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Comment on Mold Mites by jaf

jaf — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 07:45:51 +0000

Yes, mold mites will eat grain and thrive well in high humidity.
They are unlikely to infest cat food (unless it has expired a long time ago) as cat food is more acidic than dog food.
They can be found in the soil, compost, leaf litter, various grains, various fungi, various other foodstuffs, and even house dust.
Do your best to lower the humidity.
House dust mites might also be a problem, too, so clean frequently.
See the 3rd page of this pdf: http://www.rottweilerhealth.org/pdfs/march_allergy_hiller_02.pdf for allergen avoidance measures.

Comment on Mold Mites by Kathy Skilton

Kathy Skilton — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:46:51 +0000

My cat was just blood tested for allergies. We have always felt it was food related, but could not narrow it down. The results came back as allergy to mold mites. Do these mites look like a tiny light brown ant with the naked eye? Do they live in house plants? { The dirt } I live in Florida where the humidity is always high, even in the winter. My cat’s dermatitis is very bad. I didn’t have any house plants prior to the past year, and his problem started a year ago. I previously used a litter made from wheat and another one made from corn. I stopped using them a month ago and went back to clay. I thought he might be allergic to grain. I guess the mites could have been in the litter. Should I get rid of the plants? I would love some advise. Thank You, Kathy

Comment on Life, Death, Cancer by About the American Cancer Society | Almost Diamonds

About the American Cancer Society | Almost Diamonds — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:34:37 +0000

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Comment on Mold Mites by Malcolm

Malcolm — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 17:48:50 +0000

My 0et dog has just been tested and found to have a severe allergy to MOLD MITES. She has ben raised on a major brand of dry dog food ,purchased from my vet or a major pet supply store. Is there any reliable easy way to determine if there are mites present? Is there any way to kill the mites, ie heating the food in a microwave etc..Since dry food is better for mouth/teeth health, my vet recommends that she not be switched to moist food. Any suggestions are appreciated!!!!!!!!!

Comment on Mold Mites by gwen

gwen — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 10:50:10 +0000

Thanks for the information. It is not something I considered with my dog food. I have a large lab, and I buy dry food in bulk (50lb bags) which is placed into a sealed container. I have had one instance of infestation of beetles–ugh, is it better to buy in smaller sized containers, or is just checking expiration dates adequate. I buy at Costco. My dog had a allergic reaction to food the Vet gave him so we stick with what we know he hasn’t reacted to.

Comment on Mold Mites by AC Farm

AC Farm — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 04:28:23 +0000

Under the microscope they look like the images I could find on grain mites/mold mites/storage mites. They looked like the images of dust mites but from what I read you are not supposed to be able to see dust mites with the naked eye. These mites were definitely visible with normal vision, and easily seen with 4 x magnifiers. My scope does not have a measuring scale so I couldn’t measure them. I guess it doesn’t matter which they are, but I would like to know where they came from… they seemed to be coming from under the counter near the sink where the damp wood was. No pet food was ever stored there. Possibly the eggs were in the wood for a long time until conditions were just right.
Before we got the heater going the mites were clustering in piles that looked like light tan sawdust on the uppermost corners of things, like they were trying to get to the highest point. Now I just see isolated mites on some surfaces. The metal surfaces such as the washer and dryer have been clear for some time once the room started to dry. How does the Borax kill them? Would like to know if it is just a drying agent or if there is a chemical reaction.

Comment on Mold Mites by jaf

jaf — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:30:54 +0000

I do not know how to tell the difference. I’d have to look up wood mites.

There are a number of mite species that infest grains and cereals. There are also a number of orders of mites. I only know the basics of identification–if I use a key.

The mold mites (T. putrescentiae) are highly unlikely to infest dry cat food, unless it has long expired. (Cat food is too acidic, whereas dog food is at the correct pH for the mites.)

Unfortunately I don’t know of many good mite identification keys. (I have a few that can get you to family and a very few I know of will get you to genus or species.) Acarology is kind of a dying field, so it’s often hard to find information.

Ohio State University (Columbus) has a pretty good acarology program with a few acarologists. Barry O’Connor is another key acarologist. (I think he’s out of Michigan.)

Comment on Mold Mites by AC Farm

AC Farm — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:04:29 +0000

Thanks, I was a little afraid of using soapy water due to the fear that the wet would make more eggs hatch. I have read that there are similar mites– wood mites –and maybe they have infested the moist wood surfaces. THere was an unknown leaky pipe that has since been fixed. I would like to just tear out all the old wood cabinets and start over, but this is not really feasible at the moment. Do you know generally how long the normal life cycle of an egg laid until hatch time is? Then I will know generally how long I should wait to see if more are going to hatch. Thanks so much for the info– time to get to scrubbing! I’m so surprised that the little things can survive insecticides and bleach.

I originally thought the mites were infesting some goat grain (I raise goats– and have a microscope to check their fecal samples for worms) and I saw live mites on a slide… Freaked out and thought their grain was infested, but no… it was my microscope and slides that were infested– in our laundry room. After I knew what to look for, I discovered that there were soooo many mites in the room. Thought that steam cleaning would kill them, but it obviously helped them grow! Tested out multiple products by watching the mites on a microscope slide- they loved the bleach It is very interesting, but sooo annoying that they won’t go completely away. The heat and fixed plumbing is helping. Just want to make sure they don’t travel outside the laundry room. Have my 4 power headset magnifiers out checking out all our other rooms. Hopefully soon, I will have the laundry room back. If they aren’t mold mites (which could have been in some cat food in the room) then possibly they are wood mites . Do you know how to tell the difference?

Comment on Mold Mites by jaf

jaf — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 02:40:34 +0000

These might not be mold mites, but could be some other kind of mite. (Mold mites typically infest foodstuffs). Soap should kill most of the mites (including eggs.) In moist areas, eggs can survive a long time (they can even survive freezing.) Eggs are laid a lot of different places, some in cracks and crevices, some out in the open.

Use hot, soapy water (maybe add some borax, too). Scrub. The soap does a pretty good job of destroying the exoskeleton. Scrub. Use a fan to help it dry faster. You may have to do this a few times, and they might come back, so trying to keep the area dry is a good idea. Good luck!

Comment on Mold Mites by AC Farm

AC Farm — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:08:42 +0000

We have an infestation of I believe mold mites in our laundry room. We have cleaned with everything imaginable; finally have some results with putting a space heater on high in the room to dry it out (relative humidity is now hovering around 50%) most mites are gone, but some are still there. I can see them with some 4 power headset magnifiers. Most recently I tried sprinkling Borax on as many surfaces as I can. Seems to kill them. Now the only areas I see the mites are on varnished wood cabinet doors and door woodwork. Are the eggs in the tiny crevices and cracks in the wood? I am afraid to use any liquid type cleansers. Will sudsy detergents kill the eggs? I’m just afraid that if we quit the space heater that more eggs will hatch and we’ll be back to square one. How long should I wait after I see no mites to start using the room normally again? What is the longest time the eggs can survive and hatch later? What type of soapy water do you suggest if I use a soap?