Dust mites cause many people to "Sneeze and Wheeze". About 20% of the population is significantly allergic to dust mite.

Dust mites are microscopic creatures (in the arthropod family)that feed on the scales of skin shed by humans and other animals. Their scientific name Dermatophagoides literally means "skin eaters." They thrive in warm, moist environments. They cannot be seen without the power of a microscope. They do not bite or cause disease but people can be highly allergic to proteins from their digestive tract. Matresses, pillows and carpet are major reservoirs for dust mites.
One square yard of your rug can contain as many as 100,000 dust mites. A typical mattress may be housing several million. Inhalation of air containing dust mite particles can cause severe allergic inflammation of the respiratory
tract and lead to chronic allergy problems such as sinus disease, asthma, and eczema.

Why don’t we like dust mites?
These creatures are indeed trouble, considering that exposure as a child or baby can cause a lifelong allergy to dust mites. Exposure as a young child can also cause other complications including asthma, eczema, and hay fever that will last for a lifetime. Paired with cat dander, cockroach droppings, and grass pollen, these allergic reactions and side effects can become almost unbearable for many people.

If dust mites cause you to wheeze, blame their digestive proteins. These secretions are very hard on the respiratory systems of us unwitting hosts. This secretion from the guts of the dust mites is extremely potent. There is no cure for allergies to dust mites. The only way to avoid allergy symptoms when it comes to dust mites is to prevent exposure in the first place. This means that it is important to learn a few things about them.

How do dust mites live?
Dust Mites have a life cycle of just 10 to 70 days. Females which have mated typically live for 50 - 70 days. And the average life cycle for a male is just 15 days.

Female dust mites will typically lay 75 - 100 eggs in the final weeks of her life cycle. Some dust mites lay their eggs in groups of up to 5 other females. Others do so alone. Once an egg hatches a larva with six legs is produced. The dust mite larva then transforms into a nymph with eight legs. After the nymph stages, an adult is produced with eight legs. At this point it looks like a microscopic spider.

Dust mites survive in mattresses and other warm, dusty environments. They consume the dander (flakes of skin) that are shed by humans and animals alike, making the dusty corner under the bed where the cat sleeps just as friendly to these creatures as the inside of a pillow. Dust mites tend to spend a third of their lives or more within the comfortable confines of a mattress.

A typical used mattress may have up to ten million dust mites living in it, and a pillow of only two years old can be composed of up to ten percent dust mite feces and carcasses. Carpets also tend to house large colonies of these household pests, making just about anything porous liable to support the life of these most abrasive of creatures.

Symptoms of Dust Mite Allergies
One of the most strongly allergenic materials that is found in the average household is dust. This allergy is often made a lot worse by the addition of the dropping and carcasses of microscopic creatures called dust mites. These creatures are solely responsible for the suffering of thousands of people across the world.

Since dust mites thrive mainly by embedding themselves into carpet, clothing, and other fabric fibers, they inhabit the same areas as humans. Human allergies to these pests stem mostly from the residue left from dust mites. As the colony of dust mites grows, so does the amount of decaying body parts and fecal waste left behind from them. These waste products are the root cause for the allergy and asthma symptoms caused by dust mites.

Symptoms of dust mites include a wide variety of sinus related problems. The most common symptoms are itchy, watery eyes, runny nose, itching and clogging of the ear canals, asthma, and many other respiratory related problems. Many of these symptoms appear at night, while a person sleeps. This is because millions of dust mites can live in a person’s bed by inhabiting the mattresses and pillows. When a person sleeps, they are in very close proximity to the agents that cause allergies, and by moving around in bed, people are unknowingly causing these particles to become airborne.

People who suffer from asthma often have a difficult time with dust mites. If they have allergies to dust mites, the allergy symptoms can often bring on severe asthmatic reactions. These reactions can present with symptoms such as respiratory congestion, wheezing, and even severe shortness of breath. Anyone suffering these conditions should be treated by a licensed physician or asthma specialist. More on dust mites allergies.

The adult female dermatophagoides farinae can lay up to eighty eggs, either one at a time or in small groups of about three to five eggs each. When the larva first comes out of the egg, it has six legs. However, after the first time they molt, they will have eight legs. This is their nymph stage and they actually go through two nymphal stages before reaching adulthood. The time period between the hatching and adulthood is approximately one month and the adult will survive up to another three months. Their life cycle is approximately four months in total.

While house dust mites will find haven in carpeting, mattresses, and sofas, they need to have water to survive. Without water or moistness, they will not survive and the dust mites tend to thrive in the humid months of the summer and in regions with high humidity. During the dry winter months or in areas of dry climates, the population of the dust mite diminishes.

As humans tend to shed approximately .20 ounces of dead skin a week, the dust mites are never lacking for food. When you add in pets to the household, the dust mites surely are in heaven. The mattress is one of the dust mites favorite places is due to the fact this is where humans, as well as some pets, spend almost a third of their time. Most go to bed with little clothing and the skin cells are shed, supplying the dust mites with plenty of food.

Some important environmental control measures should be considered to reduce dust mite exposure in the home:

1. Encase mattresses and pillows in dust mite-impermeable material.
2. Dehumidify. Dust mites go dormant when humidity is kept below 45%
3. Wash bedding frequently in hot water
4. Remove dust collecting items and furniture.
5. Remove carpet if able.
6. HEPA air filtration.