Re: A theory: please don't water the mites

June 28, 2008

Jeff, this is a great post but I did want to humbly mention......Windex is not like water. It is ethylene glycol and Isopropanol, both are alcohols, and are thus dessicants.

A theory: please don't water the mites

I don't know if this is new, but I had an idea that may explain whysome people are having such a hard time getting rid of the mites. Iftrue, it also suggests a strategy to eliminate them.The theory is based on the following three premises:1. Mites require water (or high humidity) to allow them to live a long time.2. Many mites hide in small cracks or hard-to-clean places, especiallywhen there is light. Thus, they are inaccessible and cannot be killedby the normal actions (such as washing or applying chemicals) thatpeople try.3. Many of the actions people take to control mites use water whichevaporates and thus increases the humidity. Examples include steamingor washing carpets with hot water, applying salt water, applyingWindex (which is mainly water), steaming or soaking clothing, takinglong hot showers.The theory is this: The actions people take to control mites can'tkill them all

because most are hidden in inaccessible places.However, these actions increase the humidity which allows the mites tolive longer. It's like trying to kill weeds by watering them. Aslong as some mites live, all it takes is a few to feed, and they canlay eggs and start another generation.So here is the proposed strategy. It relies on two goals:Goal 1. Reduce the mite life-span by creating a low humidity and hightemperature environment.Goal 2. Break the mite life-cycle by preventing mites from feeding.How to achieve goal 1 (reduce mite-life span).1. Minimize activities (mentioned in premise 3 above) that will supplythe mites with water or increase the humidity. That is:a. Don't steam or vacuum using water; don't spray the floor or wallswith salt water or Windex or alcohol (all contain water which willevaporate increasing humidity).b. Don't soak clothing in open containers which allow

evaporation.If you soak clothing, do so in a way that will minimize the increasein humidity. Soak in a closed plastic bag or other container.c. When you take a shower, try to do it in such a way to notincrease the humidity very much. Perhaps after getting wet, spendmost of the time lathering and scrubbing without the water running,then rinse. If the steam from your bathroom is going into the house,try not to have hot water running a long time which produces steam(humidity) helpful to the mites. Or if you have a fan in the bathroomor a window, use them to divert the steam that would otherwise go intothe rest of your house.d. In short, don't do anything that will substantially increase the humidity.2. Buy a dehumidifier and run it all the time. Strive for a humidityof 30% or below. Tips: the June 2008 issue of Consumer Reportsmagazine has an article about buying dehumidifiers. You also might

beable to find a used one. I bought a used dehumidifier throughCraigslist for $30.3. Turn up the heat on the thermostat to 80+ degrees.Overall goal: turn your home into the equivalent of a HOT ARID DESERT!WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT:============ ========= ========For supporting documentation, goto this page:http://www.asg. wur.nl/UK/ research/ projects/ AnimalHusbandry/ Programm/Then click on the first link "Biology, vector-potential and life cycleof Dermanyssus gallinae"Or click here:http://www.asg. wur.nl/NR/ rdonlyres/ C46DBE42- 73CD-45FF- B35B-3473D06BBE0 3/34480/LifeCycl eIssues.pdfIt will

download a 1.2MB PDF document.Then look at the graph labeled: "Longevity in different temperaturesand RH%" (fifth page in document)Note the following:TEMPERATURES:At 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) mites die off in 5 weeks.At cooler temperatures, they live for 40 weeks.Thus, HOTTER IS BETTER because it kills the mites.HUMIDITY:At 30% relative humidity or below, mites die off in 5 weeks.At high relative humidity, they live 20+ weeks.Thus, DRYER IS BETTER - again, because it kills the mites.============ ========= ========Again, you want to create a HOT, DRY environment to shorten the mite life span.Incidentally, the second link on the above page links to a document(also should be able get by clicking here):http://www.asg. wur.nl/NR/

rdonlyres/ C46DBE42- 73CD-45FF- B35B-3473D06BBE0 3/34485/Veronika Maurer.pdfcalled "Behaviour of Dermanyssus gallinae" which describes how themites hide in small cracks during the day and tend to feed at night(this supports premise 2). They are also attracted to slighttemperature gradients (warmth, possible source of feeding), whichmaybe means they will try to crawl into your bed when you sleep ifthey can. The document also has a great close-up picture of a mite(D. gallinae).============ ========= =========HOW TO ACHIEVE GOAL 2: (break mite life cycle by preventing mites from feeding).Note: There are multiple approaches; the following is what I did.1. Make sure this is no more original host (birds nest or whatever).2. If you have carpet, vacuum it often using a dry vacuum (notsteaming or water).3. If you have bare (non-carpet) floors, clean frequently, but eitherdry vacuum, or try to

use minimal water when washing and mop it upright away to minimize evaporation.4. Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth (DE) or Boric Acid on cracks or placeswhere the mites might traverse.5. Spray walls or other surfaces that mites crawl on with aninsecticide which works for mites. (I didn't do much spraying, only asmall section were I was constantly seeing them).6. When sleeping, it's critical to prevent the mites from biting youduring that time. I take the following steps:a. Encase mattress and pillow in plastic cover (I bought mine at adollar store).b. Use minimal and synthetic covers (one or two blankets) andsynthetic sleeping clothes which are frequently washed and dried in aHOT dryer, ideally just before sleeping. (Minimal covers are OKbecause you won't need much covers since the air temperature will be80+ degrees).c. Buy a 12x9 foot plastic "drop cloth" (plastic sheet) from adollar store

($1) or someplace else (hardware store) and fold it so itdrapes over your mattress and bed, hanging over the side of the bed(but not touching the ground), so that any mites crawling from thefloor up onto your bed would be under the drop cloth and thus not ableto get to you. I THINK THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. YOU NEED TO PREVENTTHEM FROM CRAWLING FROM THE FLOOR TO WHERE YOU ARE IN BED.d. Shower before going to bed to try an wash off any mites thatmight be on you.e. After showering, and drying before you go to bed, put plasticbags over your feet before walking from the bathroom to the bed somites don't get on your feet when you are walking too the bed. Getinto bed carefully so any mites on the plastic bags will not betransported into the bed. (I'm not sure if this is really important,but I felt safer doing it.)7. Frequently wash clothing and bedding (and if possible, shoes) inhot water and (more

importantly) dry in a HOT DRYER. Store in plastictrash bags until ready to use.My apartment was infected with bird mites (from microscope images, I'mpretty sure they were Dermanyssus gallinae - the hard species to getrid of) about two months ago. Before I knew what was going on, I hadlots of bites and was seeing mites everywhere. Following the aboveprocedures, I think I've wiped them out. I'm not sure, since somepeople said that the eggs can reinfect. But so far things look good.One reason I think minimizing the humidity is so important is that Icaptured some mites and put them in cups with plastic over the top,but with no water. I captured some others and put them on a island(small object) which I placed in the middle of a tray of water, withthe entire tray sealed with plastic over the top (to hold in themoisture from the water). After a week, the mites that were in thecups without water

died. Under a microscope, I could tell they driedout. The mites that were placed on the island with the surroundingwater all lived. A dramatic difference. The water moisture (highhumidity) enabled them to live while the others without the waterdied.I might have had a much easier infestation than what others have had.Everyone dealing with these mites has my deepest sympathy. I hopethis is helpful to some of you. Don't give up. Fight on!Jeff TeetersBerkeley CA

June 29, 2008

I love your

theory and experiments! I think you are definitely on to something.

Coincidentally, I have been sleeping in a

different apartment the last few days and when I have left the bathroom heater

on all night, I had less problems with the biting mites.

Can you explain this? I don’t

understand:

c. Buy a 12x9 foot plastic " drop cloth " (plastic sheet) from

a

dollar store ($1) or someplace else (hardware store) and fold it so it

drapes over your mattress and bed, hanging over the side of the bed

(but not touching the ground), so that any mites crawling from the

floor up onto your bed would be under the drop cloth and thus not able

to get to you. I THINK THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. YOU NEED TO PREVENT

THEM FROM CRAWLING FROM THE FLOOR TO WHERE YOU ARE IN BED

Also, so you think dry cleaning works

better than washing?

Many thanks,

P~

A theory:

please don't water the mites

I don't know if this is new, but I had an idea that

may explain why

some people are having such a hard time getting rid of the mites. If

true, it also suggests a strategy to eliminate them.

The theory is based on the following three premises:

1. Mites require water (or high humidity) to allow them to live a long time.

2. Many mites hide in small cracks or hard-to-clean places, especially

when there is light. Thus, they are inaccessible and cannot be killed

by the normal actions (such as washing or applying chemicals) that

people try.

3. Many of the actions people take to control mites use water which

evaporates and thus increases the humidity. Examples include steaming

or washing carpets with hot water, applying salt water, applying

Windex (which is mainly water), steaming or soaking clothing, taking

long hot showers.

The theory is this: The actions people take to control mites can't

kill them all because most are hidden in inaccessible places.

However, these actions increase the humidity which allows the mites to

live longer. It's like trying to kill weeds by watering them. As

long as some mites live, all it takes is a few to feed, and they can

lay eggs and start another generation.

So here is the proposed strategy. It relies on two goals:

Goal 1. Reduce the mite life-span by creating a low humidity and high

temperature environment.

Goal 2. Break the mite life-cycle by preventing mites from feeding.

How to achieve goal 1 (reduce mite-life span).

1. Minimize activities (mentioned in premise 3 above) that will supply

the mites with water or increase the humidity. That is:

a. Don't steam or vacuum using water; don't spray the floor or walls

with salt water or Windex or alcohol (all contain water which will

evaporate increasing humidity).

b. Don't soak clothing in open containers which allow evaporation.

If you soak clothing, do so in a way that will minimize the increase

in humidity. Soak in a closed plastic bag or other container.

c. When you take a shower, try to do it in such a way to not

increase the humidity very much. Perhaps after getting wet, spend

most of the time lathering and scrubbing without the water running,

then rinse. If the steam from your bathroom is going into the house,

try not to have hot water running a long time which produces steam

(humidity) helpful to the mites. Or if you have a fan in the bathroom

or a window, use them to divert the steam that would otherwise go into

the rest of your house.

d. In short, don't do anything that will substantially increase the humidity.

2. Buy a dehumidifier and run it all the time. Strive for a humidity

of 30% or below. Tips: the June 2008 issue of Consumer Reports

magazine has an article about buying dehumidifiers. You also might be

able to find a used one. I bought a used dehumidifier through

Craigslist for $30.

3. Turn up the heat on the thermostat to 80+ degrees.

Overall goal: turn your home into the equivalent of a HOT ARID DESERT!

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT:

=============================

For supporting documentation, goto this page:

http://www.asg.wur.nl/UK/research/projects/AnimalHusbandry/Programm/

Then click on the first link " Biology, vector-potential and life cycle

of Dermanyssus gallinae "

Or click here:

http://www.asg.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/C46DBE42-73CD-45FF-B35B-3473D06BBE03/34480/LifeCycleIssues.pdf

It will download a 1.2MB PDF document.

Then look at the graph labeled: " Longevity in different temperatures

and RH% " (fifth page in document)

Note the following:

TEMPERATURES:

At 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) mites die off in 5 weeks.

At cooler temperatures, they live for 40 weeks.

Thus, HOTTER IS BETTER because it kills the mites.

HUMIDITY:

At 30% relative humidity or below, mites die off in 5 weeks.

At high relative humidity, they live 20+ weeks.

Thus, DRYER IS BETTER - again, because it kills the mites.

=============================

Again, you want to create a HOT, DRY environment to shorten the mite life span.

Incidentally, the second link on the above page links to a document

(also should be able get by clicking here):

http://www.asg.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/C46DBE42-73CD-45FF-B35B-3473D06BBE03/34485/VeronikaMaurer.pdf

called " Behaviour of Dermanyssus gallinae " which describes how the

mites hide in small cracks during the day and tend to feed at night

(this supports premise 2). They are also attracted to slight

temperature gradients (warmth, possible source of feeding), which

maybe means they will try to crawl into your bed when you sleep if

they can. The document also has a great close-up picture of a mite

(D. gallinae).

==============================

HOW TO ACHIEVE GOAL 2: (break mite life cycle by preventing mites from

feeding).

Note: There are multiple approaches; the following is what I did.

1. Make sure this is no more original host (birds nest or whatever).

2. If you have carpet, vacuum it often using a dry vacuum (not

steaming or water).

3. If you have bare (non-carpet) floors, clean frequently, but either

dry vacuum, or try to use minimal water when washing and mop it up

right away to minimize evaporation.

4. Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth (DE) or Boric Acid on cracks or places

where the mites might traverse.

5. Spray walls or other surfaces that mites crawl on with an

insecticide which works for mites. (I didn't do much spraying, only a

small section were I was constantly seeing them).

6. When sleeping, it's critical to prevent the mites from biting you

during that time. I take the following steps:

a. Encase mattress and pillow in plastic cover (I bought mine at a

dollar store).

b. Use minimal and synthetic covers (one or two blankets) and

synthetic sleeping clothes which are frequently washed and dried in a

HOT dryer, ideally just before sleeping. (Minimal covers are OK

because you won't need much covers since the air temperature will be

80+ degrees).

c. Buy a 12x9 foot plastic " drop cloth " (plastic sheet) from a

dollar store ($1) or someplace else (hardware store) and fold it so it

drapes over your mattress and bed, hanging over the side of the bed

(but not touching the ground), so that any mites crawling from the

floor up onto your bed would be under the drop cloth and thus not able

to get to you. I THINK THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. YOU NEED TO PREVENT

THEM FROM CRAWLING FROM THE FLOOR TO WHERE YOU ARE IN BED.

d. Shower before going to bed to try an wash off any mites that

might be on you.

e. After showering, and drying before you go to bed, put plastic

bags over your feet before walking from the bathroom to the bed so

mites don't get on your feet when you are walking too the bed. Get

into bed carefully so any mites on the plastic bags will not be

transported into the bed. (I'm not sure if this is really important,

but I felt safer doing it.)

7. Frequently wash clothing and bedding (and if possible, shoes) in

hot water and (more importantly) dry in a HOT DRYER. Store in plastic

trash bags until ready to use.

My apartment was infected with bird mites (from microscope images, I'm

pretty sure they were Dermanyssus gallinae - the hard species to get

rid of) about two months ago. Before I knew what was going on, I had

lots of bites and was seeing mites everywhere. Following the above

procedures, I think I've wiped them out. I'm not sure, since some

people said that the eggs can reinfect. But so far things look good.

One reason I think minimizing the humidity is so important is that I

captured some mites and put them in cups with plastic over the top,

but with no water. I captured some others and put them on a island

(small object) which I placed in the middle of a tray of water, with

the entire tray sealed with plastic over the top (to hold in the

moisture from the water). After a week, the mites that were in the

cups without water died. Under a microscope, I could tell they dried

out. The mites that were placed on the island with the surrounding

water all lived. A dramatic difference. The water moisture (high

humidity) enabled them to live while the others without the water

died.

I might have had a much easier infestation than what others have had.

Everyone dealing with these mites has my deepest sympathy. I hope

this is helpful to some of you. Don't give up. Fight on!

Jeff Teeters

Berkeley CA

June 29, 2008

About Windex:

According to Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windex

at least one formula of Windex has:

4.0% isopropyl alcohol

1% ethylene glycol monobutyl ether.

So, you are correct that these are in Windex. However, according to

the above, they constitute only 5% of the ingredients. I think this

means that the other 95% is basically water. That's my concern with

applying it liberally. Mites directly contacting the Windex might

die. But when the water evaporates and increases the humidity, all

the others will have a more hospitable living environment and a longer

life-span.

On Sat, Jun 28, 2008 at 10:50 PM, fritolay66 <fritolay66@...> wrote:

> Jeff, this is a great post but I did want to humbly mention......Windex is

> not like water. It is ethylene glycol and Isopropanol, both are alcohols,

> and are thus dessicants.

>

> A theory: please don't water the mites

June 29, 2008

Hello again. Again, I would like to say I am agreeing with your dry theory. Well, mostly....lol I do have a humidity monitor and I do see the humidty wax and wane. I am only able to keep my humidity level around fourty percent. Yes, it does rise when using windex or sodium hydroxide. But I thought the principal of everything we are trying besides those that do not have a residual and are usually more toxic and incorporated into the actual miticides, is by contact kill? The humidty level correlates with the evaporation of said contacts, is that your experience? Its the humidity rise that attracts those in the cracks and crevices and by contact kills? The borax and DE by contact would kill those that are moving due to the heat and humidty, and by

contact kills? Also, the act of actually cleaning them, removes them from the immediate environment? With a coating of Windex, and the humidity level lowering after spraying, both would then act to dessicate or compromise the mite and in effect kill those already struggling immediately or in the next subsequent applications? I have had good results with windex in my environment.

I did want to say something about carpeting. I have had it the whole time. I have an allergy vacum that detects particle sizes down to the size of dust mites. Thats pretty small. I vacum everyday. According to its monitoring, and in the beginning when I started using this thing, it alarmed constantly. It even monitors the attatchment side as well. I am actually going to take my house vacum out to my car and use the attatchment monitor out there and see what I get. I spray my carpets when no one is about and vacum at after letting it evaporate.

Anyways, I really liked your post. And I enjoyed the baggies on the feet thing...... I hope this pestilence will be out of your life for good. Many well wishes........Cordially...Frito

A theory: please don't water the mites

June 29, 2008

I strongly agree, and believe in your theory, too. In fact, I've been

doing great, until our humidity has recently increased. Thus,

infested, again. So, now, I'm taking steps to dry heat everything up,

again. I'm confident things will get better, too.

Thank you very much for this extensive, informative post. It confirms

what I've already thought, and have practiced successfully.

I, too, have probably had a lesser degree of infestation, compared to

so many others. But, I've been diligent as I do not want it to

progress any further than what I've experienced. As what I have had,

I thought was almost unbearable. Yet, compared to others, I found it

could have gotten, and can get, so much worse. I, too, sympathize

with everyone for the type of life we've all had to adjust to, and try

to live, because of this crap!

>

> I don't know if this is new, but I had an idea that may explain why

> some people are having such a hard time getting rid of the mites. If

> true, it also suggests a strategy to eliminate them.

>

> The theory is based on the following three premises:

> 1. Mites require water (or high humidity) to allow them to live a

long time.

> 2. Many mites hide in small cracks or hard-to-clean places, especially

> when there is light. Thus, they are inaccessible and cannot be killed

> by the normal actions (such as washing or applying chemicals) that

> people try.

> 3. Many of the actions people take to control mites use water which

> evaporates and thus increases the humidity. Examples include steaming

> or washing carpets with hot water, applying salt water, applying

> Windex (which is mainly water), steaming or soaking clothing, taking

> long hot showers.

>

> The theory is this: The actions people take to control mites can't

> kill them all because most are hidden in inaccessible places.

> However, these actions increase the humidity which allows the mites to

> live longer. It's like trying to kill weeds by watering them. As

> long as some mites live, all it takes is a few to feed, and they can

> lay eggs and start another generation.

>

> So here is the proposed strategy. It relies on two goals:

> Goal 1. Reduce the mite life-span by creating a low humidity and high

> temperature environment.

> Goal 2. Break the mite life-cycle by preventing mites from feeding.

>

> How to achieve goal 1 (reduce mite-life span).

> 1. Minimize activities (mentioned in premise 3 above) that will supply

> the mites with water or increase the humidity. That is:

> a. Don't steam or vacuum using water; don't spray the floor or walls

> with salt water or Windex or alcohol (all contain water which will

> evaporate increasing humidity).

> b. Don't soak clothing in open containers which allow evaporation.

> If you soak clothing, do so in a way that will minimize the increase

> in humidity. Soak in a closed plastic bag or other container.

> c. When you take a shower, try to do it in such a way to not

> increase the humidity very much. Perhaps after getting wet, spend

> most of the time lathering and scrubbing without the water running,

> then rinse. If the steam from your bathroom is going into the house,

> try not to have hot water running a long time which produces steam

> (humidity) helpful to the mites. Or if you have a fan in the bathroom

> or a window, use them to divert the steam that would otherwise go into

> the rest of your house.

> d. In short, don't do anything that will substantially increase

the humidity.

> 2. Buy a dehumidifier and run it all the time. Strive for a humidity

> of 30% or below. Tips: the June 2008 issue of Consumer Reports

> magazine has an article about buying dehumidifiers. You also might be

> able to find a used one. I bought a used dehumidifier through

> Craigslist for $30.

> 3. Turn up the heat on the thermostat to 80+ degrees.

>

> Overall goal: turn your home into the equivalent of a HOT ARID DESERT!

>

> WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT:

> =============================

> For supporting documentation, goto this page:

> http://www.asg.wur.nl/UK/research/projects/AnimalHusbandry/Programm/

> Then click on the first link " Biology, vector-potential and life cycle

> of Dermanyssus gallinae "

> Or click here:

>

http://www.asg.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/C46DBE42-73CD-45FF-B35B-3473D06BBE03/34480/Li\

feCycleIssues.pdf

> It will download a 1.2MB PDF document.

> Then look at the graph labeled: " Longevity in different temperatures

> and RH% " (fifth page in document)

> Note the following:

>

> TEMPERATURES:

> At 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) mites die off in 5 weeks.

> At cooler temperatures, they live for 40 weeks.

> Thus, HOTTER IS BETTER because it kills the mites.

>

> HUMIDITY:

> At 30% relative humidity or below, mites die off in 5 weeks.

> At high relative humidity, they live 20+ weeks.

> Thus, DRYER IS BETTER - again, because it kills the mites.

> =============================

>

> Again, you want to create a HOT, DRY environment to shorten the mite

life span.

>

> Incidentally, the second link on the above page links to a document

> (also should be able get by clicking here):

>

http://www.asg.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/C46DBE42-73CD-45FF-B35B-3473D06BBE03/34485/Ve\

ronikaMaurer.pdf

> called " Behaviour of Dermanyssus gallinae " which describes how the

> mites hide in small cracks during the day and tend to feed at night

> (this supports premise 2). They are also attracted to slight

> temperature gradients (warmth, possible source of feeding), which

> maybe means they will try to crawl into your bed when you sleep if

> they can. The document also has a great close-up picture of a mite

> (D. gallinae).

>

> ==============================

> HOW TO ACHIEVE GOAL 2: (break mite life cycle by preventing mites

from feeding).

> Note: There are multiple approaches; the following is what I did.

> 1. Make sure this is no more original host (birds nest or whatever).

> 2. If you have carpet, vacuum it often using a dry vacuum (not

> steaming or water).

> 3. If you have bare (non-carpet) floors, clean frequently, but either

> dry vacuum, or try to use minimal water when washing and mop it up

> right away to minimize evaporation.

> 4. Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth (DE) or Boric Acid on cracks or places

> where the mites might traverse.

> 5. Spray walls or other surfaces that mites crawl on with an

> insecticide which works for mites. (I didn't do much spraying, only a

> small section were I was constantly seeing them).

> 6. When sleeping, it's critical to prevent the mites from biting you

> during that time. I take the following steps:

> a. Encase mattress and pillow in plastic cover (I bought mine at a

> dollar store).

> b. Use minimal and synthetic covers (one or two blankets) and

> synthetic sleeping clothes which are frequently washed and dried in a

> HOT dryer, ideally just before sleeping. (Minimal covers are OK

> because you won't need much covers since the air temperature will be

> 80+ degrees).

> c. Buy a 12x9 foot plastic " drop cloth " (plastic sheet) from a

> dollar store ($1) or someplace else (hardware store) and fold it so it

> drapes over your mattress and bed, hanging over the side of the bed

> (but not touching the ground), so that any mites crawling from the

> floor up onto your bed would be under the drop cloth and thus not able

> to get to you. I THINK THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. YOU NEED TO PREVENT

> THEM FROM CRAWLING FROM THE FLOOR TO WHERE YOU ARE IN BED.

> d. Shower before going to bed to try an wash off any mites that

> might be on you.

> e. After showering, and drying before you go to bed, put plastic

> bags over your feet before walking from the bathroom to the bed so

> mites don't get on your feet when you are walking too the bed. Get

> into bed carefully so any mites on the plastic bags will not be

> transported into the bed. (I'm not sure if this is really important,

> but I felt safer doing it.)

> 7. Frequently wash clothing and bedding (and if possible, shoes) in

> hot water and (more importantly) dry in a HOT DRYER. Store in plastic

> trash bags until ready to use.

>

> My apartment was infected with bird mites (from microscope images, I'm

> pretty sure they were Dermanyssus gallinae - the hard species to get

> rid of) about two months ago. Before I knew what was going on, I had

> lots of bites and was seeing mites everywhere. Following the above

> procedures, I think I've wiped them out. I'm not sure, since some

> people said that the eggs can reinfect. But so far things look good.

>

> One reason I think minimizing the humidity is so important is that I

> captured some mites and put them in cups with plastic over the top,

> but with no water. I captured some others and put them on a island

> (small object) which I placed in the middle of a tray of water, with

> the entire tray sealed with plastic over the top (to hold in the

> moisture from the water). After a week, the mites that were in the

> cups without water died. Under a microscope, I could tell they dried

> out. The mites that were placed on the island with the surrounding

> water all lived. A dramatic difference. The water moisture (high

> humidity) enabled them to live while the others without the water

> died.

>

> I might have had a much easier infestation than what others have had.

> Everyone dealing with these mites has my deepest sympathy. I hope

> this is helpful to some of you. Don't give up. Fight on!

>

> Jeff Teeters

> Berkeley CA

>

June 29, 2008

Hi Pamela,

To get an idea of what I mean by using the drop cloth, look at the

following picture of a bed with a bedspread that goes almost to the

floor:

http://www.mhweavers.com/heritage.html

No imagine that you remove the bedspread and replace it with a plastic

sheet (drop cloth) that drapes over the side of the bed in the same

way as that bedspread (extending over the side but not touching the

floor), but is longer so it can also be placed over the head of the

bed (wooden parts of the bed). Once the drop cloth is in place, if

you put your blankets on top, and sleep on top of the plastic drop

cloth, then when you sleep, the drop cloth will help prevent mites

that are located in parts of the bed or on the floor from crawling to

where you are.

To see why this is the case, think of what a mite, say located on the

floor or in a part of the bed, would have to do to reach you. Without

the drop cloth, the mite would just climb up and would reach you.

With the drop cloth, if the mite climbs up, the mite will get close to

you, but will be under the drop cloth. To actually reach you, the

mite must climb down the inside of drop cloth (that is, the side

closest to the bed) to reach the edge of the drop cloth and then climb

back up the other side. Since mites are attracted to heat, it would

probably be very unnatural for them to climb down and away from you.

They would probably just stay under the drop cloth close to you and

search for a way to reach you directly. At the very least, it makes

it much more difficult for them to reach you.

If this is still not clear, let me know and I'll try to think of

another way of describing it.

About dry cleaning vs washing: if you are talking about cleaning

clothing, I don't know. I was stressing the importance of keeping the

humidity low. Since washing machines are enclosed and dryers vent

steam outside, washing and drying clothes (with a dryer) should not

increase humidity too much. I think it would be a terrible idea to

wash clothes and have them dry by hanging them up on a clothes line in

the house (since that would increase humidity). A dryer would make

the clothes hot and dry which is what we want. But I don't know how

washing and drying with a dryer compares to dry cleaning from the

standpoint of fighting mites.

Thanks for the questions,

Jeff Teeters

Berkeley, CA

On Sun, Jun 29, 2008 at 4:43 AM, Pamela <pamelab@...> wrote:

> I love your theory and experiments! I think you are definitely on to

> something.

>

> Coincidentally, I have been sleeping in a different apartment the last few

> days and when I have left the bathroom heater on all night, I had less

> problems with the biting mites.

>

> Can you explain this? I don't understand:

>

> c. Buy a 12x9 foot plastic " drop cloth " (plastic sheet) from a

> dollar store ($1) or someplace else (hardware store) and fold it so it

> drapes over your mattress and bed, hanging over the side of the bed

> (but not touching the ground), so that any mites crawling from the

> floor up onto your bed would be under the drop cloth and thus not able

> to get to you. I THINK THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. YOU NEED TO PREVENT

> THEM FROM CRAWLING FROM THE FLOOR TO WHERE YOU ARE IN BED

>

> Also, so you think dry cleaning works better than washing?

>

> Many thanks,

>

> P~

>

> A theory: please don't water the mites

>

> I don't know if this is new, but I had an idea that may explain why

> some people are having such a hard time getting rid of the mites. If

> true, it also suggests a strategy to eliminate them.

>

> The theory is based on the following three premises:

> 1. Mites require water (or high humidity) to allow them to live a long time.