'Bugs News

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 mi...

mold/grain mite The tiny white/tan "bugs" that people find swarming over surfaces often turn out to be mold mites (also spelled mould mites). Since the mites are also attracted to warm surfaces they may appear to be infesting electronics like computers and televisions as well. When found in homes mold mites are usually associated with some type of moisture issue which has caused mold growth. The moisture source can be as simple as a leaky pipe or as difficult as a leaky roof or foundation. The mites feed on the mold and populations can grow rapidly. The mites are tiny, and usually white or tan in color, and have very long "hairs", or setae (see photo above). See Mold Mites In Homes for additional life history and control information. Mold mites are sometimes called " grain mites " because they also commonly occur in grain storage warehouses on the surface of grain sacks. The mites are harmless . They don't bite or cause structural damage...

follicle mite Mites live on plants, in the soil, in our homes, and sometimes even on us! Mites are among most abundant and diverse animal groups on earth.  Mites occur literally everywhere; in our homes, on our garden plants, in the soil at our feet, and some even live on us -- so it is indeed a good thing that most are so small that they are barely visible! A "typical" mite is about the size of a grain of salt but some, such as ticks (yes, ticks are a type of mite), can be as large as your fingernail while others like the demodex follicle mite (right) are small enough to live inside a normal hair follicle, with room to spare. brown recluse spider Mites are related to spiders but they are much more abundant and diverse than their arachnid cousins. While all spiders are predators (i.e. they feed on live prey) mites exhibit a range of lifestyles from the small plant feeding spider mites to tiny ectoparasitic scabies mites and to the relatively la...