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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
 Posted - 15 Aug 2007 : 16:00:02
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| Thank you all and Iain. I think I am going to try the steam thing. It might possibly kill the eggs. I know Bed bugs are making a come back here and I know they are in our city as well. I've heard reports of them in some of the cheaper hotels. So that must mean the pest control companies know about it if worst comes to worse. First the steam idea. Again, thank you all. :) |
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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2007 : 16:03:56
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Addition,
This has been a very stressful time with this issue. Largely because they get so numerous, multiply so horrifically fast, cover everything, including cherished possessions and seem to be so impossible to get rid of. So I thank everyone for their support. You can feel so alone in this and like no one knows really what they are or how to deal with them. So I guess what I am saying is I thank God for this site. It has been a life saver. :) |
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melmjc1
Starting Member
United Kingdom
1 Posts |
Posted - 20 Aug 2007 : 11:09:18
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| Hello, I've just noticed the little white mites in my Kitchen, they only seem to be on one side of the kitchen, 4 of us cleaned the whole kitchen yesterday for 6 hours (they'd even got in my fridge) and late last night i noticed they were coming back in avengance, how do you get rid of these things? Please help |
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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2007 : 02:01:51
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Hi, Melmjc1
I am not exactlysure myself how to get rid of them, but I can share with you what I have read. #1. They are hard to get rid of. They like grains and molds and wet atmospheres. We got a dehumidifier which is suppose to help, but we still have them. Our state entomologist said fans are helpful. I noticed that in the dining room we eliminated them when we turned the ceiling fan on. Same in my bedroom. However, my daughters room didn't have a ceiling fan. We ended up having to rip the carpet out. They are gone in there now. Still we have them in our furniture and laundry room. On this site and another they suggested heat. Example, steam kills the eggs too. I think. A source for them can be any grains, cereals, flour, especially boxed, paper or aluminum packaged foods that have gone bad. One site said that if you find them in your kitchen, they can be very difficult to get rid of. You have to store only foods in thick plastic or cans... Cleaners won't elliminate them because they don't destroy the eggs hidden in cracks. You have to vaccuum out all the cracks and crevices in the cupboards. We have been spraying isopropal in all the infected areas. It seems to be helping. If you found them in your fridge, they must be grain mites. Mold mites don't like the cold and grain mites do well in cold. It doesn't matter, They are both a pain to get rid of. Where do you live. Our state entomologist says the heating season should eliminate the problem, but if you live in a warm climate they might be more of an issue. Also, you might want to look for a source of water in your house that shouldn't be. The state entomologist says we have them because we had a leak in our bathroom into our kitchen and the water heater broke, soaking our laundry room carpet and molding it. Both grain and mold mites are hard to distinguish a difference but they both like wet and mold. Thee little buggers lay 500 eggs and I may be mistaken but possibly grow to adulthood in 8 days. Don't quote me on that. I'm not sure if I'm remembering correctly. But if you can imagine 250 out of 50 hatching each to lay 500 more. That's why they're so hard to get rid of and come back with a vengence. Check the rest of your house. Put something dark and flat down on cloth surfaces. Under cushions, on beds. In clean laundry. That's how we found them everywhere else. I am not sure if I believe the entomologist about them being eliminated during the heating season. We had these once before in our last house. The heating season did nothing but stop them during those months. They always came back with a vengence during summer. We ended up moving and now I fear we just brought them with us. I hope I am wrong and it is just the leaks that caused this big outbreak. Good luck. LeeAnn. |
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Iain
Moderator
United Kingdom
404 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2007 : 07:59:28
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It might also be useful to have them properly identified. Are they mites (very small with 8 legs) or Psocids (silent 'P') which are also small, but larger than mites and and have 6 legs?
In the UK, I would suggest that they are more likely to be Psocids, which are also known as 'book lice', but which are not related in any way to biting lice. These feed on micro flora and are usually linked with damp conditions and are often associated with food packaging. Packs of dried milk / flour or similar are particularly suspect.
Whilst the treatment needed is similar to mites, Psocids are somewhat easier to get rid of. |
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LeeAnn
New Member
15 Posts |
Posted - 21 Aug 2007 : 19:20:03
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| Psocics are a lot easier to get rid of than mites. If that is what you have, you are lucky. All you need are fans and drier conditions and they are elliminated. They are also slightly yellowish in color. And yes, they are a little larger than mites. I actually wish I lived in the UK now. :( |
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Help! Mite infestation
