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Ecology in the home

The inside of our houses is a type of ecosystem. The warm and often moist atmosphere favours population growth of many species, from mites to rats. Dust mites, which thrive on the skin particles that we are constantly losing, build up in bedding, where their faeces can trigger allergic responses.

Other mite and insect species live in dried foodstuffs and can become very numerous. They are eaten by predators, particularly spiders and some beetles. The recent ethos of extreme cleanliness, leading to zero tolerance of pests in houses, has focused on the removal of larger species, which are often predators. As a result, some of the natural controls on the smaller species have been reduced and they have become important pests.

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