Pune gets bugged

Homes have been attacked by house dust mites, which feed on dead skin and itch like crazy

It's an eight-legged monster that's been annoying Puneites for over a year. But in the last few months, house dust mites have taken over Pune homes. The mites, which feed on dead skin, leave the person with a red blotch and an itch that needs a few hours of scratching. And what's worse is that these mites, which are generally found in beds, are not visible to the naked eye.

Over a year and a half ago, none of these mites scientifically called Dermato- phagoides peteronissinus were found in the city. But changing temperatures, global warming and a changing modern lifestyle have brought these insects to the city. Darius Nariman, a pest control expert, said, "Earlier, we would get maybe one call a day for house mites, but now we get at least three calls in a day."

Amol Kulkarni, who works for a pest control company in Pimpri, also said that the workload has increased three-fold in recent times. "Warm and humid weather is one of the main reasons for the increase in number of these house insects," he said.u00a0



'We were bitten'
Gajanan Sane from Manikbaug used to believe that the insects that had been biting him were bed bugs. "I woke up in the middle of the night last week itching all over. Our pest control men told us they weren't bed bugs, but house dust mites." While bed bugs are easily visible, they also suck blood, which the mites don't.

Sunil Kamble, a resident of Kothrud, is also sick of the insect attack in his fourth floor house. "We have cockroaches, bed bugs and now these dust mites. We keep our home clean and wash the floor once in a day, but we still have to call the pest control frequently," said Kamble.