I suffered with dust mite allergies all through childhood. I was "that kid" that seemed to always sniffle at school, and doctors never helped besides giving me pills with side effects. It was not until I heard of dust mites as an adult that I tried out a simple allergen mattress cover. 90% of my problems with mites are gone.
@@dezignateddriva I have the mattress, the allergen cover, then a normal bed cover. I don't really notice a difference considering I have a normal bed cover on top.
I read that temperatures above 21 degrees celsius, dry out and kill the mides, so every now and then i turn up the heat for a few days, in winter time. And also i wash everything at 60 degrees celsius, to instantly kill the small buggers.
Hank, I wouldn’t have wanted any other voice to calmly reassure my terror of the invisible microcosmos. I’m lying on someone else’s couch, on their pillow, & ready to enter a dream that may turn nightmarish. I can’t wait to learn something new about something else that James has found lol … so I can sleep soundly next time 😊 Love your team’s work, & accept the inevitable nightmares. 💜
@@cerberaodollam I wasn’t aware of the pre-conceived notion that a purple heart had a specific meaning (outside of military). I think it’s a great color, & it was just the color that I was feeling in the moment.. no more than a heartfelt heart for this wonderful channel & it’s makers
when the "lengthy mating process" was mentioned, i was fully prepared to hear something about how dust mite sperm also causes allergic reactions. i was very relieved as to the reality, albeit a tiny bit disappointed that they don't share that attribute with plants haha.
@@SavingPrivateBob I actually don't think they cause many issues for people. They *can* cause irritation but almost every human has them and very few are effected by them. I for one am comforted by the presence of weird little tardigrade-worm shaped arachnids just sort of chilling on the base of my lashes. People always talk about animal companionship, and yet never think of the companionship of the colony of animals that has been around your eyes your whole life
I knew that people who were allergic to cockroaches were usually allergic to their poop specifically, so I guess it's not surprising it's the same with dust mites. Still, disgusting. Thanks Microcosmos team!
Sometimes, when it's the poop, it can be the enzymes in it, as they can appear similar to enzymes used by parasites (can think, enzymes that break down dead skin for protein could be similar to enzymes used by parasites to break down the body's defences, to attach to the inside of the gut etc, so it makes sense that the body should react to these and try expel them) and sometimes it can be what's next in the food chain - when a mould colonises the poop and uses it as its own food source. When the moisture runs out, spores can be put into packages that become very tight, exploding when coming into contact with moisture, ejecting the spores, as the process of getting through a dry season... or, of course, from our body's moisture, should we end up breathing in these packages... plus many many more!
I have a desk-top microscope and I wanted something small I can take on hikes, so I got a couple of Carson brand pocket microscopes and discovered dust mites for the first time. There are things living in your house that you really don't want to see.
Arachnid poop, arachnid poop Fills your sinuses full of goop Even if you tell them "no" They "go" whenever they have to "go" Achoo! That was arachnid poop!
Although it might not feel right Your bed is full of turds from a mite And when you go to bed at night They puff into the air and cover you in your sleep.
Beware! Some things react to UV, albeit slowly (Like how old computers turned from white to yellow over years). UV can also bleach posters and some fabrics. Be careful, and don't run it too long. Also , vacuuming and sprays will do a lot too.
I'd love it if these subjects had a 3d representation I could see. It's one thing to see the mite through a microscope over top. As it blurs and unblurs and sees through it's shell. it's another to see it's imposing figure through what I think is an electron Microscope or a view as if it were right next to you at Ant-Man size.
Dust mites are absolutely annoying 😡, my body hates them (allergies and I've got a skin condition: eczema) which is super annoying when I start sneezing and some times get itch (irritated skin).
@@journeytomicro it’s 1:40am here and all I’m thinking is how many of them am I eating, breathing or are crawling around my eyes right now. You did not touch on that point and I am disgusted to think it was maybe for our own good. Anyway good one I suppose xD
I had a fish room and one day found that a can of fish food was full of these. I kept it for years. I used a paintbrush to collect them around the sides, lid, and feed them to the tiniest of baby fish.
I live in Denver and I used to run 3 humidifiers because my nose bleeds, from the dryness, all winter…the only problem is that my my Allergist has told me that the humidifiers are causing my dust mite allergy to flare and I need to stop using them. Bloody nose or runny nose. Now there’s a choice. 😂
they make me itchy, when once in a few years conditions are right and their numbers explode. DE and some other usual prescribed remedies do little if any. Either a pyrethroid or regular bug spray applied thoroughly to bare mattress and allowed to air several hours before use works. They're almost invisible to naked eye. I freaked when i first saw them with a botanical loupe (20X)
me looking at my fan and noticing tiny bits of dust I missed while cleaning it........ tiny bug poo being sprayed at me through the wind the fan creates........no wonder i go through so many tissues aaaaaah
Just be glad you only sneeze or get watery eyes. I have contact dermatitis so bad that within seconds it feels like the mites are biting me. I know they don't have the mouthparts to bite and are probably not even present in the dust, but my swelling itchy skin tells my brain that I'm being eaten alive by invisible critters. I had a horsehair plaster in a 300-year-old house collapse on me and it was so bad I was put on cyclosporine
I use the Carson brand Pocket microscopes, 60X or better. Very easy to use and plenty of power, no slides needed. I found two dust mites living on the cloth case I keep my reading glasses in. :-O
Depends on the light source wavelength and intensity of exposure. But according to this paper DOI:10.1016/S2221-1691(12)60209-3 a 60 minute exposure at 10 cm distance from a 30 watt UV-C lamp resulted in a 100% mortality rate.
I remember seeing one once. I was laying in bed on my phone, and I made out some very, very small movement. I lost him at some point, didn't get to take macro lense pictures.
I notice that none of the mites in this video are identified to species, genus, family, or even order level. That's not surprising. James and most microbiologists don't study mites, and despite how harmful ticks and many parasitic or detritovorous mites can be (and how helpful many predatory mites can be), very few people choose to become acarologists (tick and mite scholars) who could identify mites in images and videos.
I feel like people who are concerned about the safety of your master of microscopes VASTLY underestimate the powers of the microcosmos surrounding them--everywhere, every day.
@@xWood4000 "May even be unhealthy to a point, as it is possible that allergies can result from too sterile environments" Yet still the human takes the right to fight a virus? Isn't that kinda contradicting... i thought there was a point to the things that make us sick and so on.
@@chrisakaschulbus4903 no scientist ever said that there was a point in the microorganisms/ viruses that make us sick. They are just other, much smaller organisums trying to survive and reproduce/pass on their genetic materials, as we as humans seek to survive and pass on our genetic materials. Our sicknesses come from how our survival interacts with their survival. Some organisums ,in thriving, accidentally help us thrive (some gut bacteria for example) others such as some viruses have become part of our own DNA over very long periods of time The vast majority are detrimental/dangerous to our health and the health of the animals and plants we depend on. Luckily our immune systems deal with the majority,but not everyone has a good immune system.
Thank-you very much for this information! I'm hoping when I show this vid to my bff he will acknowledge that dust mites might be the issue of his runny, burning eyes and the tickle he gets in his throat. 😆✌😎🤘
As far as I know they are simply taking care of leftovers. A lot of dust comes from our dead skin cells. The mites in my pillow take care of the sweat. They are thirsty when I'm on vacation. Living with mites (everybody does) can be peaceful and affectionate . ♡
Just to be pedantic: "micrometers" is pronounced with a stress on "micro", as in MICroMETers. This is how to pronounce the unit of measurement. To put the stress on the second syllable, as in miCROMeters pronounces the device making the measurement.
I love it , too . . . With no allergies I live together with approx 400 000 mites. I washed my pillows a couple of days ago and feel like a mass murderer ... 😔
I still believe that most of the people who are freaking out because of small critters and poop forget that they probably shook many hands that were used to scratch nasty places just minutes before... this info might help or disturb you even further. Ignorance really is bliss... if you think about stuff like this too hard, you'l get paranoid and probably just make life harder.
I wonder if different species' poop have different allergens? There's definitely mites in my apartment, but I'm much, much sneezier at my work place. 🤔
I suffered with dust mite allergies all through childhood. I was "that kid" that seemed to always sniffle at school, and doctors never helped besides giving me pills with side effects. It was not until I heard of dust mites as an adult that I tried out a simple allergen mattress cover. 90% of my problems with mites are gone.
Cool story bro
how does that allergen mattress cover feel? doesn't it negate the wonderful quality of your mattress?
@@dezignateddriva I have the mattress, the allergen cover, then a normal bed cover. I don't really notice a difference considering I have a normal bed cover on top.
@@LeninLime saaaaaaammmeee, forever sniffly
I read that temperatures above 21 degrees celsius, dry out and kill the mides, so every now and then i turn up the heat for a few days, in winter time. And also i wash everything at 60 degrees celsius, to instantly kill the small buggers.
Hank, I wouldn’t have wanted any other voice to calmly reassure my terror of the invisible microcosmos. I’m lying on someone else’s couch, on their pillow, & ready to enter a dream that may turn nightmarish. I can’t wait to learn something new about something else that James has found lol … so I can sleep soundly next time 😊 Love your team’s work, & accept the inevitable nightmares. 💜
The irony of using a 💜 emoji... I mean, typically courageous people get those...
@@cerberaodollam I wasn’t aware of the pre-conceived notion that a purple heart had a specific meaning (outside of military). I think it’s a great color, & it was just the color that I was feeling in the moment.. no more than a heartfelt heart for this wonderful channel & it’s makers
@@MrMotchel 💜=best heart
when the "lengthy mating process" was mentioned, i was fully prepared to hear something about how dust mite sperm also causes allergic reactions. i was very relieved as to the reality, albeit a tiny bit disappointed that they don't share that attribute with plants haha.
Don't worry it's not just poop.
Oh good.
There's also a lengthy mating process involved.
Oh NO.
Glad to know mine was not the only mind that went there hahaha
My exact thought lol
1/50th of a life span isn't the longest mating process in the animal kingdom, but that would be like us taking a whole year to do it.
So glad it wasn't just me 🤭
You should do eyelash-mites (demodex) next. People will suddenly consider dust mites a pleasure. ;)
I second this request
Why would you reveal this truth to me? I'd much rather live a lie 😭 That's why my eyes get itchy? 😭😭😭
@@SavingPrivateBob :D Sorry about that! ;)
@@SavingPrivateBob today would have been the perfect day to be sightless as I wouldn't have had to read this disturbing comment 😆
@@SavingPrivateBob I actually don't think they cause many issues for people. They *can* cause irritation but almost every human has them and very few are effected by them. I for one am comforted by the presence of weird little tardigrade-worm shaped arachnids just sort of chilling on the base of my lashes. People always talk about animal companionship, and yet never think of the companionship of the colony of animals that has been around your eyes your whole life
I knew that people who were allergic to cockroaches were usually allergic to their poop specifically, so I guess it's not surprising it's the same with dust mites. Still, disgusting. Thanks Microcosmos team!
Sometimes, when it's the poop, it can be the enzymes in it, as they can appear similar to enzymes used by parasites (can think, enzymes that break down dead skin for protein could be similar to enzymes used by parasites to break down the body's defences, to attach to the inside of the gut etc, so it makes sense that the body should react to these and try expel them) and sometimes it can be what's next in the food chain - when a mould colonises the poop and uses it as its own food source. When the moisture runs out, spores can be put into packages that become very tight, exploding when coming into contact with moisture, ejecting the spores, as the process of getting through a dry season... or, of course, from our body's moisture, should we end up breathing in these packages... plus many many more!
Also they're allergic to coffee. Let that sink in.
I can’t believe we’re inhaling poop. 🙈
@@CatsInHats-S.CrouchingTiger Is insect poop really worse than pollen? Pollen is essentially the plant version of semen
I have a desk-top microscope and I wanted something small I can take on hikes, so I got a couple of Carson brand pocket microscopes and discovered dust mites for the first time. There are things living in your house that you really don't want to see.
You have fulfilled your wish to see the microcosmos around you, but at what cost? Your sanity? 😂
Arachnid poop, arachnid poop
Fills your sinuses full of goop
Even if you tell them "no"
They "go" whenever they have to "go"
Achoo! That was arachnid poop!
Although it might not feel right
Your bed is full of turds from a mite
And when you go to bed at night
They puff into the air and cover you in your sleep.
😁😸👍🏼!
This doesn't have neeeearly as many likes at it deserves!
Hey! UA-cam! Come on and like this comment.
Well played, my dude!
Brb, getting a UV bulb for my bedroom to use when I'm out!
Free solarium
don't let it run to long! it produces nasty ozone that smell very unpleasant!
Beware! Some things react to UV, albeit slowly (Like how old computers turned from white to yellow over years). UV can also bleach posters and some fabrics.
Be careful, and don't run it too long.
Also , vacuuming and sprays will do a lot too.
And a dehumidifier, and an air cleaner
@@pancake_crab4457 ...sprays?
Perfect, I needed something good to wake up to today. Mite poop does the trick 😂
Oh my lord what time zone do you live in its 7PM here lol
@@CrossKarma2 I'm in New Zealand, and to be fair it was noon when I woke up... I blame it on dowckdown ruining my sense of time.
Nomnomnom
I'm a largely physics and chemistry oriented high school student, but this channel is so interesting that I've opened up.
I studied mechatronics and this for me is captivating also
wow thanks! i don't clean enough and everything is dusty but now i know i don't have to because i can't stop them anyways!
I'd love it if these subjects had a 3d representation I could see. It's one thing to see the mite through a microscope over top. As it blurs and unblurs and sees through it's shell. it's another to see it's imposing figure through what I think is an electron Microscope or a view as if it were right next to you at Ant-Man size.
This video is making me itch... now here come the sneezes!
I thought that was crabs?
"I dunno, Doc... Think it's an allergy?"
"Mite be."
I can’t even be mad
lol
Omg I can’t 😁🤣
Mite not
Now you see me, now you mite
The ambient music really adds so much to this one.
can we talk about the sounds and ambience in these videos? they add so much mystery to them
I just bought the microscope from their online page and I can't wait to explore and see these guys and more for myself soon!!!
This is one Journey to the Microcosmos video I DIDN'T need. Thanks you!
Dust mites are absolutely annoying 😡, my body hates them (allergies and I've got a skin condition: eczema) which is super annoying when I start sneezing and some times get itch (irritated skin).
Damn. I was just going to watch Microcosmos to fall sleep, and they released a new video 1 minute ago lol 💤💤
Sorry that this episode may not be the most comforting one to watch before bed
@@journeytomicro it’s 1:40am here and all I’m thinking is how many of them am I eating, breathing or are crawling around my eyes right now. You did not touch on that point and I am disgusted to think it was maybe for our own good. Anyway good one I suppose xD
🤧 Ugh, dust allergies in the humid midwestern summer, and then cold runny nose in the chilly dry winter.
Hank, you’ve brought microscopy to the masses. Just as I was thinking of getting into it. Thank you so much!
I had a fish room and one day found that a can of fish food was full of these. I kept it for years. I used a paintbrush to collect them around the sides, lid, and feed them to the tiniest of baby fish.
Mite farmer
They wander in their quest for three things: water, food and darkness.
Sounds like me...
Ha ha, I thought I recognized the narrator. You get around, Hank!
🤦♀️ so I'm keeping them alive with the humidifier, so I wont dry out.😆 gloriously ironic.
I live in Denver and I used to run 3 humidifiers because my nose bleeds, from the dryness, all winter…the only problem is that my my Allergist has told me that the humidifiers are causing my dust mite allergy to flare and I need to stop using them. Bloody nose or runny nose. Now there’s a choice. 😂
I don't know what bothers me more - the dust mite fecal matter or the ozone my UV lights pump out. They're both equally irritating to me. I'm in hell.
Are you using the lights especially for the poop ?
"Sneezing is not normal." 🙃
I never sneeze.
His voice is PERFECT for these videos. 10/10 👌🏽👏🏽
This video made me itchy!
You should of saved this episode for Halloween ☠️
If I got this right, it's time I burn down my house?!
they make me itchy, when once in a few years conditions are right and their numbers explode. DE and some other usual prescribed remedies do little if any. Either a pyrethroid or regular bug spray applied thoroughly to bare mattress and allowed to air several hours before use works. They're almost invisible to naked eye. I freaked when i first saw them with a botanical loupe (20X)
So when do we get an episode on Desmodex? I guess you'll have to figure out how to fit someone's face under the objective.
I guess I should say "thank you" for this interesting episode, but I think I should invest in at least one ultraviolet bulb!
me looking at my fan and noticing tiny bits of dust I missed while cleaning it........ tiny bug poo being sprayed at me through the wind the fan creates........no wonder i go through so many tissues aaaaaah
ill brb, i need to clean the house..
Just be glad you only sneeze or get watery eyes. I have contact dermatitis so bad that within seconds it feels like the mites are biting me. I know they don't have the mouthparts to bite and are probably not even present in the dust, but my swelling itchy skin tells my brain that I'm being eaten alive by invisible critters. I had a horsehair plaster in a 300-year-old house collapse on me and it was so bad I was put on cyclosporine
idk personally i’m more freaked out by the exoskeletons than the poop
For those who hate the dust mite their is a another bug that will prey on the dust mite and it's called the pseudoscorpion.
a fantastic reminder to wash my damn sheets
This was the perfect video to watch just before I go to bed...
10:51 “It’s the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs!"
Not so afraid of the dust mite, But What The Frick is with All the CLEAR WORMS I SEE IN THESE SCENES?!?! AHHHHHHHHH
This is forbidden knowledge I wish I can unlearn.
Which microscope do we need to see the tiny bugs like that in our house?! And are plastic slides required?
I use the Carson brand Pocket microscopes, 60X or better. Very easy to use and plenty of power, no slides needed. I found two dust mites living on the cloth case I keep my reading glasses in. :-O
Dear James,
Exactly how much time does it take under a UV light to, ya know, pasteurize the mites?
Pasteurise! Lol
Depends on the light source wavelength and intensity of exposure. But according to this paper DOI:10.1016/S2221-1691(12)60209-3 a 60 minute exposure at 10 cm distance from a 30 watt UV-C lamp resulted in a 100% mortality rate.
@@gendragongfly 100 % ?
that is horrible . . . .
@@gendragongfly 100% ?
That's great!
there are 2 types of people
What's the tiny blue 'flash' that appears a few times on the second left leg of the mite at 8:30?
This happens at ~ 4:16 as well.
What is those blue flashes that can be seen at 8:35 when the mite is walking? Static electricity? Didn't expect to see mites generating light.
I stopped the video 6 minutes in and started perfusively cleaning my house.
I wonder if diatomaceous earth would be effective against dust mites - that would be fun to see under a microscope
Literally the bane of my adolescence, they grew up in the shag rug, were raised by it.
Finally meeting face to face with the namesake of that car from ReVolt
This, this is why the immune system is a thing we have.
Breakfast time. What shall I watch while I'm eating my toast?
I don't know what I was thinking. This is on me, frankly
So these are the little devils that I've been allergic to my whole life. They're kinda cute. Lol.
You guys have to do a video on Demodex Folliculorum. Little face mites that just about every one have..
I remember seeing one once. I was laying in bed on my phone, and I made out some very, very small movement. I lost him at some point, didn't get to take macro lense pictures.
I'm honored these creatures let me share their house :)
As always *ahCHOO* interesting!
Allergy with dust mite is the biggest misery of my life sometimes when I have to deal with dust.
I notice that none of the mites in this video are identified to species, genus, family, or even order level. That's not surprising. James and most microbiologists don't study mites, and despite how harmful ticks and many parasitic or detritovorous mites can be (and how helpful many predatory mites can be), very few people choose to become acarologists (tick and mite scholars) who could identify mites in images and videos.
wait, did i click this in my recommendations five seconds after it was posted?
Please please please get zefrank to narrate an episode of Journey into the microcosmos
Every time I see this video in my recommended it makes me sneeze, not even joking.
Showed me the new episode a week later. Amazing >.
A video without appealing to nonsense long ages! Good job guys!(even though it was about poop)
I feel like people who are concerned about the safety of your master of microscopes VASTLY underestimate the powers of the microcosmos surrounding them--everywhere, every day.
This channel must be a nightmare for germaphobes.
For sure, but our world is not a sterile one. Plus, sterility is extremely hard to maintain, and generally unnecessary to achieve.
@@TheRmbomo May even be unhealthy to a point, as it is possible that allergies can result from too sterile environments
@@xWood4000 "May even be unhealthy to a point, as it is possible that allergies can result from too sterile environments" Yet still the human takes the right to fight a virus? Isn't that kinda contradicting... i thought there was a point to the things that make us sick and so on.
@@chrisakaschulbus4903 no scientist ever said that there was a point in the microorganisms/ viruses that make us sick.
They are just other, much smaller organisums trying to survive and reproduce/pass on their genetic materials, as we as humans seek to survive and pass on our genetic materials.
Our sicknesses come from how our survival interacts with their survival.
Some organisums ,in thriving, accidentally help us thrive (some gut bacteria for example) others such as some viruses have become part of our own DNA over very long periods of time
The vast majority are detrimental/dangerous to our health and the health of the animals and plants we depend on.
Luckily our immune systems deal with the majority,but not everyone has a good immune system.
I got this bad of this I shaved all my hair off my body top to toe and I'm a bloke 😂
SO SHWEEEETTT...much love Tee with LIONS NAMED LEO.[the music worldwide}
sooooo coo...GREAT VIDEO..!!!
As someone who loves to watch these before bed, I am both horrified and so upset over this information. Yay, knowledge! Sweet dreams! 🥴
Thank-you very much for this information! I'm hoping when I show this vid to my bff he will acknowledge that dust mites might be the issue of his runny, burning eyes and the tickle he gets in his throat. 😆✌😎🤘
Ah, so this is why my nose kills me every time I put my face on my couch. Good to know.
Hah hah, jokes on you, my nose is clogged all year every year
So, is our relationship with the mites in our hair parasitic or mutualistic? Or both?
As far as I know they are simply
taking care of leftovers.
A lot of dust comes from our dead
skin cells.
The mites in my pillow take care of
the sweat.
They are thirsty when I'm on
vacation.
Living with mites (everybody
does) can be peaceful
and affectionate . ♡
Both I guess??!
Just to be pedantic: "micrometers" is pronounced with a stress on "micro", as in MICroMETers. This is how to pronounce the unit of measurement. To put the stress on the second syllable, as in miCROMeters pronounces the device making the measurement.
But there is also not enough attention around for everyone to have a sucessfull podcast, no matter how brilliant it is...
we were having a good day... we were all having a good day...
Ignorance sometimes is really bliss
Yep I suffer from dust mites too!
My skin is crawling at the moment watching this.
I have never been more tempted to put radioactive materials around my dwelling to sterilize the place... I mean I'm not going to, but still
This is beautiful.
I love it , too . . .
With no allergies I live
together with approx 400 000
mites. I washed my pillows a couple
of days ago and feel like a mass murderer ...
😔
I suffer a condition where my facial skin flakes off all the time. My house must be a mite's all-you-can-eat buffet!
This channel made me buy a UV toothbrush sanitizer
1 million dollar idea!!! Vacuum cleaner with a UV light integrated!
I still believe that most of the people who are freaking out because of small critters and poop forget that they probably shook many hands that were used to scratch nasty places just minutes before... this info might help or disturb you even further.
Ignorance really is bliss... if you think about stuff like this too hard, you'l get paranoid and probably just make life harder.
I thought you were going to tell me about my mother-in-law.
I don't make up my bed. I unmake it. I pull back the covers so the mattress is exposed to the light and dry air.
Scary. Wonder if you will get to see how dangerous they really can be.
And now I feel like I need to sneeze.
Cool stuff. a little drippy at the end but great science regardless.
I really could have gone my whole life without knowing this.
Ah yes, seems it's time for me to feel concerned about my mattress again.
Oh 😮
Thank you Hank. I didn't know about dust mite poop. 😨
I shall vacuum the air.
Think I'll unwind now with Alien.
could explain how my allergies are so awful when i visit family in the south
I wonder if different species' poop have different allergens? There's definitely mites in my apartment, but I'm much, much sneezier at my work place. 🤔
Wow i want to see this also to my microscopy
OK. I'm burning all my carpets and putting down marble tiles. Thanks ◇_◇