House dust mites are tiny arachnids commonly found in our homes. They’re usually hard to spot with the naked eye, but under the right conditions — such as on dark surfaces or against the light — they may appear as tiny white specks crawling around.
They belong to the subclass Acarina (the same group that includes ticks) and specifically to the family Pyroglyphidae.
They don’t bite or burrow into skin
Despite their bad reputation, unlike other mites (such as the one responsible for scabies), they don’t bite and they don’t burrow under the skin.
Indoors, they feed on skin flakes, hair, dandruff, mold, insect parts, crumbs, and basically any organic matter they can find.
Why are they a concern?
Although they’re not parasites, they can still affect our health.
Their feces contain proteins that may trigger allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. When inhaled, these particles can cause symptoms like wheezing, allergic rhinitis, itchy eyes, or even asthma.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to take some simple precautions to keep their numbers under control, especially in dusty or humid environments.
Observing them under the microscope
Seeing them up close is absolutely fascinating! It’s not always easy to find them, but I came across some by pure chance.
I had accidentally left a jar of river water on a windowsill. A few days later, I noticed tiny white dots moving along the edge. I took a closer look under the microscope… and there they were! They were probably attracted by the humidity and organic residues in the jar.
You might want to try the same method to find them — if you succeed, let me know in the comments!
Here's the video
Equipment used
In this video, I used an AmScope T490B microscope with a BRESSER 5913650 Mikrokular Full HD camera.
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