We spend an average of 8 hours a day (children up to 12) warming their beds, caring for their food and breathing in their allergens from millimetres away. There can be up to two million mites in a single mattress, and up to 10% of the weight of a pillow or blanket that is several years old can be the bodies of living or dead mites and their excrement.
What does the mite cause?
Dust mites trigger allergies and asthma. Exposure to dust mite levels above 100 mites/gram of dust significantly increases the risk of allergy and asthma development. This amount also maintains the activity of allergic reactions. Conversely, a reduction below this level provides significant relief to patients, as has been demonstrated when patients are moved to “mite-free” mountain dwellings. However, mites also cause some respiratory diseases.
What do they do for a living?
As the name suggests (dermatophagoides means “skin-eater”), mites feed mainly on tiny skin particles, but also on moulds, bacteria and yeasts.
How big is the mite?
It measures about 420,000 nanometers. Allergy is not caused by the mite, but by its allergen (excrement), which is only about 1000 nm.
How long has he been alive?
The life cycle of mites is relatively short (2- 4 months), but the production of their excrements (allergens) is 200 times higher than their weight. The ideal conditions for their life are a temperature between 22 – 26 °C, lack of light and a humidity of 60 – 80%. Reducing the temperature will not kill the mites, however, only frost or temperatures above 55 °C will kill them.
Where do we find the most mites?
Bed mattresses are clearly where we find the largest number of mites. Mites have found a perfect paradise in mattresses, with up to 2 million of them, and they can inhabit a new mattress in full within half a year. 10% of the weight of a blanket that is several years old can be made up of the bodies of living or dead mites and their excrements.
Unfortunately, the amount of mites present almost does not depend on the material from which the mattresses, pillows and blankets are made, but on their age and regular washing at a minimum of 60°C and thorough drying. Even with careful maintenance, mites are not eradicated, but only improved in the short term.
Paradoxically, frequent laundering can worsen allergies if bedding is dried indoors, as rising humidity multiplies the number of mites living outside the bedding, and moulds also thrive. The only protection is to prevent dust mites from entering the bedding with anti-mite covers, anti-mite pillows and blankets, or nanofiber sheets and bedding.
Why are there so many of them?
Although mites are an integral part of nature, humans did not come into contact with them as much as they do today. The overgrowth of mites was first prevented by a nomadic way of life, then by various types of frequently changed “pramatrace” (straw beetles…). In fact, the problem has arisen more recently in connection with the existing form and culture of housing.
How to fight mites?
We have written a separate article about this: How to fight mites: a complete guide.
