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Sticker of Eyelash mite
Bug card No. 0495 of 1,500

Eyelash mite

Demodex folliculorum
Eats: It lives off other animalsScorpions, ticks and friendsHouses and farms8 legsNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The eyelash mite is a tiny, worm-shaped mite that lives in the little holes where hairs grow on people's faces. It is far too small to see without a microscope. Almost every grown-up has some, and they do not even notice.

Fun fact: this one is not an insect. It is an arachnid with eight legs, a cousin of the spiders.
Lives in
Everywhere people live, on human faces, especially cheeks, nose, forehead and eyelids
Length
0.3 to 0.4 mm (0.01 to 0.02 in)
Top speed
about 0.01 km/h (0.01 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Usually harmless. Most people have them and never notice. Only when there are very many can they make eyelids or skin sore, and then a doctor can help.
What does it eat?
It lives only on human skin and feeds on the natural oil that our skin makes.
For real!Photo of Eyelash mite
Picture by PSM_V14_D529_Demodex_folliculorum.jpg : Unknown author Unknown author derivative work: Totodu74. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Eyelash mite about 0.4 mm long (0.02 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)
15 of them in a row are as long as one grain of riceneeds 6 minutes to cross a dinner table

How big is Eyelash mite compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It sits head down in a hair hole, often with its back end sticking out.

2

It walks about 1 or 2 centimetres an hour, mostly at night while you sleep.

3

Newborn babies do not have any. They get them soon after birth, probably from their mum.

4

Its babies have only six legs, and the grown-ups have eight.

5

A grown-up mite lives only four to six days.

you asked

Most asked questions about Eyelash mite

?Does everyone have eyelash mites?

Almost all older people do. Young children usually have very few.

?Are eyelash mites harmful?

Usually not. Only when there are a lot of them can they cause sore eyelids or skin problems.

?Can you see eyelash mites?

No. They are only 0.3 to 0.4 millimetres long, so you need a microscope.

Myth buster

Myth: Eyelash mites have no bottom, so they cannot poo.

Truth: People thought so for a long time, but a study in 2022 showed that they do have one.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Demodex folliculorum
Named by
Simon, 1842
Group
Scorpions, ticks and friends
Family
Demodecidae
Classification
Arachnida > Trombidiformes > Demodecidae
Lives on
Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and Oceania

Where the facts come from

  1. Demodex folliculorum (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by PSM_V14_D529_Demodex_folliculorum.jpg : Unknown author Unknown author derivative work: Totodu74. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.

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