Getting Rid of Mites
We do not tolerate external parasites like bedbugs, lice, ticks, leeches. Bedbugs were once a scourge amongst northern Europeans. I remember our parents spraying for them (kerosene) in the bedroom. This only “controlled” them. What eliminated them was a law against sale of used mattresses. Lice were originally “controlled” by frequent washing, louse combs, and ironing the seams of clothing. What eliminated them was the cutting of long hair as a societal practice. But what about mites? They live with us and other animals.
Mites are too tiny to see, tiny enough to ride on a dust particle as if it were a magic carpet. They resemble insects. Chiggers are really mites. Mange in animals is a mite infestation. Dust mites live on our dander (scales of dead skin).
|
Fig. 58 Mite. |
Get rid of their breeding places: beds, cloth covered chairs and soft sofas. Humans leave enough dander behind in these places to support these ultra small insects. Cover mattresses with plastic covers. Use throws on easy chairs and sofas and wash them often. Never allow a pet into the bedroom or the dust will have tapeworm eggs as well as mites. Throw out rugs that have been pet-beds. Spray the air with a mist of 50% grain alcohol before vacuuming. If you have an illness wear a mask to vacuum. Deep, soft, wall to wall carpets compromise an ancient concept: everything should be washable and cleanable, without throwing the dirt into the air for humans to inhale. vacuuming a carpet blasts mites and tape eggs into the air. Never shake bedding or rugs where the dust will blow back into the house behind you.
Mites don’t bite us but we inhale them as they float in the ever present dust in our homes. The mucus in our lungs traps them and in a few days they die, only to release a drove of Adenoviruses (common cold virus) in us.