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How To Identify a Mite Infestation?
How to identify a mite infestation?
Mites. These creatures are found in every corner of the world. They’re so small that there could be hundreds or thousands in your home before you notice them. They can bite and irritate you, your pets, and your plants.
While they aren’t particularly dangerous, mites are known to spread a number of diseases. These include scabies, scrub typhus, and a number of others, all of which cause severe itching and can lead to rashes.
A lot of common mites, like the house dust mite, are problematic to a lot of people. These pests cause a number of allergic reactions and can lead to asthma or eczema, so you should try to keep your home free of mites. But how do you do that if you don’t know where the mites are?
Identifying with bite marks
Bite marks are one of the best indications of a mite infestation because the mites themselves are too small to be seen. Their bite marks, on the other hand, can be big and red as your body tries to fight off the foreign creature’s bite.
Rash-like marks on your body are a typical sign of a bite. Yet there are plenty of other signs as well. You might see blisters appearing on your body. You could also develop small bumps that could become inflamed.
Identifying the mites themselves
While bite marks are a clear indication of an infestation, you don’t want to sit around waiting to be bitten. Not only that, but many mite species don’t even bite people, so you have no way of identifying their presence. That’s why we should take a step back and try to identify the mite before they bite.
Spotting the mites themselves can be really difficult because these pests are really small. In fact, most mites are less than a millimeter in size – less than the thickness of a penny. So spotting them with your naked eye is difficult, and in some cases impossible.
Plant mites tend to be an exception to this. You can usually spot these species on your plant’s leaves. They resemble small colored dots.
If you really want to take a closer look at the mites that might be in your home, you can use tape. By leaving the sticky side facing upwards, you can trap mites and take a closer peek at them.
How to get rid of the infestation
Getting rid of something that you can’t see sounds difficult, but it’s actually not that bad in practice.
The first step to removing the infestation is to find and remove the source of the problem. This can be a bird’s nest nearby, rats, or a number of other things. You can prevent the mites from crawling on you by wearing gloves as you remove the source.
Once you’ve removed the source of the problem, you can start removing the mites that are present. This can be done by thoroughly cleaning your home, and continue doing so until all the pests are gone. It’s a good idea to vacuum your home several times and to dust as often as you can.
If mites are on your clothes and carpet, you should wash these items in hot water to kill off the mites. You can also dry your fabrics with high heat to guarantee the mites are gone.
Once you’ve done these, your home should be free of mites. But if you’ve done all of that and are still dealing with mites, you should call a professional. They’ll be able to sort out your mite problem in no time.
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Pest Information is a non-profit organization, offers pest control resources, as well as bug and insect pictures, information, facts, and more.
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