Biological Studies on Mites Associated with Stored Products

The Acari includes a large and economic group of arthropods (especially those of Astigmata) which are found commonly in stored products, where they cause injury by feeding and creating, in many instances, difficult contamination problems. Mites frequently cause concern in premises where foods are stored, as well as damaging and tainting food materials and rendering them unpalatable, unpleasant in taste or smell. Such tainted foods are unacceptable or unattractive to human and livestock use, they also can cause irritation or dermatitis. Moreover, mites of stored products are known to cause various diseases to workers handling infested commodities or lead to gastric disorders in animals that eat infested Astigmatid mites associated with stored food are of great economic importance. In the past, the destructive role of mites has never been overshadowed because mites are so small that they are hard to see with the naked eye. But recently, with the developing of examination tools it is easy to discover infestations even when only a few numbers of mites are present.