2 A carology 



ucts because they produce an irritating itch. During periods of over- 

 crowding such as occurred in England during World War II the hu- 

 man-itch mite becomes prevalent and causes much suffering. While the 

 activities of a few species are well known, people acquainted with their 

 ravages can rarely recognize the mites if they see them. 



The small size of mites is responsible for the lack of information 



Figure 1 Mites removed from a small sample of litter and soil collected behind 

 the Biology building at Duke University. This collection is representative of the 

 acarid fauna found in humus. (Photo by Haliburton) 



