The truth behind the strange dots woman found on her kitchen tap
A Sydney woman’s encounter with an army of invaders in her kitchen left her scratching her head over their true identity.
The perplexed Concord resident described the bizarre sight on her kitchen tap as a “strange phenomenon” as she took to Facebook looking for answers.
She shared an image of the tap covered in miniature white specks which she claimed were bugs after noticing them moving around.
“[My tap] becomes covered in what I thought were white specks of dust but when I look closely at them they are moving!” she explained in the group Chat 10 Looks 3 Community.
Dozens of users took to the post to also express their bewilderment over the small bugs.
“Move! Sell and move!” one person joked.
“Burn it to the ground!” another suggested.
Several more rational thinkers tried to work out what the specks might be, with a handful of users pointing towards flour mites – a small pest which targets grain and dried foods.
And while entomologist Dr Cameron Webb of the University of Sydney couldn’t categorically confirm the specks were flour mites, he told Yahoo7 News the recent warm and humid weather can prompt such outbreaks of the bug in homes.
“There is a group of insects/arthropods commonly known as ‘stored product pests’ – these include a range of mites and other insects,” he said.
“They cause problems during these warm and humid conditions and when they have access to foods such as flour, grains, and cereals in our cupboards.”
Mr Webb said it was rare to find the mites positioning themselves on a tap and advised those affected by them to simply wipe them up with a damp paper towel.
“It is important to ensure all food stuffs in cupboard are stored in airtight containers,” he added.
Following advice on handling the mites, the woman revealed a nearby packet of opened Corn Thins may have been to blame.
After wiping down her tap and binning the savoury snack, she revealed the mites disappeared within days.
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