Micro cleaners: Acarus mites

Did you know that there are micro beings that live with us in underground waters, pools and lakes, in fields and gardens, every corner of the house we live in, the very bed we sleep in, the carpet on the floor, the air we breathe, in short everywhere we live?

Do these micro beings have any benefit for human beings?

What kind of a task do these beings, which are so small that cannot be seen with the naked eye, have in the world of living beings?

There is a community of living beings between five to fifty microns (5-50 µ) in size that share every environment with us and that are included in the world we live in. These beings which are called acarus, mites, are beings that do not carry any features different than any other insect, in that have a very detailed and complex structure but despite this that can only be seen through a microscope. These beings, which resemble a spider with their legs and claws and which cover every square centimeter we live in, have many important responsibilities for other living creatures.

The Tasks and General Characteristics of the Acarus Mite

In environments where acarus mites live, there has to be house dust, fabric threads, scales of human skin, animal pieces and hairs, spores, food debris and other organic and synthetic materials because the acarus mites feed on these... This is the reason why they are so intimate with human beings. When considered from this perspective, we understand that a majority of these small creatures are responsible with cleaning the earth. These beings ensure that scales, dust, fungi spores, pollen particles and plant fibers are destroyed.

The number of acarus mites in our homes are very high. The population of acarus mites for one teaspoon (1 gr) of house dust is 1000. When we think that such a high number of acarus mites are active continuously, we begin to understand that they carry out an invisible but very detailed cleaning process around us. If the acarus mites did not exist, then the amount of micro waste would increase every single moment that passed, and the world would become an uninhabitable place.

The benefits of the acarus mites for the Earth are not limited to these. Some acarus mites bring benefit to the environment without even realizing it. For example, the acarus mite species called “pyemotes tritici” reproduce in stored crops, dried seeds and peas, haystacks, dry grass and dry feed. These beings are very beneficial for the environments they live in because they paralyze other insects that feed on stored crops and the like and eliminate them.

These qualities of the acarus mite are one of the explicit evidences that there is a superior and single Creator of all things on earth. Everything works in the way Almighty Allah sets, with His leave and according to the destiny He determines. In one verse, it is revealed as such:
 

“That is Allah, your Lord. There is no god but Him, the Creator of everything. So worship Him. He is responsible for everything.” (Surat al-An‘am, 102)
 

Acarus Mites Have A  Very Complex Body Structure

The acarus mites that live in a world we cannot see have a very complex body structure as an evidence of the superior intelligence and flawless creation of Almighty Allah, Creator of the Worlds.

• Functional Mouth and Foot Structure: The creature we call an acarus mite is composed of a body that looks like the human skull. Its mouth is in front of the body and it has a specialized structure adjusted to drill. Thanks to this special structure, the acarus mite can divide the food it finds into smaller pieces and therefore can take the food into its body. The body of the acarus mite is oval and is covered with tiny scratches. There are eight small legs coming out of this oval body. Its feet also have a very important structure. Their soles are covered with an adhesive substance that enables them to be buried into the deepest parts of the pavement and among the carpet threads. These eight small legs can even show resistance to the thrust power of even the most powerful vacuum cleaners. Even though they cannot be seen with the naked eye, the acarus mite has a very complicated set of “internal organs.”

• Digestive System that Stores Food: Some of the acarus mites can live both on land and in water. The land dwelling acarus mite breathes via a “trachea.” There is the “food pipe” next to the “trachea”. Some acarus mites also have feeding organs so sharp that they can cut through plant cells. The acarus mite can easily absorb the water in their food with the help of these organs. The acarus mites' digestive system is composed of a muscled “pharynx” in the front, a long and narrow “food pipe”, a “stomach”, a short “intestine” and the “intestine sinus” in the back. The ventricle has double sacs that belong the stomach. These act as food storage organs and ensure that some acarus mites can maintain themselves for a long time without feeding.

• The Control Center- Nervous System and the Brain: In some acarus mites, there is a very advanced “nervous system” that surrounds the alimentary canal. A pile of nerves spreading from one part of the brain makes the nerves in the “legs”, “nervous system”, “muscle system” and “reproductive organs” active. The nerves of the mouth are activated by another part of the brain. In short, the invisible acarus mite has a “brain.”

• Circulatory and Excretory  System that Works Hand-in-Hand: The acarus mite has “excretory  organs” that can open to the intestines in the back. These collect the waste materials in the body and transfer these into an organic composition called “guanine”. This transfer that comes to the excretory organs takes place via the circulatory system. The blood travels inside the body through the movements of the heart and other muscles. So the acarus mite also has a heart that cannot be seen.

As it is seen, Allah placed numerous and complex organs inside the body of the acarus mite, beings that can only be examined under the microscope and that have no visible evidence of their existence. All of them are connected to one another. Every system the being needs to survive is created in the body of the acarus mite in a flawless manner. Not even one of these detailed systems; a stomach or the microscopic network of the nervous system can be formed by the imaginary mechanisms of evolution. This is certainly impossible. Therefore, every detail that a tiny acarus mite possesses proves the superior creation of Almighty Allah:
 

“In the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and day, and the ships which sail the seas to people’s benefit, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky – by which He brings the earth to life when it was dead and scatters about in it creatures of every kind – and the varying direction of the winds, and the clouds subservient between heaven and earth, there are Signs for people who use their intellect.” (Surat al-Baqara, 164)
 

Conclusion: Every Behavior of the Acarus Mite is Controlled by Almighty Allah

In these paragraphs, if we were mentioning a human being or animal body, the existence of these organs, and the systems we have highlighted would seem to be quite normal or reasonable. However, following this information we have discussed, it is worthwhile to go over the basics again. An acarus mite is smaller than the smallest insect you know of or encounter daily, and even smaller than a spot you can see. They live as a community of millions of members in your immediate environment. Even though it lives with you and has such a large community, there is no sign whatsoever of this creature’s existence. This is one of the manifestations of Allah. These beings show the complex creation on earth through the details and qualities they possess. It is a miracle that these microorganisms, so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye, have bodily systems, a heart they pumps blood, a brain composed of nerves. These beings, constantly cleaning the environment they live in, just like a small electrical vacuum, or paralyzing the insects that harm crops proves that every being is created for a specific purpose. Almighty Allah reveals this truth in one verse of the Quran:
 

“Did you suppose that We created you for amusement and that you would not return to Us?” (Surat al-Muminun, 115)
 

With the advancement of science and technology, the superior Creation of Almighty Allah is better understood. Almighty Allah reveals as follows in the Quran:
 

“Is He Who creates like him who does not create? So will you not pay heed? If you tried to number Allah’s blessings, you could never count them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surat an-Nahl, 17-18)
 

About the Acarus Mite…

The acarus mite feeds on dead skin cells and shells. Therefore, they exist in places where human beings live, spread around with the help of human activities and movement. The places where their nutritional materials are collected are generally beds and cushions, furniture and carpets.

The acarus mite does not drink water but they soak in the moisture in the air and environment. Therefore, the moisture in their environment is very important to them. They prefer a moisture level of 70-80% and a temperature of approximately 27 Centigrade. When they find such an appropriate environment, they can increase in numbers to a great deal. For example, there can be 6.000.000 members on a half-hectare or grassland.

They are dispersed to many different parts of the world. They can also live in the 5000 meter -high sides of  Mount Everest, or the 5200 meter depths of the North Pacific Ocean. In Antarctica alone, there are more than fifty known species of acarus mites. In addition, they can exist in many places like thermals, caves, deserts and tundras. They can live in mine pits meters deep, in hot and cold thermal sources, in underwater environments  that have 5000C heat, pools and lakes. The different species of the acarus mites that can dwell in different environments are more than 500.000.

The acarus mite passes through four stages throughout their life. Egg, larvae, nymph and adulthood Adults change their skins only once. The period from egg to adulthood lasts for one month. The population of the females that ovulate increases by twenty five to thirty every week. Adult acarus mites generally live for two months depending on the level of moisture and heat of the environment.

When in difficult situation, the acarus mite develops defense methods like other living beings.

For example, clover acarus mites go into hibernation or dormancy when climate conditions are unsuitable for them. When they realize that the intervals of heat they can live in increase or decrease, they understand that there is a danger. As a precaution, they slow down some functions of their body and go into a sleeping state. These beings, which appear dead, are thus not affected by the negative conditions of the environment, and when the climate is hot enough they can return to their active state and continue to live.