Tiny, White Bugs In Homes - What Are They?

mold mite (drawing)

Have you ever found tiny white bugs crawling on the kitchen counter or over a sack of pet food, or on your computer keyboard, or in some similar situation? The bugs are too small to see clearly and are often described as "salt" or "sugar" that moves! If you look very close, with a magnifying glass, you'll probably see long "hairs" from tiny round whitish bodies (see drawing).

There are a couple of things that people describe this way but in my experience mold mites (or mould mites), also called grain mites, are the most common.

These tiny mites feed on mold that grows on damp surfaces so are almost always associated with excess moisture and mold growth in one way or another. Their presence in kitchens can indicate a leaky pipe or leaky dishwasher.

Mold mites don't bite or cause any real harm but some people will experience an allergic reaction to large numbers of mites similar to dust mite allergy. In fact mold mites are related to dust mites. This allergic reaction can be as simple as a stuffy noise or an itchy rash or even difficulty breathing.

The only treatment that is needed is to control the sources of moisture. Once the area dries out and can no longer support the growth of mold the mites will go away. After all sources of moisture are eliminated the area can be treated with a botanical insecticide like EcoPCO-ARX to control remaining mites.

In situations where a relatively small amount of material is moldy and shows signs of mold/grain mite activity the best treatment is may be heat or cold. For example a bag of grain or dry pet food could be either heated (130-150 deg. F) or frozen and this would eliminate the mites. Heating might also dry out the material and thus completely eliminate the problem. If freezing treatment is used it must be long enough to freeze to the center of the bag. Same caution with heating, long enough to heat the center of the bag. Both procedures assume that heat or cold won't damage the product. Seeds for example could be damaged by either heat or cold.

Continue exploring at our 'Bugs Website for information about other insect and mite pests.

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