About 20 million Americans have dust mite allergy. Dust mites are well adapted to most areas of the world they are found on every continent except Antarctica. It may not be possible to rid your home entirely of these creatures, but there are ways in which you can lessen your allergic reactions to them. Under a microscope, they can be seen as whitish bugs. Having eight rather than six legs, mites are technically not insects but arthropods, like spiders.
Mites are primitive creatures that have no developed respiratory system and no eyes.
They spend their lives moving about, eating, reproducing and eliminating waste products. A mite's life cycle consists of several stages, from egg to adult. A female may lay as many as 100 eggs in her lifetime. Depending on the species, it takes anywhere from 2 to 5 weeks for an adult mite to develop from an egg. There are at least 13 species of mites, all of which are well adapted to the environment inside your home.