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Abstract
House dust mites (HDMs) and storage mites are serious indoor pests because they produce allergens that cause issues with allergy and asthma in humans. In order to study these animals they must be extracted from the urban landscape. Two methods of extraction were tested using D. pteronyssinus. The heat escape and flotation techniques were examined using samples of known numbers of mites directly from cultures, in dust, and kapok. Extraction efficiency was overall low, but the flotation method provided better efficiency than heat escape. An introductory identification guide and key was created using images from light, confocal, and SEM microscopy to illustrate common species of HDMs and storage mites.