Storage mite

See common geographical background to mites in our Scientific Document (link to the right).

These food mites are tiny and barely visible, varying from 0.3 to 0.6 mm. Using strong magnification, one can notice that the body has no incision between the 2nd and the 3rd leg pairs. The males possess no suction pads; in the females, a short copulation pipe is visible. For both sexes, the body bristles are very long and feathery. Unlike Gylcyphagus domesticus, these mites have an inserted, elongated, and pointed scale on the end segment of the legs. Nevertheless, the scale is difficult to recognise if it is not spread out. Their eggs are quite large, compared with the size of the adult.

See common environmental background to mites in our Scientific Document (link to the right).

This mite can often be found where plant or even animal foods are processed and stored at a humidity level that is too high. Fungi that grow in the foodstuffs, as well as the foodstuffs themselves, are consumed by the mites; this has been demonstrated in the case of Alternaria andPenicillium species. This species is rarely detected in house dust, do not carry any diseases and do not infest any form of life directly, but may result in allergic reactions. These mites develop at a relative air humidity of 65 - 100% and a temperature of approximately 20 - 30°C, and do not tend to avoid the light.

Mites were found in 21% of 571 samples of cereal-based food products purchased at food retail outlets in the UK, and in 38% of 421 samples, derived from the 571 samples, which were examined after 6 weeks of storage in volunteers’ homes. Most of the samples had fewer than 5 mites, but a few samples contained more than 20 mites, with a maximum of 428 mites detected in a single sample. The most common species were Acarus siro, Tyrophagus putrescentiae,Lepidoglyphus destructor and Glycyphagus domesticus (1).