Bzzzzz! Looks like you forgot to say where you found your bug!
There's no need to make a new post - just comment adding the **geographic location** and any other info (size, what it was doing etc.) you feel could help! We don't want to know your address - state or country is enough; try to avoid abbreviations and local nicknames (*"PNW"*, *"Big Apple"*).
BTW, did you take a look at our [**Frequently Asked Bugs**](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisbug/comments/12zkw5w/frequently_asked_bugs_part_1/)?
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**Still photos** would help much more.
Reliable identification requires an expert with a microscope, but they may be mold/grain mites, a large category of mites that feed on fungi, grain and other stored food, and general household schmutz.
First try cleaning with plain old soap and water and letting everything dry well afterwards. (They thrive in humidity and need certain moisture levels to live.) In a pinch, you can wipe them off surfaces with alcohol wipes. Storing food in airtight glass/plastic containers, and limiting crumbs or sources of dampness, can help limit their spread.
They may seem gross, but they are harmless, so it's not a big deal if there's still some around. (Well, if a *huge* amount get into stored food, they can spoil it - use common sense and don't eat food that seems "off".)
Here's more information:
- https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/mold-mites
- https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef629
- https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-222/E-222.html
P.S. Fun fact: there are [some cheeses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese_mite) whose unique flavours and rinds are formed by these mites eating away at them, much like the mold in blue cheese.
Bzzzzz! Looks like you forgot to say where you found your bug! There's no need to make a new post - just comment adding the **geographic location** and any other info (size, what it was doing etc.) you feel could help! We don't want to know your address - state or country is enough; try to avoid abbreviations and local nicknames (*"PNW"*, *"Big Apple"*). BTW, did you take a look at our [**Frequently Asked Bugs**](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisbug/comments/12zkw5w/frequently_asked_bugs_part_1/)? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatsthisbug) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Cute little destroyers. Wood eating mites, I believe. Aka furniture mites.
So cute. Such destroy 😔
Do you know what their scientific name is? I was unaware there were xylophagous mites.
**Still photos** would help much more. Reliable identification requires an expert with a microscope, but they may be mold/grain mites, a large category of mites that feed on fungi, grain and other stored food, and general household schmutz. First try cleaning with plain old soap and water and letting everything dry well afterwards. (They thrive in humidity and need certain moisture levels to live.) In a pinch, you can wipe them off surfaces with alcohol wipes. Storing food in airtight glass/plastic containers, and limiting crumbs or sources of dampness, can help limit their spread. They may seem gross, but they are harmless, so it's not a big deal if there's still some around. (Well, if a *huge* amount get into stored food, they can spoil it - use common sense and don't eat food that seems "off".) Here's more information: - https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/mold-mites - https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef629 - https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-222/E-222.html P.S. Fun fact: there are [some cheeses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese_mite) whose unique flavours and rinds are formed by these mites eating away at them, much like the mold in blue cheese.
Located in NYC inside a stairwell.
This looks similar to when bird mites infested our kitchen