It’s easy enough to see the problem with bed bugs. After all, they’re parasites. No one likes a parasite. Dust mites, on the other hand, primarily eat the dead skin we shed from our bodies. So are they really that big a deal? The problem with dust mites is that they are an allergen in themselves. Furthermore, the things they leave behind are also allergens. Any way you slice it, you don’t want either of these pests in your mattress.