What do dust mites look like on a bed

Bed bugs and dust mites aren't creatures you want in your home.

What do dust mites look like on a bed
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Any pest in the home is a total nuisance, and can wreak havoc on your health as well as your psyche. Bed bugs and dust mites are two common pests, but they differ.

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Bed bugs are small, oval insects that do not fly and can live anywhere in the home. These pesky pests take up residence in various areas of the home, including cracks in furniture, in any type of textile and most commonly, in beds, where they thrive in the mattress, box springs and bed frames.

They’re most active at night, sucking blood from humans and animals to stay alive. They aren’t known to spread diseases, but can be a major annoyance as they cause itching, which can result in loss of sleep. The itching can cause a rash that increases secondary skin infections.

Along with the sign of a bite, which is a slightly swollen and red area, you may notice fecal stains, egg cases and shed skins of bed bugs in crevices and cracks close to beds. You can identify the bug with the naked eye, but you’ll need to know what to look for. Adult bed bugs are roughly the size of an apple seed, and have small, flat, oval-shaped brown bodies. Once you find them, it’s difficult to get rid of bed bugs. You must isolate and sanitize everything in the room.

Dust mites differ from bed bugs because they do not actually feed on the blood of humans and pets. These microscopic pests, which are relatives of the spider, feed on the flakes of skin that people and pets shed daily. Thriving in warm and humid environments, they live on mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture, carpets and curtains, much like bed bugs.

Dust mites may be the most common trigger of year-round allergies and asthma, yet they may not be easily diagnosed because they’re not easy to pinpoint. And no matter how clean a house is, they can’t totally be eliminated. However, they can be significantly reduced with these cleaning tips.

You can also cover mattresses and pillows with zippered dust-proof covers, wash your sheets and blankets in hot water weekly, put roll-type shades on your windows instead of curtains, invest in a HEPA-filter-equipped vacuum cleaner, wash rugs in hot water whenever possible, keep the humidity in your home to less than 50 percent and use a HEPA filter with your forced-air central furnace and air conditioning unit.

People who should be most concerned are those with a dust mite allergy. Sneezing, a runny nose, itchy red or watery eyes, stuffy nose, itchy nose, mouth or throat and itchy skin are all symptoms.

The best bet for keeping both types of these pests at bay is lots of cleaning! And while you can completely eliminate bed bugs, remember that dust mites are the pest you’ll have to coexist with, but only to a certain extent.

Here are 9 natural remedies for pest control for you to check out.

You’ll also want to check out these 26 tips for controlling pests in and around your home.

You are here: Bed Bug Blog / Bed Bugs or Dust Mites – What are the 4 most common differences?

What do dust mites look like on a bed

Do I have Bed Bugs or Dust Mites?

Its a common question. Do I have Bed Bugs or Dust Mites? Well, either can make you miserable but it’s kind of similar to when someone feels utterly awful with a head cold but they insist it’s the flu. Knowing what you’re dealing with empowers you to find the right solution. If you assume you know what’s causing your problems then how can you be sure you’ll be treating the right cause?

There are actually many differences between bed bugs and dust mites but if you’ve never suffered from either of them – and you’d be very fortunate – then it’s easy to blame one when it could be the other. The important thing is to be appropriately informed, and take appropriate action.

Physical Appearance

Frankly, bed bugs or dust mites … they’re both ugly creatures. But you’ll be hard-pressed to see a dust mite as they are almost microscopic. Bed bugs, on the other hand, are around half a centimetre long and grow even larger when their bodies are engorged with human blood. Bed bugs are reddish-brown, oval and flat in shape, have six legs and two antennae.

What do Bed Bugs and Dust Mites Eat

How we suffer from their behaviours lies in the differences between bed bugs and dust mites’ diets. Dust mites feed off of dead skin cells that humans shed. Bed bugs feast on the blood of warm-blooded mammals such as humans and our pets.

Natural Habitats of Bed Bugs and Dust Mites

You’ll find bed bugs or dust mites in beds but they inhabit them differently. Dust mites prefer dark, moist environments like mattresses, pillows and cushions where they enjoy a constant food source. Bed bugs hide in the crevices close to the bed and also in other parts of the bedroom such as behind headboards, behind and under bedside tables, in curtains and in carpet along skirting boards.

Health Effects

While smaller in size, dust mites pack a powerful punch because their excrement can cause awful allergic reactions such as asthma, rhinitis, and eczema. Bed bugs bite and leave small, itchy red marks on the skin.

Another important difference between bed bugs and dust mites is that dust mites exist in every room of a home, hotel, motel, nursing home or boarding house. While bed bugs are not as prolific, they are a growing problem all over the world.

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How do you know if I have dust mites in my bed?

Symptoms.
Sneezing..
Runny nose..
Itchy, red or watery eyes..
Nasal congestion..
Itchy nose, roof of mouth or throat..
Postnasal drip..
Cough..
Facial pressure and pain..

What kills dust mites on mattress?

Wash bedding regularly This includes linens, bed coverings, your washable mattress cover and a washable pillow cover (or the whole pillow, if possible)—preferably at high heat. A temperature of 122 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes kills dust mites, according to one study.