Dust Mites
Dust mites (Dermatophagoides farinae) are often called spider mites. These very small arachnids are off white in color, shaped like a globe and can have an average life span of a month and known to live up to 3 months!
Because dust mites are so small the human eye alone can not detect them; To see a dust mites, you’ll need a basic microscope. Females dust mites are larger than their male counterpart and can lay anywhere from 1 to three eggs per day.
* According to controversial article by William F. Lyon written for the Extension Service at Ohio State University, a typical used mattress may have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million mites inside!
It goes on to state that 10% of the weight in a pillow that is two years old can be composed of dead mites and their waste. One more disturbing finding was that when you open your shades and see that beam of light with a ton of floating objects, eighty percent of it are flakes from your skin!
In as little as a month, a dust mite can reach adulthood and thrive best in damp material, such as towels, clothes or a mattress.
Dust mites love dead skin and some of the best repositories of dead skin are bed covers, blankets, anything made of cloth, dust and more.
Higher then normal humidity levels can also contribute to dust mites.
Dust mites are commonly thought of as causing dermatitis, asthma and rhinitis. Small children are also said to run the risk of asthma if exposed to the feces of dust mites. For example, if you sleep on a mattress containing a large amount of dust mites, you’ll notice red itchy bumps. These bumps are a result of your skin reacting to the allergen of the dust mite.
Controlling Dust Mites
Dust mites can cause a variety of health problems and while there is no way to completely eliminate the dust mites, controlling them can reduce a person’s risk of suffering from the health problems associated with an infestation of dust mites. This article is an overview of measures you can take to control the dust mite population in your home.
While you sleep, dust mites are hiding in your bedding. There are several things that can be done to reduce the dust mites in your bedding. The simplest solution is to wash bedding such as bedcovers, blankets and sheets once per week in hot water.
For pillows, it is recommended that you replace feather and down pillows with ones that are have synthetic materials as a filling. Alternatively, you can your regular pillow covers with dust-proof zippered ones.
Dust Mite
As stated before, washing blankets and other bedding once a week will help control dust mites in your bed. Also, replace wool blankets with cotton or nylon.
One the more cost effective ways to control dust mites is to damp dust the plastic mattress cover on your bed. Alternative ways to prevent a dust mite infestation is to buy dust-proof zipped mattress covers. Research also shows that covering your mattress with fitted-sheets helps slow the accumulation of skin scales; this is a low-cost alternative to dust-proof mattress covers.
Carpeting is another breeding ground for dust mites, but there is help. Vacuuming carpeting areas regularly helps control dust mite populations. It is also recommended that a vacuum equipped with a HEPA filter when vacuuming the carpet, because the filter will trap allergens. Replacing carpeting with vinyl flooring
Dust mites thrive in high humidity conditions, but this can be controlled through de-humidifiers and air conditioners. To remove dust mite allergen from the air, researchers suggest an air filtration system, but especially ones that use a HEPA filter.
Detecting Dust Mites
Dust mites could be a source of allergens in your home, and detecting dust mites is the first step to controlling them. There are several dust mite detection kits commercial available. We focus on commonly used detection methods for dust mites.
Several of the dust mite detection kits measure the presence of dust mite allergens inside of samples collected from the entire home. The combined collected samples, with indicator chemical agents, tell the user about the infestation levels in the home.
A person may also detect the presence of dust mites by putting a small amount of dust on the surface of water then examining it under 20 times magnification with a microscope. The reason a microscope is needed is because dust mites are too small to be seen with the naked eye.
Using this method requires sufficient technical knowledge and microscope with the required magnification.
Written by Jim on June 19th, 2006 with
58 comments.
Read more articles on Spider Bites.
- [+] Digg: Feature this article
- [+] Del.icio.us: Bookmark this article
- [+] Furl: Bookmark this article
Do Dust Mites Bite?
Hi Jay,
These Dust mites are tiny microscopic relatives of the spider and feed on the flakes of skin that people shed daily and love a nice warm and humid environment.
Dust Mites are said to bite, but in most cases they are referring to the common house mite which eats skin – dead skin that is! There are many types of mites, but the dust mite is what we are covering here.
Most everyone that has been diagnosed as being allergic to dust (house dust) is really allergic to the feces produced by the Dust Mite. Although the house mite may catch a ride on clothing, they do not live on people.
Hope that helps!
These dust mites are itchy and form red bumps, please help make them stop.
I’ve read that dustmites are ~300 um in width and a human hair is ~60 um in width, so why can’t you see dust mites with the naked eye? Also a history of dust mite discovery would be a nice feature to add.
RL
i am thinking of breeding dust mites in my mite-farm, here in alberta. would anyone be interested in contributing unwanted mites? i shall pay a hefty compensation.
Yes. I share Ray Lopez’s question about the dust mite. If these creatures are 0.0003 meter in length then I should be able to see them with my naked eye in the right circumstances. That size is four times the width of a human hair. It is about the size of one printer’s point (1/72 inch), the size of a period in 8 point text.
But I can’t seem to see the dust mite. What am I missing?
Perhaps you should consider the fact, that human hair is long, so can be seen perfectly well. Try to cut from hair long enough piece to match its thickness… thats right folks, not so easy to see now, is it? And also, as they are mostly white in colouring, they are not that easy to spot amongst all the dust that lies around your house or whatever. If you put them on plain dark paper, you just might be able to see them. But dont expect them to wave at you, or move like faster and bigger spiders. They just are like your normal dust on the black paper.
I had an exterminator for what we beleive is dust mites in the lower level . Yesterday I had to call them back because the problem still exists…..What should I be looking for in terms of what the exterminator uses for this…..He sprayed , I realy don’t know what he uses. My roomate is getting bites……HELP
It’s really hard to avoid them completely. And some of us seem to be more affected by dust mite bites than others.
Apparently, in Japan, they have different names for 2 common dust mites, and they identify the types by the bites made. One type makes a single bite and wound, and the other type’s bites come in pairs, next to or very close to each other.
Anyway, I used to react quite badly to the bites, with terrible itching and clear fluid oozing out of the wounds for days. I have since discovered that when I’ve taken large doses of Vitamin C, about 1000mg, the itching stops and the wounds start healing up. Also, I don’t get any more bites as long as I maintain at least 500mg or more of Vit C daily.
Another remedy I’ve found effective is to take large doses of garlic oil. Whenever I get a fever or am down with influenza, I will take 2 x 20,000 unit garlic oil capsules every 4 hours. That not only helps clear up the illness but also seems to fend off dust mites and considerably lessens the severe itching of their bites. Since these capsules are so strong, if I’m not ill, I will just take one in the morning and one at bedtime if I feel I need them.
I am having problems with my itching. I decided to check read about mites. It looks very much like I might have them. I am going to a Dermontologist May 14 so he can help me. Thanks for the information I received from the questions and answers. Peggy
Hi, I get something like eczema spots on my body but they are smaller and pink, can it be from dust mites???
Me and my family have been getting bites for a month now I don’t see anything that flies I’ve washed all clothes and beddings I don’t know where do we get our bites. I inspected our matresses during night time I don’t see any trace of bed bugs We see our bites in the morning. I have fumigated our house twice already and have thought that it could be dust mites, please advice on what is the best thing to do. Thank You!
I have a similar problem to Bernie’s…
I have been spending my nights scratching and itching (especially on my arms and tops of my feet) and waking up with what look likes mosquitoe bites. I’ve spent countless nights flicking on the lights to try and find the little criters and have found nothing! Unless i scratch them, the bites disapear quickly (within 2 days). I worked in a hostel for a very long time and am convinced that these aren’t bedbugs, so what are they? Please help, i want to sleep!
hellllllllllllllp. ok ok so i woke up 2 days ago with an itch on my hand, now 2 days later there are these bubbles on my hands and i dont know how to get rid of it. the spot i was bitten is rock hard and red and itches, this is so not cool
I have red itchi bumps on my hand, body, leg, neck and some on my face. Is that dust mites?
The red itchi bumps are in different sizes. some are small n some r big…
It’s been around a week..
It started with 1 than spread to 2, 3 n more…
pls help.. is itchi..:s
i have been bitten and not sure what is is….my leg has a bigggg bump that is hot top the touch and very tender its opnly in one spot…could that be mites or a spider….
I first noticed the itchyness whenever i lay in bed about 3 years ago. i have tried washing my sheets every week, tore up my carpet (hard wood now), vacuum my mattress, chairs, curtains regularly, it improves but then the dust mites always comes back.. anybody who’s succeedingly gotten rid of them for good.. please tell me how….
I have the red bumps and get the red itchy scales only on my face. I have put the mattress and pillow casings on my pillows, but not on my husbands. Do dust mites jump or move? I washed the sheets and was okay for about a week. Now the red bumps are back! Help!
I have red little bumps on my arms and legs, with tiny white heads that almost look like pimples. You can pop them and then i have red marks all over my body. I am very clean and shower atleast 2 times a day. Every morning i wake up with new ones. Could these be bites from dust mites?
For all of you with itchy red spots and itching at night you may find that you have bed bugs! Take a look at Bed Bugs for more information
I have same as Dana ,shower twice daily but each morning seem to have new bites espesially on my body. Red bumps with little yellow heads. Are these dust mites? HELP
i am the same as jan! but its weird, because they are ALL on my right hand. strange, no?? Im not sure what it is, but i am thinking some sort of spider bite
Hey I have bites only on my left leg! Go figure! And I am the only one in the family getting them! I seem to get bitten when on my living room couch, which is odd. And my son will lay or sit on the couch and not get bitten. But in the evenings when I relax on the couch, I will get bitten! And only my left thigh area! And they are very itchy, and from what I have read seem like dust mite bites.
My skin appears to be allergic to them, so this is very uncomfortable. I know with sheets or something you can just throw them in a hot wash, but what about couch cushions? Does anyone know of any treatment for that? I have tried vacuuming, but I cannot see the dust mites of course. No help. Please help if you can!
I have those same very tiny whitehead pimple-like bumps all over my body too.. started almost 2 weeks ago. They can get quite itchy. I can scratch them until they bleed/burst open and they can still be itchy. I can also squeeze them like I would whitehead pimples, but I know they are not pimples, because pimples don’t itch like this.
I must have like 30+ little bumps, perhaps from dust mites and they are not congregated in just one area too. They are on my back, my stomach, my arms, certain parts of my legs.
I haven’t tried any new soap or anything like that. If this persists, I’m going to have to see my doctor.
Oh yeah, but the thing was, over a month ago, I noticed three very painful bites/stings or something on my left outer leg. I believe that was a spider bite because I can’t think of it being anything else. When my wife touched it and rubbed the area by accident, it hurt like a bad bee sting. It hurt for like 2+ weeks straight, and then gradually the pain went away. Finally after the 3rd week or so, it started to itch somewhat.
Now, it’s essentially entirely gone. However, I sometimes wonder if that is related to these little bumps all over my body because they seem to have appeared one after another.
I live in a hot humid climet and suffer form dust mite bites a few tips that I follow which help.
-When you change your beding vacume your matterace paying perticular attention to the seams.
- Air you bed for at least 1/2 an hour before you make it and pull the fitted sheet as tight as you can. At boarding school they used to make us bounce a coin on the sheet to see if it was tight enough
- Air your matterace at least once a month and give it a good beating
- Flip your matterace at least once a month
- Fluff your pillows every day when making your bed
- Dry Clean your duvet every 2 months, I have 2 so they take it in turns
- always keep air flow in the bedroom either by a/c or a fan, dust mite breed in areas without air flow
- Vacume your lounge once a week and your car as they travel with you on your cloths
- Ladies waxing your legs works because it removes all the dry dead skin which they feed off or exfoleate every day in the shower.
- A soak in the bath also helps to soften and remove dead skin
I hope this helps you.
I was thinking it was hives at first, then I looked at pictures of hives and mine are so small and not the same as hives. When they itch so bad I make them bleed a bit and then they make a small scab and itches around it. I have like 15 of them all over my body and think these are from dust mites. My daughter was complaining about getting bit when she slept on my bed and I never was bit untill she asked me about it. Now i’m going crazy scratching. I’m going to the doctor tomorrow, its just too itchy now. It’s my second day now.
I have these red itchy bumps that i thought were mosquito bites but they aren’t.They are so close in range and it looks like i have the chicken pox, I only get them when i wake up in the morning and they itch really badly. Are these dust mites? I just moved to SC and thats when i started getting them. I need to know what to do, i had such beautiful legs, but now they are scarred by dark marks from the bites, on my stomach, and my back and my feet, my family thinks thy’re just mosquito bites and dont want me to go to the doctor, but i know i need to go, i get more everyday…what should i do???
for the past 2weeks ihave been itching like crazy an i have redbumps in my skin, at first i thought it was fleas is the cause of it, but i dont see anything. can you please help me i dont know if its dust mites or somthing…
I woke up on Saturday with a small nickle sized red mark on my forarm arm that I believe to be caused by a dust mite. There was a dot in the middle, sort of brownish…there was a small bubble on the top, and then it popped and drained. Now the next day (Suday) it is about the size of a dollar coin, maybe a bit larger, very hard, very tender, and very hot to the touch.
I don’t even have to touch it to know its hot…its a weird feeling. I have some throbbing pain in my shoulder, and my hand feels sort of weak. I have been taking benedril and put some triple antibiotic ointment on it. Is this enough? Should I go to a doctor?
I remove dustmites from their hideouts, they love to breed inside the mattresses, woollen clothing, carpets, pillows etc. by using a high end vacuum cleaner. Traditional vacuum cleaner can’t do the job, the normal choking and porous vacuum bag cause dusts to escape back and the bad odor during vacuuming is from bacteria.
Your 5 year old bed has an average of 5 to 10 million mites.
You could also kill the dustmites using steam vapour but must use one of those high end vacuum cleaners with a high rpm water filtration to suck out the deeply buried dustmites from pillows and mattresses.
hi! i just would like to know how you find out if your mattress has dust mites. Is there a home test that you can use without buying those test kits available?
I have this one place on my right leg that has not healed properly ffor three months. Now I live in a basement and I have three more on my left leg~on my ankle, on my shin and in the back of my knee! They itch profusely and drive me crazy. I just want to make it stop itching.
Please how do I get rid of these dust mites. I’ve tried smothering them with fingernail polish and used anti itch creams that don’t work and I don’t like the fact that it never heals. Also, I have a few places on my belly that don’t really itch but they don’t heal either. I’m not sure exactly what they are because I can’t see them but I sure can feel them bit me…it hurts really bad. Can anyone help? Please!
I put my pillows in the dryer on high heat for twenty minutes every time I change my sheet which is once a week and I heard that kills the dust mites. Does anyone know if that is true??
This is Hell!!! At first I thought i was getting small, red, itchy bumps from an allergic reaction to a detergent. I’ve since changed detergents 3 times to no avail.
This has persisted for about 2.5 months, and I can’t take it anymore. I’ve been researching dust mites and am so fed up that my friends and I are considering having a Bed Burning Party, which I think is a good idea, but I can’t pollute. Even if I get rid of the mites in my current bed, it will not do. That damned thing is out today. I’d rather sleep on rocks than deal with this any further.
Layman’s Advice: don’t bother seeing a dermatologist, they aren’t going to help you in this situation. They will make suggestions such as to start cutting things out of your diet, change detergents, soaps, perfumes, etc. They really won’t know what your problem is, unless they say, “Dust mites,” which they can do nothing about.
Many of you may be suffering from a follicle problem with the skin rather than dust mites. My son has always had bumpy, red skin with pimple-like postules. We went to a dermatologist in the early summer and he was able to diagnose it as soon as he saw it. I believe the name was Keratosis pilaris, not to be confused with Keratosis pilaris.
Keratosis pilaris is a condition where the hair follicle doesn’t shed properly. It can be treated to look much better with special topical antibiotics and a special lotion. The dermatologist also suggested that he wear as little clothing as possible to help the skin clear up and also to expose it to the sun regulary. His skin looks much better and he only used the cream and antibiotics for a few weeks.
I hope this helps. BTW, it is a genetic disorder passed on from one or more parents and usually affects 1/3 of the children born to them. Maybe more, maybe less.
I am a pretty woman and i was wondering why i am breaking out with red and itchy patches on my face everytime i wake up in the morning. It is uncomfortable and people are laughting at it and stuff. It is not funny and i need advice.
Are these dust mites and SHOULD i go see a doctor?????
I seem to be experiencing the same problems as everyone else. I’ve recently started to wake up in the morning with one or two small bites either on my arm or finger and then there are other red spots to go along with the bites, but the red spots do not itch. Some are small and some are larger (dime shaped). They last about 2-3 days and then are gone. My roommate isn’t experiencing anything and when I stay at my boyfriends, my skin is fine. I’ve done everything I can to clean the mattress, sheets, etc. and am still getting this. I’m also in my late 20’s–is this something that comes and goes? Do I need to let more sunlight in??
i don’t have any photos on me, i think they are all back home, but I am pretty sure I am allergic to dust mites. I broke out in intense itchy bumps for almost a year, they were very bad when I woke up in the morning. I tried everything, from buying new sheets, to vacuuming my bed everyday. It did not work, I had to stay doped up on Benadryl all the time. I then switched to Zyrtec for my itching, it is by prescription only, unfortunately, and pretty expensive too, but it was well worth it for me. Finally, ran out of Zyrtec and didn’t go back to the Dr. to get anymore, and believe it or not, there is no more itching. Well, I get the usual every once in a while itch, but no more breaking out in bumps and whelps or waking up covered in bites. I am not sure what changed the problem, but I have done nothing else different besides the Zyrtec. After a year of itching, and a 3 month regimen of a zyrtec tablet a day, it has been right at 4 months since I had my last breakout. I hope this helps others, it is worth a shot for you to try if you are as miserable as I was
It sounds like all of you who can’ t sleep and wake up with itchy bumps all over your body are actually suffering from bed bugs — NOT dust mites. They only come out at night. This is a much more serious issue and will require you to fumigate your room and/or house. New York Magazine wrote an article on bed bufs earlier this month that’s worth checking out.
The only thing I remember doing is cleaning away some dust from my walls from behind my bed and thereafter, every morning and ever since I’ve been seeing welps or bumps on my skin. They were on my behind, arm, thighs, legs and a very slight one on my face but that was in different spots. The bites are not in the same area all the time.
My wife and I sleep in the same bed and I don’t understand why she is not getting bit. I went to the dermatologist and he told me it was something from a pigeon or if I have an animal (mainly a cat) in the house it could be from that. This cat was in the house for six years and just now I’m experiencing itching. The cat is kept in the room with the door close at all times. I don’t really come in contact with the cat; however, my daughter stays in the room with the cat and she doesn’t have anything on her body.
Can you tell me whether this is dust mites or bed bugs? I thought it was bed bugs but I am ruling it out now. I still don’t understand why my wife is not getting bit and we sleep in the same bed. It’s always at night and in the middle of the night I could wake up itching and when the morning comes that is when I look at my skin. Sometimes I have to go into the living room to continue sleeping.
Can you respond so that I’ll know what it is. Thank you.
I have had dust mite bites before when I rented an apartment in 1967. They agreed and at once replaced the mattress. With an over the counter cream the bites/rash went away. This week I had to go out of state to a funeral and stayed 4 nights at the home of the deceased’s wife, the house was horrifying. I immediately started itching from my knees to the ankles. I started using bactroban and the itching has subsided greatly. However, talking to the wife was impossible. Is there anything else I can do as far as by rash and bites.
I recently rented an apartment in Naples Florida that was completely furnished. It sounded good and the price was right and at a quick fast glance everything looked ok, until I tried to live in it. I woke up one night shortly after moving in and found a thousand microscopic dust mites all over my legs bitting me feircely, they are very hard to get rid of they ruined all my clothes and personal possessions in the apartment and my car, I had to move immediately, my body is permantely scared for life because this apartment sat empty for too long they were mature and had to be dug and scratched out of my skin, they burrow in.
I live in Florida, A suppossedly reputible property management company managed this apt. They denied the bugs had me followed to make sure I didn’t go to the hospital without someone telling them I was imaganing things and my car was totalled in a strange accident the night before I was going to discuss this with management. Everyone was told that the bugs I showed them were lint or dirt even exterminating companies. This little opps we forgot to tell you cost me $12,000 dollars and I only stayed there 2 nights and ten days out of a one year lease.
I have serious allergen reactions now and became very sick with them. I will not live in a place with carpeting down here or accept used furniture. Beware of some property management companies in Florida and carpeted bathrooms that are old, at first sight the condo looks very good.
My baby is going through some bad bed bugs or dust mites bites. He slept in his crib up until he woke up from a nap with nasty red bumps on his legs that itched he scabbed them very badly I guess from the itch. He now sleeps in bed with me and he still wakes up with these nasty, itchy red bumps.
I don’t wake up with any bites at all. Some are big and some are small. Have taken him to the doctor to only prescribe bactoban cream to take them away in like 3 days then a week later and maybe even 2 days later wakes up with new ones.
Can someone please help me with this problem? Please, please mom and baby want to sleep.
I have a ‘wool’ couch. I sleep on it all the time, and not my bed. I get bit day and night with lots of red swell bumps on all parts of my body, including my hand. Looks like blisters. They are NOT bed bugs as exterminator comes to my complex once every other month. I have a ‘wool’ blanket, and think it is harboring the dang ‘dust mites’. They really itch and they go away after a while and some welts linker for few days. Is this, ‘dust mites’? I got a vacuum cleaner that will suck HELL up if need be…will that work on my couch and floor? I been using that swivel sweeper and it don’t do any good. Help!
i suspect i have mites in the carpet. sometime i feel itchey in my legs. how can i check for this and what can i fo to get rid of them?
I have the same darn problem… I can’t see the little bugger.. well you get the point… I wash sheets and clothes… seems like no one has the answer to fully get rid of these dust mites. Ive tried spraying raid and it seems to not be working… I am going crazy the bites itch so bad. I also had a thought, this might sound funny but at this point i am willing to do anything! I was thinking about spraying “off” on myself before i go to sleep, any ideas? I would appreciate it.. A LOT
Thank you,
Brooklyn
i started getting bitten about a month ago. the bites were not only on the truck & limbs, but, along the seams of my undergarments - top & bottom. i was distraught thinking i could have body or public lice. FROM WHERE? after awhile everywhere on me seem to itch. i even wondered if i had head lice! it was just dandruff. anyway, after scatching the itch, it feels more itchy. the little scab it creates is hard. even makes matters worse as far as the itch is concerned. i bought the walmart brand lice treatment, took hot as i could stand, & washed & dried on high heat. unfortunately my hot water doesn’t stay hot for a full load, but, i boiled water the other night. i used the spray in the package to spray down my bed & sofas. i may spray the carpet, too. well, it seemed to work. just when i thought i was over the assumed lice thing, i was getting bit again. so i bought more lice treatment. all is calm again today. still itchy from the previous bites. darn them! that’s why i google searched lice & bed bugs, today & found this msg board. i think i was or am dealing w/dust mites since i can’t see them. i had a group of clothing sitting on a shower curtain under my bedroom window, due to lack of room to store them. i guess i’ll be washing the whole heap. hopefully, finally some long lasting relief. hope my little remedy helps someone. it’s worth a shot. thanks all.
Hi–sounds like a lot of these folks may have scabies. You have to get a lotion Peremethin (may be spelled wrong?) from a doctor and do a treatment. It causes red bumps that are really itchy–wrists, underarms, back of legs at the bend, arms at the bend, underwear line at the buttocks. Usually one treatment works but you have to wash all bedding, etc.
Thanks
Hi. I have woken up heaps lately with the smallest of lumps on my body, like mini mozzie bites. I live in Austria not the US. My kids have had nits twice over the summer season, only 2 out of 5 appeared to have them but we treated everyone on both occasions. First time for us to have them. I have long hair so it is a real problem for me! The other night i woke and thought i was itching from them again in my hair and on my skin. However I am now rather paranoid at this point about the nits and i am fearful i have an overactive imagination.
I have woken again tonight and come down to the computer to help me sleep again. As i sit here it feels like i have ’something’ crawling along my lower eyelid, inside of my arm even in ‘other’ spots that may be dust mites. We are used to deadly snakes, spiders and most insects here but these guys are freaking me out. I sprayed the lounge carpet tonight as when i sat down on arrival from work (leather lounge) i felt like I was jumped on by some biting things. They are definitely not fleas nor ticks.
I sprayed all the carpet and floor with baygon and tomorrow I think i will ‘bomb’ the entire house with a flea/pest type bomb, especially the bedroom One of my kids has got into my bed now so i cannot check the mattress for the ‘blood’ marks but i just feel scared to go to bed or go near it now. My head seems to be itchy too.
It appears most houses have these blighters from this website. Is this the case? We haven’t stayed in any motels anywhere for months. I put the air conditioner on in my bedroom tonight so my skin wasn’t as hot which seemed to help by around 60%. Do the bed bugs tend to crawl into your hair and stay there…..any hair?!?!
hi nell. wow, what a situation. even after using the lice treatment all over my ‘bod’, my imagination ran, with the idea that any little itch or movement, which could have been just hair, was a louse or dust mite. i never figured out which or whatever plagued just me, in my household of 6 total & german rottweiler, ta boot. and, i read that public lice can spread to other parts of the body!! i was miserable. i work in a call center. i don’t know where my misery initiated from — work or my nifty stack of clothing, on my extra shower curtain, under my window. i suggest that you use the lice treatment again, all over your ‘bod’ (long hair requires 2 little bottles, as i read on the box) & use the lice treatment spray. the treatment i used came with a gel. for the hair, which aids, in loosening the nits. when my daughter had head lice, from elementary school years ago, i was advised after shampooing, to use a vinegar/water solution, on her hair, to loosen the nits, then, sit outside, in the sun. the nits glisten, so i could see & slide off every nit. i would have a bowl, of vinegar/water, for fingernails before pulling off more. it worked. you know to wash, in hot water & use very hot dryer setting, for at least, 20 minutes. i was tempted to take my wash clothes to a laundrymat to dry since theirs are super hot, for good reason. hope this helps.