Kissing bugs have been found across the southern United States, as well as in Indiana and Illinois. Triatomines often come out at night and are attracted to lights, and they can be found outdoors around wood piles and debris in the yard, beneath porches, in spaces under cracked cement.
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Does the kissing bug live 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.
Where is kissing bugs located?
Kissing bugs are blood-feeding insects that live in the southern and western United States, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. They don’t kiss.
How do you know if you have a kissing bug?
In the US, kissing bugs are typically black or very dark brown, with distinct red, orange, or yellow stripes around the edges of their bodies. Stink bugs lack that splash of bright color, and are usually a lighter shade of brown. Size-wise, kissing bugs are also bigger than most stink bugs.
What is a kissing bug Indiana?
The Center for Disease Control and Protection recently issued a warning about triatomine bugs, better known as deadly “kissing bugs.” They’ve been spotted in 12 different states, including Indiana. They’re known to crawl around the mouth and eyes, biting people while they sleep.
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.
What happens if you smash a kissing bug?
Squashing or even touching a kissing bug can put you at risk of contracting Chagas. The best thing to do, Hill advised, is to trap the bug in a plastic bag or container. “We don’t want to squash the bug or get any bug poop on us.
What US states have kissing bugs?
Most of the world’s kissing bugs are in Central and South America and Mexico. They’ve also been found in the United States in the lower 28 states, with higher concentrations in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. Kissing bugs have been spotted a far north as Delaware, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Where do kissing bugs hide in a home?
Kissing bugs can hide in cracks and holes in beds, floors, walls, and furniture. They are most likely to be found: Near places where a pet, such as a dog or cat, spends time. In areas where mice or other rodents live.
What do bites from kissing bugs look like?
The bite isn’t distinctive, either. It looks like any other bug bite, except there’s usually a cluster of bites together in one spot. People who are sensitive to the kissing bug’s saliva may experience a reaction to the bite. This is usually only mild itching, redness, and swelling.
What other bug looks like a kissing bug?
Recently, the commonest look-alike I’ve been getting reports of is the masked hunter bug (Reduvius personatus), which can also be encountered indoors. If you aren’t familiar with masked hunter bugs, there’s a good reason why these insects can sometimes mistaken for kissing bugs—they’re technically kissing cousins.
What’s the difference between an assassin bug and a kissing bug?
The kissing bug belongs to the Reduviidae family of insects. This family is also referred to as assassin bugs. But this family of bugs doesn’t get the name “assassin” because it transmits Chagas disease (also known as kissing bug disease).It can carry a parasite that causes kissing bug disease in its fecal matter.
Do kissing bugs have spikes?
Besides “kissing bug”, these insects are often called “conenose bugs”.There are no distinctive spines or spikes on kissing bug legs, sides or top. While some insects may have some of these characters, only insects with all of these characteristics are likely to be kissing bugs.
Can you feel a kissing bug bite?
Kissing bugs can cause patches of bites, often around the mouth. The bites are usually painless, but they may swell and look like hives. Itching from the bites may last a week.
Are stick bugs in Indiana?
In Indiana, it was first collected in Elkhart County in October 2010 and is now distributed statewide. BMSB becomes a nuisance when it enters homes and other structures in the fall looking for shelter from the cold.
Can kissing bugs carry Lyme disease?
There is no evidence that Lyme disease is transmitted from person-to-person. For example, a person cannot get infected from touching, kissing, or having sex with a person who has Lyme disease. Untreated Lyme disease during pregnancy can lead to infection of the placenta.
What keeps kissing bugs?
To safeguard your living spaces from these bugs, focus on exclusion methods. Caulk gaps around windows, walls, attics, crawlspaces, and doors, as well as in your roof and foundation. You also can store piles of firewood and rocks away from your house and bag leaves for trash removal.
What should I do if I find a kissing bug?
If you find a kissing bug, the CDC recommends you do not touch or squash it. To help understand the problem and how many carry the disease, the CDC is asking for help. They suggest you place a container on top of the kissing bug for 24 hours, and then seal the bug inside the container.
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.
When are kissing bugs active?
Kissing bugs feed on blood and are active mostly at night (nocturnal). Adult kissing bugs are about 1/2 to 1 inch long. Kissing bugs hatch from small eggs and go through five juvenile (nymphal) stages before they become adults. Some kinds of kissing bugs can live up to two years.
When do kissing bugs come out?
Image credit: Glenn Seplak, 2007. Kissing bugs, or triatomines, feed off of the blood of humans and other animals. Kissing bugs are nocturnal, meaning that they hide during the day and are most active at night.
