Kissing Bug Facts & Information
Protect your home or business from kissing bugs by learning techniques for identification and control.
Triatoma spp.
Paratriatoma spp.
Treatment
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What You Can Do
Some procedures to prevent kissing bugs include the following:
Caulk around openings for utility lines, plumbing pipes, and cables.
Change porch lights to "bug light" bulbs.
Close exterior doors tightly.
Inspect your pet's fur and their cages or beds for these bugs.
Move leaf and firewood piles away from the house.
Repair any damaged screens on all windows, crawlspace vents, and attic vents.
Repair cracks in your home's foundation that would allow insects to enter.
Replace missing or damaged weather stripping.
What Orkin Does
Insecticide applications on the outside property can help keep kissing bugs from entering the home. Your local pest control professional can select the appropriate insecticides according to the situation. Your Pro may also remove any animal nesting sites that may attract these bugs.
Orkin can provide the right pest control solution to keep kissing bugs in their place, out of your home, or business. For more help getting rid of kissing bugs, contact your local Orkin branch today.
Call us 877-884-0491
FAQs
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Bright porch and doorway lighting often lures kissing bugs inside homes. These insects feed on pets, so outdoor cats or dogs can also bring bugs inside.
How Do They Get Inside?
Kissing bugs can enter your home through:
Crawl spaces
Exposed cracks
Gaps around patio doors
Open chimney flues
Windows
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Do kissing bugs bite?
Kissing bug bites are not usually serious and cause only mild pain and redness. These blood-feeding insects may target both humans and animals. Kissing bugs feed at night and their bites usually go unnoticed until the person bitten wakes up from their sleep.
Most people who have been bitten by these bugs were not aware of the bite and had little or no reaction. A small percentage of people have an allergic reaction to the saliva of the bugs. These sensitive people have experienced itching, swelling, and other allergic symptoms.
What diseases do kissing bugs carry?
Conenose bugs can carry the protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi, also called Chagas disease, through their feces. If the person rubs the feces into a break in the skin, he or she could become infected. Scratching the insect bite can introduce feces into the body. Chagas can also affect dogs. Dogs infected with Chagas can experience stomach and heart problems.
There have been very few cases of Chagas disease in the United States. Reports of the disease in Mexico or Central America cause concern in the southwestern United States.
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Adult kissing bugs do have wings and may fly toward lights outside. However to get inside houses, kissing bugs usually crawl, not fly.
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Kissing bugs are secretive and are not likely to be seen in the open during the day. They sometimes fly to lights at night. The only other signs would be their bites, but there are many other sources that can result in similar skin inflammation. A physician would need to be consulted to determine the cause of body signs.
Behavior, Diet & Habits
Understanding Kissing Bugs
What does a kissing bug look like?
Size: Kissing bugs can be 14 to 24 mm long.
Characteristics: These pests are commonly called conenose bugs from their cone shaped heads.
Coloring: They are dark colored, usually brown or black. Some species have red, yellow, or tan markings on the abdomen.
Where do kissing bugs live?
Kissing bugs live in many states across the country. They sometimes invade homes, especially in suburban and rural areas. Outdoors they can be found in dog houses, rodent nests, under porches, and in leaf piles.
What do kissing bugs eat?
Kissing bugs got their name early in the twentieth century because they are known to draw blood from the face of the victim. These bugs feed on blood from mammals such as:
Opossums
Raccoons
Wood rats
What's the life cycle of a kissing bug?
The stages of a kissing bug's life cycle take place between 1-2 years. After feeding on blood, female kissing bugs lay eggs in the spring. The immature bugs (nymphs), which are smaller and don't have wings, need a blood meal every time they shed their skin and grow larger.
More Information About Kissing Bugs
Kissing bug bites can transmit the parasite that causes an infectious disease called Chagas disease.
How To Tell Stink Bugs & Kissing Bugs Apart
Although kissing bugs and stink bugs are parasitic feeders, stink bugs eat vegetation while kissing bugs are blood feeders.