I think densities of mites in soil are typically in the range 10^3 to 10^5 per square meter. For example, see the Brady (1974) and Curl and Truelove (1986) numbers here.
In 2016, I used my microscope camera to look for dust mites around my own house during the summer, and I mainly only found them in areas with lots of accumulated skin flakes. Even in the flake patches, they didn’t seem dramatically more densely concentrated than the mites I filmed in the soil outside my house. Of course, this is just one data point. (Also, maybe I could only see the biggest ones? But that would apply to both indoor and outdoor mites.)
I think densities of mites in soil are typically in the range 10^3 to 10^5 per square meter. For example, see the Brady (1974) and Curl and Truelove (1986) numbers here.
Table S4 of Rosenberg et al. (2023) has data on the density of soil mites (acari), springtails (collembola), ants (formicidae), termites (isoptera), and other arthropods. Here is a sheet with the numbers.
I think densities of mites in soil are typically in the range 10^3 to 10^5 per square meter. For example, see the Brady (1974) and Curl and Truelove (1986) numbers here.
In 2016, I used my microscope camera to look for dust mites around my own house during the summer, and I mainly only found them in areas with lots of accumulated skin flakes. Even in the flake patches, they didn’t seem dramatically more densely concentrated than the mites I filmed in the soil outside my house. Of course, this is just one data point. (Also, maybe I could only see the biggest ones? But that would apply to both indoor and outdoor mites.)
Hi Brian.
Table S4 of Rosenberg et al. (2023) has data on the density of soil mites (acari), springtails (collembola), ants (formicidae), termites (isoptera), and other arthropods. Here is a sheet with the numbers.