Mites are tiny animals belonging to the arachnid family and related to spiders and ticks. They thrive in moist, warm environments and have probably lived around humans for thousands of years.

House dust mites find their ideal microhabitat in mattresses. A healthy person sheds approximately 1.5 grams of dead skin every night and produces as much as 1.5 pints of sweat, most of which are absorbed by the mattress. The dead skin, decaying in the moisture, provides the mite with ample food. In fact the scientific name of the dust mite is Dermatophogoides or "skin eating spider".

Dust mites are of themselves quite harmless. However, to digest their food, they produce enzymes called proteases. These enzymes, which are expelled in the mite's droppings, are powerful allergens.

Dust mites exist in most homes, and so long as their concentration levels are low, their presence need not be alarming. However, developments in our living conditions over the past decades have been very beneficial to mites, and have allowed their populations in the home to grow.

It is time to become aware of mites, to check their concentration in the home, and if necessary, to take steps to keep those concentrations down.