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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
 Posted - 03 Aug 2007 : 18:18:41
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| We have a mite infestation problem in our kitchen, laundry room, one bedroom and in our clean clothes. Infestations seem to be heaviest near the laundry room. We have ripped out the carpets. The laundry room floor is molded under neath. We clean every surface and floor with isopropal and bleach almost 3 times a day. They do seem to reduce but numbers are increasing again as time goes on, inspite of what we're doing. I thought central air would help, but it hasn't. I am freaking out, afraid they are going to get into my possesions soon. They are in one childs bed. Help! Would a dehumidifier elliminate them or is there more? They are white and seem to turn more yellow or redish on carpeting that we sprayed with isopropal. |
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blatta
Senior Member
United Kingdom
192 Posts |
Posted - 03 Aug 2007 : 20:38:03
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You really need to get a proper identification. Have you looked on the web? Mites are extremely small.
If I assume that they are mites then you really ought to be looking up not down. I am going to make a few assumptions although this is probably a bad idea. I am guessing that your laundry room is a single storey on the side of the house? AND that there have been birds nesting in your roof of the laundry? If I am right with these then this could be the cause of your problem.
We do need to know more though if anyone is going to be able to help you.
Are they actually mites? or little insects that you are calling mites?
Lewis
www.checkservices.co.uk |
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nigel
Senior Member
461 Posts |
Posted - 03 Aug 2007 : 20:46:17
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| sounds like it may be psocids. |
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Bob Staines
Senior Member
Botswana
173 Posts |
Posted - 04 Aug 2007 : 11:05:54
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| i agree with nigel. |
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blatta
Senior Member
United Kingdom
192 Posts |
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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
Posted - 04 Aug 2007 : 15:59:39
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| The state entomologist examined them and said they were mold mites. However, the last time he examined them, he said they were dust mites. So I don't feel secure with that answer. Yes, our laundry room is on the side of the house on the main story. The entomologist said they weren't bird mites because bird mites are brownish or black. These are very white. Some however are redish. I thought that was because they were dying but I am not sure. Is there any other reputable place I can go to get these identified? What other information do you need. Any help I can get will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. LeeAnn |
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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
Posted - 04 Aug 2007 : 16:04:55
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| Oh, I forgot. These are very small. We have to examine little bits of dust to see if it is moving. The only way I knew we had them was when my husband washed a mixing bowl. When I went to use it I saw what appeared to be a cluster of crumbs spaning an area of about 2x2 inches wide. I went to complain saying it was not clean and I noticed the crumbs were moving. When there's just one, you might overlook them and they are hard to see. As I told my daughter when we were checking everywhere else for them, I said it was like playing 'Where's Waldo' with the dust. It was so heavy in the laundry room however, that it was too easy to spot them on laundry baskets and garbage cans. |
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nigel
Senior Member
461 Posts |
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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2007 : 18:53:08
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| I know they are not booklice. We did have a problem with booklice. We largely found them on our books and papers. Not the new papers but year old papers. I like to write. Trying to be an author in my spare time. So it was a problem. However, getting central air stopped them. The book lice were tanish or yellowish in color. They had circular bottoms that looked like they were outlined. These mites are different. They're smaller. Harder to see. White in color and obviously having central air doesn't seem to stop them. Are you familiar with mold or grain mites?? I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you but we have been going through everything and cleaning like crazy. Throwing away as much as we can. It has been a nightmare. They aren't in my room or the living room. And we seem to have elliminated them by ripping out the carpet in my daughter's room. In answer to blatta, I thought there was a birds nest outside our back door and you are right. The laundry room is on the first level on the side of the house. We have no basement. However, there were no birds nests when we looked. To nigel, I went to the site he gave me to help. I am going to go back there again. The bugs we are seeing are so much smaller than anything I saw there. They are white and smaller than booklice. They seem to be round or slightly oval. My daughter says she can see the legs but I can't with my bare eyes. They are so small you have to study them for a while to see if they are moving. Some are bigger and you can see them move fast but the babies you have to watch them in comparison to another piece of dust to see if the gap is growing wider... Someone said they need more information. I am going to go back to the site nigel provided ( thank you nigel) Is there any other information I can give that could help. Does anyone know what I am discribing so far? They seem to multiply fast. We don't even eat in the kitchen anymore. All we do is clean it and we can still find some mites if we look. |
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nigel
Senior Member
461 Posts |
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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2007 : 19:07:42
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| I forgot, We don't seem to be being bitten. However, some of us itch. I don't, but my room doesn't seem to have anything yet. I know they are in one of our couches- that's in the den. So that scares me. I'm afraid they will get into our matresses. |
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Fenn Man
Senior Member
Ireland
313 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2007 : 04:04:12
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I've been here! Unfortunately is was nearly thirty years ago and I really had no interest in invertebrate pests then. But I was living in a third floor attic flat and discovered just what LeeAnn's talking about in the bathroom.
For the record, the bathroom was a pokey little hole with just about room for the bath, wash basin and a body. There were Starlings nesting outside the adjoining kitchens window. But these mites were concentrated just about exclusively in that bathroom.
I happened to be speaking to the then head of Enviromental Health at Portsmouth city council and explained the situation to him. To my chagrin, I now can't for the life of me remember what sort of mites he said they'd be! He must have said a name because, had he said just " They're Mites." I'd have argued that mites are red. Red Spider Mites being the only sort I'd had any experiance of back then.
However, I Do distinctly remember his explaining that they " Feed on emulsion ", to which I said ~ so help me ~ that there was emulsion on all the walls in there and gloss on the woodwork! ROTF! 
But there's a clue. He gently explained to me that " emulsion ", as he meant it, was basicly the microscopic gunk which forms on surfaces exposed to moist air and condensation.
LeeAnn? I'd give that DeHumidifier a try  |
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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2007 : 17:04:13
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Thank you nigel and Fenn Man for your extra help and comments. The bugs we are being bugged by do look like the photos of the grain mites you sent nigel. It says to vacuum... It also said that cleaners would not be effective. Which is disheartening but explains why we haven't been successful in that area. My only worry is that according to other sources, they could also be mold mites however it is hard to distinguish the difference. According to some sources, mold mites can also infest your furniture. Which we are noticing. They have infested one couch. They may have infested more but I am too afraid to test it and find out. Not sure if there is a way to treat furniture. We are going to try vaccuuming... We don't have a vaccuum cleaner at this point so we have just been cleaning manually. Do you have any other suggestions. Again, thank you for your comments as well Fenn Mann. I did purchase a dehumidifier. I haven't seen anything yet, since I got it, but to be honest. I am afraid to check. All we've been doing is, cleaning and cleaning and cleaning... Eventually I suppose I will have to check. But at this point I am relishing whatever sanity I can keep. I think I will go insane if I find anymore after all the cleaning we've been doing.
LeeAnn |
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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2007 : 17:06:27
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| Ohh, to nigel. We had birdseed in the laundryroom and dried pet food in the kitchen. We get wet cat food now and I've been trying to tell my husband forever that birdseed can attract bugs. The kids and I threw it away while my husband was on vacation last week. |
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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
Posted - 10 Aug 2007 : 01:59:58
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| Does anyone have any experienc or suggestions on how to get grain/mold mites out of furniture? The dehumidifier isn't working. |
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happygolucky
Junior Member
United Kingdom
27 Posts |
Posted - 10 Aug 2007 : 22:08:23
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| Just wondering if a heat treatment would kill mites in the furniture, would a diathermic capsual cure the problem here. anyone know ? |
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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
Posted - 13 Aug 2007 : 16:57:21
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| Does anyone know if a heat treatment would work?? To happygolucky: What is a deathermic capsual? |
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Iain
Moderator
United Kingdom
404 Posts |
Posted - 13 Aug 2007 : 17:35:30
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I believe that it is a plastic 'bubble' into which heated air is passed. Can be quite effective, but it is a specialist (and therefore expensive) piece of kit.
Personally I would have thought that a steam cleaner would have done the job for you. Would anyone else agree? |
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Fenn Man
Senior Member
Ireland
313 Posts |
Posted - 14 Aug 2007 : 04:26:38
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I suspect ye'd be right, to a degree, Iain. Something as 'delicate' as a mite wouldn't last long in the enviroment of a blast of scolding steam. However, I suspect penetration may be an obsticle to complete erradication?
LeeAnn; How long have ye been using the dehumidifier? Only, forgive me but, it does rather read like ye tried that for a couple of days and gave up on it. Bit comparable to my laying rat bait and, still seeing rats a few days later, declaring it no good.
Some things give us instant gratification. Others may take a little longer. Keep the faith ~ and the machine running
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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
Posted - 14 Aug 2007 : 23:52:34
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| Hi Iain, Where do I get this plastic bubble thing from?? Not quite familiar with that. Thanks for your continued comments Fenn Man. I think it was maybe a week and we still had the little pests. So I guess maybe it wasn't that long. We are still running it however. Does anyone know how I would get a blast of steam on the furniture?? Would furniture cleaners know how to do that? |
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Iain
Moderator
United Kingdom
404 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2007 : 07:45:49
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The 'bubble thing' is a very specialised piece of kit that a small number of pest control companies use - not available to the public, used mainly for killing bed bugs in beds.
I would have thought that a steam cleaner would be available for hire from a hire shop. |
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Topic |
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Help! Mite infestation
