Tiny but very malicious - flour mite

The flour mite is a tiny creature that, despite its small size, makes you throw away all infected supplies. It is arachnid, being quite common kind of barn pestcapable of causing significant economic damage. Today we will examine in detail its harmfulness, as well as the main methods of control and prevention.

Characteristic

The flour tick, or Acarus siro, belongs to the class of arachnids and is a representative of the order of acariform ticks. It is a microscopic pest of grain products, as well as dried fruits, nuts, sometimes cheese and meat.
It is impossible to examine the flour mite with the naked eye, only using a microscope, as shown in the photo. The dimensions of his body are very small: in females - from 0.35 to 0.65 mm, in males - from 0.3 to 0.4 mm. The integuments are almost colorless, have a slightly expressed white or pale gray shade. The body is divided by a transverse groove, which is located on the site between the second and third pairs of legs, while its front part will be slightly darker than the back.

Habitat

In nature, the flour mite lives where there is an abundance of plant debris, for example, in stacks of straw, piles of hay, in forest litter, can also settle in bird nests and burrows of rodents. It is often found both in livestock buildings and on agricultural land, where corn, vegetables and crops grow.

The spread of the flour mite in granaries and other storage buildings takes place according to the simplest scheme - the pest gets there with freshly harvested crops, on containers, stocks used in warehouses, and grain cleaning machines. As a result, the parasite falls into optimal conditions for existence that meet all the necessary requirements - food is plentiful here, suitable humidity and air temperature.

Food

The diet of a flour mite can be such food as:

• processed cereals, for example, flour, bran and animal feed;
• yeast;
• powdered milk;
• mold spores;
• cheese;
• dried vegetables and fruits;
• sausages;
• meat and bone meal;
• fish flour;
• egg powder;
• tobacco raw materials;
• spices.

Optimal conditions for life and development

The habitats of the flour mite are always warm and humid, since it is precisely such conditions that are most suitable for the rapid development of the population of this pest. The optimum temperature for its normal life ranges from +21 ... 27 ° C, relative humidity 65 ... 80%. At the same time, the humidity of food products on which this species parasitizes should not be lower than 13%.

On a note! In such conditions, only one female is able to lay about 800 eggs!

This parasite tolerates a temporary decrease in temperature relatively easily - with a decrease in the thermometer to -5 ° C, it is able to exist for about 18 days. If the temperature rises to + 55 ° C, the flour mite will die after 10 minutes, at + 60 ° C - after 5 minutes.
Under normal conditions, the full life cycle of the parasite takes about 14 days, however, despite the relatively short lifespan, the colony grows quite rapidly. Overpopulation pushes flour mites in search of other food sources, and often this process is quite noticeable without the use of auxiliary equipment - a dusty layer, consisting of tiny mites, as if flows over the surface of shelves or bags of food.

Malware

Infecting any product, the flour mite makes it completely unusable. In the process of parasitization, the pest not only eats up supplies, but also infects them with pathogenic microorganisms, which belong to the group of dangerous intestinal bacteria. And as a result, the products can only be disposed of.

But the harm brought by the flour mite does not end there.

• When the development of the parasite occurs in the seed, the so-called latent form of infection is formed. The flour mite eats up the nutritional part of the germ of the grain and settles in this cavity for further development. As a result, this adversely affects the germination of cereals, especially if they were stored at high humidity.
• Infected feed crops become not only unsuitable for consumption, but even hazardous to animal health. Eating such foods is fraught with prolonged diarrhea, the development of inflammatory processes in the small intestine, loss of appetite, which ultimately leads to weight loss and growth.
  

  On a note! The consequences of poisoning with flour mite are most dangerous for pigs!

• With the penetration of the flour mite into the respiratory tract of a person, an allergic reaction can rapidly develop, which can lead to very serious complications - up to anaphylactic shock.
• Prolonged contact of infected flour with the skin sometimes leads to the so-called bread itching or scabies of the baker. This disease manifests itself with certain symptoms - a red rash (mainly on the hands) and a strong court. In the future, exacerbation is possible - puffiness develops in the affected areas, the skin flakes strongly and peels off, which already requires serious treatment.

In short, the flour mite by its appearance can cause severe harm - to make products unsuitable for consumption and to jeopardize the health of humans and animals.

Methods of struggle

The fight against the flour tick is very complex, since this pest belongs to the category of annoying. This means that if such a “guest” settled in food supplies, then he found conditions acceptable for himself, and the development of the colony will be incredibly fast. As a result, you will have to dispose of absolutely everything.

How to destroy the flour tick and prevent its spread to shelves with other products?

1. First of all, you should find the location of the parasite - the source of spread, and then immediately throw away the infected stocks.
2. The remaining “clean” bags and other food containers must be removed from the shelves and wiped dry. This technique will stop the migration of vagrant pests.
3. If there are cracks on the shelves and racks, they should be cleaned with a powerful vacuum cleaner with a narrow nozzle. Here, make sure that all residues of food stocks are removed, as they will probably leave a large number of eggs and pest larvae.
   

   Important! The immature stages of these parasites can go into a state of rest, which can last several weeks. And with the onset of favorable conditions, the activity of the flour mite will resume again!

4. Then we wash all flat surfaces with a hot, thick soapy solution. At this stage, the sponge should be rinsed out as often as possible and kept constantly soapy!
5. Carefully cork all products in containers and in this form we send them for further storage.

At the same time, we increase the ventilation in the room and monitor the humidity.

Preventive actions

The best method to prevent contamination of stocks with a flour mite is, of course, prevention.

• Always check the integrity of packages and other containers in which food products are sold.
• Never purchase products that seem wet.
• Hermetic packaging with a tight-fitting lid will prevent infection of all products in the pantry if the tick still appears.
• Check the storage location regularly and clean it.
• Try to sort and use products as they become available - always use old ones first before opening new ones.
• The cupboards and cabinets should be dry and clean.

The above measures to combat the flour mite and proper prevention will never again allow the pest to enter your home.