Dust mites live by consuming organic detritus such as flakes of shed human skin, and they flourish in the stable environment of dwellings.
Naturally, they are killed by micro predators and also by direct exposure to the sun rays. You can smell the enzyme produced by HDM most strongly in full vacuum cleaner bags.
There are ways to get rid of dust mites, which include but not limited to pulling up carpets, getting rid of pets like cats, covering mattresses and pillows, spraying soft furnishings with a chemical that knocks off the mite, and vacuuming often with a powerful machine.
However, there has been a debate whether the efforts are worthwhile. A recent trial has reported its findings of trying to do this during pregnancy and the first year of a child's life in families where there was a strong family history of atopy.
Nevertheless, only limited conclusions could be drawn because a lot of families dropped out. But children whose environment was controlled in this way had fewer wheezy attacks in the first year of life. It had no effect on eczema or other allergies. But if the family kept its pet then a lot of this benefit was lost. The benefits later in life are still uncertain.
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For Reference
Title: The Lancet
Author: Custovic A et al
URL: http://www.thelancet.com/
2001 vol 358 pp 188-193
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