HOUSE DUST MITES
If you think our modern, well
insulated house is a safe haven from all allergenic alarms, think again. That average six room house accumulates an
average of 40 pounds of dust per year.
That dust is home to millions of unseen, but troublesome Dust Mites.
The
North American and European House Dust Mite is a little known and rarely
mentioned group of mites. Wherever
humans and their pets live Dust Mites will be presents. These Dust Mites will feed on skin dander
deposited in beds, furniture, and carpeting.
When there are large populations of Mites are in a home. Skin fragments and Mite fecal material become
airborne causing allergic reactions like asthma and rashes. Research has shown that the most prevalent
allergen in a home is dust produced from Dust Mites.
Dust
Mites are extremely small, .04 millimeters, making identification by sight
impossible without the use of a microscope.
You can fit as many as 7000 on a fingernail. They are globular in shape, and creamy white
in color. Mites have 6 legs as larva and
8 legs as nymphs and adults. The adult
female Dust Mite lays about 25 to 50 eggs a day for 30 days. The eggs hatch and develop to adults in about
one month.
People
shed about 1/5 of an ounce of dander (dead skin) per week. One gram of skin will feed thousands of mites
for months. Actually, 80 % of what you
see floating in a sunbeam through a window is skin flakes. To Dust Mites this is a Thanksgiving dinner. Dust Mites eat skin flakes both human and
animal. Skin flakes have a fungus
growing on them which is especially attractive to Dust Mites.
Dust
Mites bite you and cause you to itch; they also produce allergens to which some
people are very sensitive. The Dust Mite
feces contain 15 different proteins, and many people are allergic to the
combination of these different proteins.
House
Dust Mites inhabit damp places that are occupied by people and pets. The House Dust Mite thrives in high humidity
of 70 to 80% and warm temperatures from 68 to 84 degrees. They are found in mattresses, pillows, in
stuffed furniture, rugs, draperies, and any crack or crevice.
Dust
Mites produce an allergic reaction that causes symptoms similar to asthma. Headaches, respiratory problems, eye
irritation, fatigue, and depression are other allergic reaction which can be
linked to Dust Mite feces. A 15 year old
pillow could have a third of its weight in Dust Mite feces. One ounce of dust can hold as many as 42,000
Dust Mites.
Unfortunately,
studies have shown that Dust Mites can never be completely eliminated from an
area, but can be suppressed for a short time.
Dust Mite populations can be reduce with a little personal effort by washing bedding and other items in hot (130 degree)
water weekly, putting your pillows in the dryer on high for 15 to 30 minutes,
and do thorough household cleaning regularly. This may mean that you vacuum
your furniture, draperies, and mattresses weekly and spray them with
disinfectant. Vacuuming with most
conventional air bag vacuum cleaners can works against you in Dust Mite
elimination, they vent dust out the exhaust and into the air again. The use of a water trap vacuum will collect
the dust in the water where it stays.
Don't use dusters, mops, or brooms because they all merely rearrange the
dust and the Dust Mites. In extreme
cases wrap your mattress and pillows in plastic and remove the draperies from
the bedroom area. Wash and clean window
blinds weekly, professionally cleaning the carpet regularly or remove it all
together, then wash the hard surface floors weekly, and cleaning the heating
and air conditioning dusts will give added benefit.
You can
help reduce House Dust Mites with a higher rated heating and air conditioning
filter. Drain treatment systems are
available for your air conditioner to help stop bacteria, molds, and fungus
growing from the drain pan. E use of dehumidifiers
to keep the humidity less than 50% will kill off most molds and fungus and
starve the Dust Mites. Ozone producing
machines are available to kill off the fungus on skin flakes and dust to starve
out Dust Mites, also.
Collier
Pest Control can help you control Dust Mites with our Dust Mite Service specially
designed for Southwest Florida. We can
thoroughly broad cast spray all of your flooring, furniture, draperies,
mattresses, and air conditioning ducts.
This treatment will kill all existing Dust Mites in your home and keep
them from re-infesting your home for up to 60 days. This specialized treatment
for Dust Mites kills the fungus on all treated areas and keeps killing fungus
to keep the Dust Mites from re-infesting our home.
Don't
suffer another day with annoying Dust Mites.
Call 239-455-4300, Collier Pest Control today for a free estimate and a complete
explanation on any of our services, or look us up on our web site at collierpestcontrol.com.
Don't let unwanted guest spoil your beautiful Southwest Florida
lifestyle. Remember, Florida does not
have to be shared with insects.
Posted via OnFast - http://www.OnFast.com
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