Page 197 - The Microworld Miracle

numbers of mites are constantly active, engaging in highly effective
cleaning. Were it not for mites, these micro-wastes would grow ev-
ery day, until the Earth became uninhabitable.
Some mites benefit their surroundings still further, even
though they are unaware of the fact. For example, mites of the spe-

cies Pyemotes tritici generally multiply on stored cereals, dried
beans and peas, in haylofts, and dried grass. They are highly useful
to farmers because they paralyze and eliminate insects that feed on
stored cereals and similar products.

MITES BEHAVE CONSCIOUSLY
In difficult situations, mites display methods of protecting
themselves. Clover mites, for instance, enter hibernation when the

winter or summer climate does not suit them. When they realize
that temperatures are above or below the interval they need to live,
they slow down some of their metabolic functions and go to sleep.
Now in suspended animation, these living things are unaffected by
the conditions around them. When the temperature returns to an

favorable level, they return to their former state and resume their
lives.
Some mites use their insect and arthropod hosts to transport
them to different locations. Mites of the species Dinogamasus for ex-
ample live in a special sac on the stomachs of certain bees and can HARUN YAHYA

(ADNAN OKTAR)
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