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Tiny, White, Bugs In Homes - What Are They?

mold mite (drawing)

Have you ever found tiny white bugs crawling on the kitchen counter or over a sack of pet food, or on your computer keyboard, or in some similar situation? The bugs are too small to see clearly and are often described as "salt" or "sugar" that moves! If you look very close, with a magnifying glass, you'll probably see long "hairs" from tiny round whitish bodies.

There are a couple of things that people describe this way but in my experience mold mites (or mould mites), also called grain mites, are the most common.

These tiny mites feed on mold that grows on damp surfaces so are almost always associated with excess moisture and mold growth in one way or another. Their presence in kitchens can indicate a leaky pipe or leaky dishwasher.

Mold mites don't bite or cause any real harm but some people will experience an allergic reaction to large numbers of mites similar to dust mite allergy. In fact mold mites are related to dust mites. This allergic reaction can be as simple as a stuffy noise or an itchy rash or even difficulty breathing.

The only treatment that is needed is to control the sources of moisture. Once the area dries out and can no longer support the growth of mold the mites will go away. After all sources of moisture are eliminated the area can be treated with a botanical insecticide like EcoPCO-ARX to control remaining mites.

In situations where a relatively small amount of material is moldy and shows signs of mold/grain mite activity the best treatment is may be heat or cold. For example a bag of grain or dry pet food could be either heated (130-150 deg. F) or frozen and this would eliminate the mites. Heating might also dry out the material and thus completely eliminate the problem. If freezing treatment is used it must be long enough to freeze to the center of the bag. Same caution with heating, long enough to heat the center of the bag. Both procedures assume that heat or cold won't damage the product. Seeds for example could be damaged by either heat or cold.

Continue exploring at our 'Bugs Website for information about other insect and mite pests.

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Comments

Unknown said…
Could be mould mites! Tiny white insects that look like moving dust.. they love humid & warm places so air out the house & spray the RED raid on them .. should get rid of them! Hope this helps
Unknown said…
Or... you could just leave them. If they eat mold and don't bite of harm in any way (unless you're allergic), just leave them. They are just extra protein if they get in your food, and they only provide an anxiety issue if you cannot handle the little things. Same thing with ants, get rid of waste and, if they get in your food, extra protein. It's not like they are roaches or anything, they are not packed full of diseases.
Unknown said…
but really are the dangers? Like on a humanistic level good day be harmful to one's body? I have a set of tea plants that I'm growing indoors that I noticed that have white tiny bugs living in the soil and In, on and around it. as I said this is indoors I'm in apartment its in another room, is this problem?? =/ Help?
vonfreemangone said…
these things also live on my eye lids and they can be pulled off with a pair of tweezers using them side ways. then put it up to a light and gently tap on the tweezeers then you will see littls white things flying away
Unknown said…
I saw these white bugs on sons ds about 2 weeks ago my friend gave me a bed so far only saw on sons ds they our white and real small just saw them today don't know how long they have been there
Unknown said…
I am inundated with these we have a huge humidity problem at 75-80 % our housing assosiation isnt being any help i have asthma and myvson has chronic lung disease and multiple allergies so need them gone 😠
Unknown said…
Why can't I get rod.of these thing even tho I've aired my place for weeks now
Unknown said…
Why can't I get rid of these things. Used lots if flea sprats and carpet powders. Aired every room for week's. Dehumidifier running 24-7 and I still see them everywhere
Unknown said…
My mother in law found these first on a Pair of dirty then she went around the inside and out and discovered a large amount in my fiances room only.. No were else in the house but that one room could somebody please help me out were freaking out dont know what it is
Unknown said…
Let me help these tiny things will make people go crazy like myself I figure out the problem after age of 35 our body can't handle certain things especially the mold & fungus that you have got exposed to outside your house neighbour house so you have injested the mold some way or other I have to go to India and see a aurvadic doctor he explain me virus always grow out back of your neck and there are dust mites everywhere there life is only 9 days they do reproduce but first you have to go to the root get rid of FUNGUS that is coming out our pores that turns into skin flake dust mites favourite food once you cure fungus you have to go see a doctor and eat plain rice with yogurt no oil or butter keep your skin always lotion up no dry skin... inside the house change filter and turn heat up 90 degree for 6 hour or rent a heater from home depot you gotta burn those suckers on high heat.. this will help you I will i guarantee..
Unknown said…
Mold
Unknown said…
To the woman that said eat rice and turn heat up..Fungus loves rice as it's a carbohydrate which is FULL OF SUGAR EVEN PLAIN IT HAS NATURALLY INGRAINED SUCROSE A FORM OF SUGAR AND MITES LOVE SUGAR AND HEAT!!! Trust me i put a few of the moving mites on my electric stove turned it up on high and those suckers crawled right off!! But 90 degrees is a few short of our body temp if they love our bodies and survive just fine living on and in us WHAT IS TURNING THE HEAT UP GOING TO DO BUT ENCOURAGE MORE REPRODUCTION OF MITES AS THIS IS EXCELLENT BREEDING GROUNDS FOR THEM!! BE CAREFUL PPL WHAT YOU READ!!"DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!
Bob Forrest said…
I found one walking in the wall looked like moving dust 1/4 in long or bigger I but it in a contained to show the kids at school . I picked it up as carefully as I could but now it doesn't move . Did it die suddenly?
Beauty said…
OMG!!! They are not harmless. That's what is going on!! I have been sick since I moved into this house. Been fighting mites on pets and myself. I vacuumed up all webs, esp ceiling ones... and they are back the next day!! Repeatedly!!! So pissed, management company KNEW when I moved in about mold and bugs... I was hospitalized within a month of moving in... We thought it was stress as I am domestic violence survivor being haunted nonstop. There are 4 studios attached to my house and one has an entire wall full of mold of 4 colors, two units were never cleaned out and had food everywhere along with furniture... causing me COCKROACH infestation from H***!! Exposed to this for 3 years!!! No wonder I'm so dang sick. They barely caught cancer when I was hospitalized in the colon and my stomach does NOT WORK> Oh I'm pissed. Anyone fighting mites and white ceiling spiders?
Djerik said…
Lol those are either aphids or mealy bugs. They will eventually kill all of your plants.
Unknown said…
i personally am dealing with them climbing on everything its really hot I dont know how hot but its been like this four about month know we live in wales ive never had this problem just seen load of them tonight on bin little white specks like salt and sugar my partner didn't believe me until I showed him them moving on my new costa travel mug I bought can say I am not amused little **** but there we are they are now everywhere as some of you had pointed out my tv unit had them I could see them moving took me about two minutes I was like really there everywhere I hate them now want them gone ideas please .
Unknown said…
ive just seen one in my house 1st one ive noticed waliking along my computer screen.



Unknown said…
ive just seen my 1st one crawling across my computer screen could they effect my kids excema
Unknown said…
Err. Thats disgusting
Kyle said…
IV found thousands of tiny white insects that i need to shine a light on to see looks like moving dust they are all over my home what are they and how can i get rid of them

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