Wednesday, January 26, 2011

House Dust Mite Basics



Dust mites are microscopic animals related to other mites, and ticks, in the class Arachnida, which also includes spiders, scorpions, harvestmen (daddy-longlegs), and similar eight-legged creatures. Classification of mites is always changing, but dust mites are currently placed in the order Astigmata, family Pyroglyphidae, and genus Dermatophagoides (translates to “skin-eater”).
The two most common species are:     
1.    North American house dust mite, Dermatophagoides farinae    
2.    European house dust mite, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 

They both occur where human beings live, and where the humidity is optimal for their life cycle.

No comments:

Post a Comment