13:57, 14 October 2004

A few hundred micrometers. Arvindn 19:48, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
that is less than half a millimeter, less than 1/32nd inch, so sometimes visible when properly illuminated -- works best when you already know that the speck of "dust" you are looking at is a mite, after using a magnifying glass. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.131.22.245 (talk • contribs) 16:34, 19 November 2006

[edit] Morning Breath and mites?

This statement seems to require a reference. If I cannot find one, I'm removing the comment. Roodog2k 16:11, 17 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Scientific proeminence in the 1600s ?

"gaining scientific prominence only in the 1600s after the importance of sanitation was recognized." Is it really the 1600 ? 1960s seems more believable to me, but I don't claim to know anything. I'm just correcting what I think looks like a typo (You don;'t usually say the 1600s right You'd say the 17th century ... or maybe it's the 1900s ? Also, "scientific proeminence" ... maybe it's the 1900s though. Flammifer 1 July 2005 07:16 (UTC)

[edit] Shedding skin?

Under "Habitat": 1.5g/day * 365day/year ≠ 3-4.5kg/year. Although I know nothing here, 3kg sounds really high. 1.5g sounds reasonable and is widely repeated in Google search results (although that means nothing). I don't see the 3-4.5kg figure in any reputable sources.

The OSU reference claims .2 oz/day (equal to .8g/day), so perhaps that figure should be used.

The figure of roughly a million mites also seems hard to reconcile. The OSU reference states 10^5-10^7, but in the next sentence talks about dead mites. It's unclear whether they are only counting live animals.

Assuming half of all skin is shed in bed, using a high estimate of .7g/day, rations .7µg/mite-day. I cannot find a mass estimate for each mite, so assume a 400µm spherical mite at 3.35*10^-5 cc and the density of water (overestimating size and underestimating density a bit), or 33.5µg for one mite. Most animals require well over 2% of their body mass in food per day.

All the numerical data I can find relating to these critters looks a little dubious, and perhaps totally invented by the bedding and air filter companies.

(Of course, this all assumes skin as the sole food source. Perhaps there may be as many mites, but nutrition is primarily something else.)

- Potatoswatter

—Preceding comment was added at 17:55, July 23, 2005

Someone has changed the sentence to read "An average person sheds about 1.5 grams of skin a day (approximately 0.3-0.45 kg per year), which is enough to feed roughly a million dust mites." I also have doubts about the statement. It doesn't seem that's enough food for a million dust mites. Can someone provide a more accurate statistic or a citation? —Lowellian (reply) 23:58, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

Haven't had time to read through it's info on dust mites yet, but in general, PubMed is a great source of accurate information on the biological and medical sciences. If you like reading actual papers, that is. It probably has the answers to those questions above. Luuknam 00:34, 22 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Name in other languages

note that in other languages these little beasties have a single-word name, and that helps a lot to take it seriously. When a concept or thing has a single word to name it, people don't question whether it is real, and whether its effects are imagined. French is "acarien", Italian is "acaro / acari (plural)". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.131.22.245 (talk • contribs) 16:34, 19 November 2006

[edit] A First

This is the first Wikipedia article I've ever read that I really wish I hadn't, and I've read some weird ones. Suddenly sleeping is a little creepier. Where did that Morning Halitosis thing come from, by the way?Marstead 18:58, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

There are more articles I can suggest that will stop you sleeping at night :D --Coheed56 (talk) 07:55, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] dust mite and fecal particles

I heard that a mattress doubles in weight from the dust mites every ten years.

It's crazy to think that were even possible...how much does the fecal stuff weigh...wouldn't it decompose before it accumulates anywhere? If the dust mite lives 80 days max; how long before it decomposes and do the mites feed on their dead friends? I spent a fair portion on pillows made from the best feather down...I threw them away because of the dust mites....I could have just washed them in hot water. I have seen people pull mattress from the refuse and take them home, I have not heard of anyone dying from those mattresses. How much of this information is propaganda and how much should we be concerned. We have bacteria living on us and in us (normal flora), can we really say just how much is deadly or how much can cause adverse affect? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 216.79.240.251 (talk) 16:40, 24 January 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Which species?

House dust mites seem to encompass two species, D pteronyssinus (European house dust mite) and D farinae (American house dust mite). Both names redirect here, but the taxobox only mentions one. How should this be fixed? --JianLi 04:15, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Only two species are mentioned, that may be correct, but the following, which reads as an essay-writer's addition, implying at least four, does not tally:
"Some species of mites prefer to eat skin cells, a large component of household dust; others prefer flour dust."--SilasW (talk) 08:22, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Alimentary System

Can anyone provide more information on the Rudimentary alimentary system of dust mites? aka no stomach.

custiom: how to clear mite in my sofa and carpet? am in asia cuntrey the wether is diffren .

[edit] The *ADVANTAGES* of our dusty friends

Not that I'm a particular fan of intelligent design - but surely the dustmites are doing *some* favours for us and our mattresses/houses by disposing of all of this fecal matter? Isn't there some kind of minature ecosystem that dustmites set up within our houses? Given sufficient time, could dustmites not reverse all the environmental damage that buildings, tarmac and general human development on earth have caused?????

Consider the mass of carbon within dead human skin cells. If dustmites eat dead skin - do they not reduce the mass of the stuff within human houses by converting it to CO2? Does anyone know of the chemistry of dust mite ecosystems?

Well, I can't imagine the EPSRC funding that one in a hurry....


Sorry, just being fecel-tious : —The preceding unsigned comment was added by ConcernedScientist (talk • contribs) 18:28, August 20, 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Effect of bleach on dust mites

This article states that bleach and strong soaps cannot kill dust mites. There is no source for this information and a quick Google search for "dust mites bleach" reveals at least one site which explicitly states bleach is capable of killing dust mites although there is little verifiable information either way. Wikipedia:Verifiability Can anyone provide a source for this information or should it be removed? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fiber B (talk • contribs) 21:08, 2 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Outdated information?

Has there actually been any major research during the past decade about the prevalence of these mites? The local university sampled several hundred mattresses (ranging from clean to extremely filthy) for them, and only about 3% had mites. Modern mattresses seem to be completely mite-free, and the statement that they're common cause of asthma seems bit doubtful. The only mites they found resided in hay mattresses, and hardly anyone uses those anymore. Certainly seems like the mite problem is 'slightly' exaggerated these days. Many parts of the article almost seem like urban legend... -- Andemon (talk) 19:11, 16 November 2007 (UTC)

  • [1]... Looks like they're almost extinct these days. I suppose they're big business for bedding manufacturers and such, but mass hysteria has no place here. The article is in a need of almost complete overhaul. 85.157.43.241 (talk) 17:48, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

I think some countrys have a climate that is good for mites, and other places have a climate where the mites cannot live. 212.120.84.45 (talk) 01:18, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Attention by a Literate Expert Needed

This article is more of a hodge-podge of badly connected and badly written bits than most. Every keyboard and his wife seems to have put in its two bits worth every second day (perhaps in good faith but that does not excuse making an ill-considered article).
Take this solid lump under Life Cycle:
"A simple washing will remove most of the waste matter. Temperatures of over 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) for a period of one hour, and freezing is usually fatal to dust mites;[1] a relative humidity less than 50 may also be fatal. Dust mites reproduce quickly enough that their effect on human health can be significant."
Whatever gumption tells you the editor was trying to say, one must ask how one washes a house mite.
"Temps and fr is" (is they?).
Their effect on human health is hardly classifiable under Life Cycle.--SilasW (talk) 11:14, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Removal of dust mites

Hi All,

I've removed a paragraph from the bottom of the Habitat and Food section which I didn't believe and which lacked citations. Feel free to add it back in if you can find sources:

The best way to get rid of the dust mites is heat. Cover your mouth with your blanket and take a deep breath of air. Use your lungs as filtration. One deep breath can effectively kill 10,000 dust mites.

On the other hand, removal of dust mites is a topic that probably should be covered in the article.

Isaac (talk) 11:31, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

It's kind of obvious that it's vandalism. But not too obvious. These vandals are getting better. It's a far cry than the valdals that say things like "JESSIE HAS A BIG DICK!!!111?!", and the only thing that identifies this as valdalism is that it's retarded. Kevin (talk) 16:58, 28 April 2008 (UTC)


[edit] Proposed external link(s) to add

Researching dust mites on the web is an endless maze of material put out by biased parties, but I believe I've come across a site that documents original research (actual science) on the growth of HDM in the home and I think is worth adding. Take a look:

Among its findings:

  • a chart showing data on reproductive rates versus temperature and humidity
  • a computer model of the microclimate created by a sleeping person in a bed, which causes a zone of moist conditions under the person which persists for several hours after they leave the bed and assists HDM reproduction
  • migration speed of mites through materials (they definitely move through materials towards regions of higher RH)
  • building materials and ventalation practices are much stronger determinants of HDM population growth than bedding materials (contrary to the position of the industrial-bedding complex)

Anybody opposed to adding this (apart from folks who sell HDM-management products)? If not, will someone add it to the article in the right form? Thanks, 75.37.27.177 (talk) 23:53, 12 May 2008 (UTC)