According to research, there are approximately 7,000 different species in a total of 25 various subfamilies of assassin bugs, making these insects one of the most diverse and rampant within the State of Indiana.
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Where are assassin bugs found?
Where Do Assassin Bugs Live? Assassin, a.k.a. kissing bugs, are found all across the bottom two-thirds of the United States, and predominantly in Arizona, California, Texas, and New Mexico. Once only found in tropical regions further south, climate change and global warming have since pushed them further north.
What happens if an assassin bug bites you?
Some types of assassin bugs—typically, wheel bugs—will bite if and when they are handled. If this happens to you, you will probably experience intense and immediate pain. If you think you may have been bitten, wash the affected area and wipe it off with antiseptic. You can take ibuprofen or aspirin as a pain reliever.
How common are kissing bugs in Indiana?
The risk posed by Chagas in Indiana is very low.
“They are less prevalent in the United States, in part, because of our housing construction. Most of our housing does not have cracks and crevices where the bugs could gain entrance or hide.” Screen doors and windows act as an effective barrier against the insect.
Are assassin bugs rare?
The truth is that assassin/kissing bugs have been in the U.S. for a long time and Chagas Disease is nothing new – but it is rare. Although it is rare to find kissing bugs in the U.S., they are not impossible to see around homes and businesses.
How do I identify an assassin bug?
Characteristics of Assassin Bugs
Many are brown, gray, or black, although some are brightly colored or have bright red, orange, or green areas on their bodies. They have round, beady, protruding eyes that help them spot prey. They have a long, narrow, tubular head that gives them the appearance of having a neck.
Is the assassin bug the same as a kissing bug?
The kissing bug belongs to the Reduviidae family of insects. This family is also referred to as assassin bugs.It can carry a parasite that causes kissing bug disease in its fecal matter. We call them kissing bugs because when they bite humans, they usually do so around the face and mouth.
Do all assassin bugs carry Chagas?
Some triatomines carry in their feces a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas disease. That ailment can have serious long-term health consequences if untreated. Experts stress, however, that the risk of Chagas infection remains low. Not every kissing bug carries the parasite.
What are assassin bugs attracted to?
Attract assassin bugs by having plants such as alfalfa, daisies, dandelions, dill, fennel, goldenrod, queen anne’s lace, marigolds, tansy. Assassin bugs are attracted to lights. Try having some solar lights in your garden.
Do assassin bugs fly?
Assassin bugs are able to fly but they are poor fliers in general with some notable exceptions. Although most assassin bugs are slow-moving and nonaggressive, they will use their rostrum in self-defense if handled carelessly.
Why should you not squish a kissing bug?
It’s best to NOT squish a bug, but sometimes it happens! After the bug is squished, do not touch the bug with your bare hands. The T. cruzi parasite may be in the feces of kissing bugs, and their bodies may have the parasite on them.
Do stink bugs carry Chagas disease?
These bugs feed on the blood of animals and humans, and tend to bite human faces. When they do, they can spreading an illness called Chagas disease. Kissing bugs look similar to stink bugs, but stink bugs are typically smaller and lack the red, orange, or yellow stripes of color that you can see on kissing bugs.
Why are stink bugs so bad in Southern Indiana?
The bugs, which don’t bite, are a nuisance when they invade homes in the fall looking for shelter. But the real danger comes from the damage they cause to fruit trees, corn and other crops, said Jessica Walliser, a horticulturist and author with a radio show in Pittsburgh.
What do assassin bugs do to humans?
To humans, assassin bugs can dangerous, and in rare instances, fatal. They release irritating venom and their feces can contain parasites that can cause serious infections to humans. Most of the time these bugs don’t attack humans unless they’re heavily provoked.
Does an assassin bug bite hurt?
Some assassin bugs, most notably the wheel bug, will bite if picked up and handled carelessly. The bite of the wheel bug is immediately and intensely painful. Persons who are bitten should wash and apply antiseptic to the site of the bite. Oral analgesics, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, may be useful to reduce the pain.
Are there kissing bugs in Indiana?
The “kissing bug” is native to Indiana. Although the bug can transmit Chagas disease, Indiana has never had a case of Chagas, which is typically found in tropical or subtropical climates, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
Why are earwigs in my house?
If you have earwigs entering your home it’s usually because (1) their outdoor environmental conditions have changed and are now too dry or too wet or too hot, (2) you may be attracting them with outside lighting, and (3) your home has gaps or openings that accidentally let them inside.
How common are assassin bugs?
Assassin bugs are members of the extensive taxonomic family Reduviidae (Class Insecta, Order Hemiptera). This is a very large family of Hemipterans that contains more than seven thousand individual species. Assassin bugs are found all over the world, and there are one hundred and fifty nine species in North America.
Are assassin bugs communal?
Assassin bugs are stealth and ambush hunters and will often stalk prey in an ominous and assassin-like manner.They may feed on insects such as ants regularly encountered in their habitats. Unlike many species of assassin bugs, Hellbender assassins are communal and live in groups comprising of up to 50 individuals.
Are assassin bugs orange?
The orange assassin bug, Pselliopus barberi, is about ½ inch long and is one of our most attractive non-butterfly insects. It is one of nearly 200 species of assassin bugs in North America. It is golden orange with black-banded legs and a series of black marks along the outer margin of the abdomen.
What do assassin bugs eat?
Most assassin bugs feed on insects including caterpillars, larvae of leaf beetles and sawflies, and adults and nymphs of other true bugs.
