A recent question asked 'what is the worlds smallest insect?'. Alot of people answered saying 'mites' were. Are there really so many people out there who think mites are insects???
(p.s. Just in case, mites are NOT insects by the way),
Why do so many people think mites ARE insects???? Do you???
2006-10-06 22:41:42 · 3 answers · asked by nnjamerson 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Probably for the same reason that people group scorpions, spiders and ticks in with insects. They're seen as creepy, crawly, crunchy things. Also, normal people may not know how many legs a mite might have, and that could also be a problem considering most people identify arachnids by the number of leg pairs.
2006-10-07 01:12:21 · answer #1 · answered by Min02 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mites, together with ticks, belong to the order Acarina (also known as Acari) and the class Arachnida. Mites are among the most diverse and successful of all the invertebrate groups. They have exploited an incredible array of habitats, and because of their small size (some are microscopic) most go totally unnoticed. Many live freely in the soil or water, but there are also a large number of species that live as parasites on plants or animals.
Some of the plant pests include the so called spider mites (family Tetranychidae), thread-footed mites (family Tarsonemidae), and the gall mites (family Eriophyidae). Among the species that attack animals are members of the Sarcoptic Mange mites (family Sarcoptidae), which burrow under the skin. Demodex mites (family Demodicoidea) are parasites that live in or near the hair follicles of mammals, including humans. Perhaps the best-known mite, though, is the house dust mite (family Pyroglyphidae).
Insects may also have parasitic mites. Examples are Varroa destructor which attaches to the body of the honeybee, and Acarapis woodi, which lives in the tracheae of honeybees. There are hundreds of species of mites associated with other bee species, and most are poorly described and understood. Some are thought to be parasites, while others beneficial symbionts.
There are over 45,000 described species of mites[1]. Scientists believe that we have only found 5% of the total diversity of mites. Mites have existed for around 400 million years.
The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.
You could get more information at the link below...
2006-10-07 03:20:15 · answer #2 · answered by catzpaw 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most likely because of dust mites and bed mites: the saying "Don't let the bed BUGS bite!"
2006-10-06 22:54:00 · answer #3 · answered by 1CAsweetheart 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋