The flour mite, ''Acarus siro'', a pest of stored

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...

s and animal feedstuffs, is one of many species of grain and flour mites. An older name for the species is ''Tyroglyphus farinae''. The flour mite, which is pale greyish white in colour with pink legs, is the most common species of

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

in foodstuffs. The males are from long and the female is from long. The flour mites are found in grain and may become exceedingly abundant in poorly stored material. The female produces large clutches of eggs and the

life cycle Life cycle, life-cycle, or lifecycle may refer to: Science and academia *Biological life cycle, the sequence of life stages that an organism undergoes from birth to reproduction ending with the production of the offspring *Life-cycle hypothesis, ...

takes just over two weeks. The cast skins and dead bodies can form a fluffy brown material that accumulates under sacks on the warehouse floor. After a while, predatory mites tend to move in, and these keep the flour mites under control. Flour mites that contaminate grains, flour and animal feedstuffs, create

allergen An allergen is a type of antigen that produces an abnormally vigorous immune response in which the immune system fights off a perceived threat that would otherwise be harmless to the body. Such reactions are called allergies. In technical terms ...

s in the dust produced, and also transfer

pathogen In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...

ic microorganisms. Foodstuffs acquire a sickly sweet smell and an unpalatable taste. When fed infested feeds, animals show reduced feed intake, diarrhea, inflammation of the small intestine, and impaired growth. Pigs have their live-weight gain, feed-to-gain ratio, and nitrogen retention markedly reduced by infested feeds. Flour mites are intentionally inoculated into

Mimolette Mimolette is a cheese traditionally produced around the city of Lille, France. In France it is also known as ''Boule de Lille'' after its city of origin, or ''vieux Hollande'' because it was originally inspired by the Dutch Edam cheese. Descrip ...

cheese to improve the flavor. When used for this purpose, they may be referred to as "

cheese mite Cheese mites (for instance '' Tyrophagus casei'' or other species) are mites that are used to produce such cheeses as ', Cantal and Mimolette. The action of the living mites on the surface of these cheeses contributes to the flavor and gives them ...

s". The mites sometimes bite humans, which can cause an allergic reaction known as

Baker's itch Baker's itch is a cutaneous reaction caused by bites of ''Acarus siro'', the flour mite. See also * List of mites associated with cutaneous reactions * List of cutaneous conditions Many skin conditions affect the human integumentary system� ...

References

External links

Wikihow
How to Get Rid of and Prevent Flour Mites (domestic infestations) {{Authority control Acaridae Agricultural pest mites Animals described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus