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Where do kissing bugs hide in a home?

Jim Brown

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.

How dangerous are kissing bugs?

Do They Bite? Bites from kissing bugs 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.

How do you identify a kissing bug?

They are pear-shaped and dark brown to black in body color, often with distinct, reddish- to cream-colored stripes visible along the edges of the abdomen (tail). There are no markings on the wings, although some kissing bugs may show some orange at the base of the wings, next to the shield behind the head.

Why is the kissing bug so dangerous?

Kissing bugs carry a parasite that causes Chagas disease, which can lead to serious heart and stomach problems.

Should I kill kissing bugs?

Kissing Bugs are potentially dangerous because they sometimes transmit Chagas disease, a disease known to cause serious heart and digestive problems that can be fatal. Even the species of Kissing Bugs that do not transmit Chagas disease can bite and create allergic reactions.

How do you get rid of kissing bugs?

It can be hard to know where the bite came from, especially if the bug is gone when you wake up. You could check under your nightstand or your mattress. Scoop up any bugs you find into a container with gloved hands and clean the area the bug touched with bleach.

Where can I find a kissing bug in my yard?

The kissing bugs can be found around woodpiles, debris in the yard, and woodrat nests, but are also attracted to the lights and carbon dioxide that are associated with human houses and dog kennels. The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi can live in the digestive system of the kissing bug.

When to see a doctor for a kissing bug bite?

If you’re in an area where Chagas disease is a serious health concern and you get a kissing bug bite, see your doctor if: You feel like you have a flu with a fever, nausea, or tiredness Your eyelids are swollen The bite looks infected (it’s red, painful, and swollen)

When do kissing bugs come out of hiding?

They’re also called cone-nosed bugs, bloodsuckers, cinches, and triatomine bugs. Like mosquitoes and ticks, kissing bugs need blood to live. They usually suck it from animals, including dogs, but sometimes they bite people. They hide during the day and come out at night to eat. Most of the time, the bites don’t hurt.

Where do kissing bugs hide in a home?

Jim Brown

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.

Can a kissing bug kill you?

A biting insect prone to chomping on lips — unofficially dubbed the “kissing bug” — has become a terrifying menace after researchers revealed that up to 30 percent of its victims develop life-threatening health problems, including heart disease and sudden death.

Do kissing bugs live in the US?

Kissing bugs live throughout North America, Central America, and South America. In the United States, kissing bugs have been found in 29 states. All shaded states in the map have at least one kissing bug found there. Striped states are those from which we have received submissions to our Community Science Program.

How long do kissing bugs last?

This may include some redness, swelling, or itching at the site of the sting. This normally goes away within hours. For some people, however, an insect sting can cause a severe reaction or even death. In the United States, between 90-100 stings a year result in death.

Are kissing bugs around in winter?

They enter and reside in homes throughout the winter, so may be especially easy to confuse with the rare kissing bug.

Where can you find kissing bugs in the United States?

Eleven different kinds of kissing bugs are in the United States. Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona are the states with the most different species and most findings of kissing bugs. Scientists have found that about 50% of kissing bugs are infected with the Chagas parasite. Three species of kissing bugs that can be found in Texas.

What kind of disease can you get from kissing bugs?

Conenose bugs can carry the protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi , also called Chagas disease, through its 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 the feces into the body. There have been very few cases of Chagas disease in the United States.

How did the kissing bug get its name?

Kissing bugs live in many states across the country. They sometimes invade homes, especially in suburban and rural areas. What Do They 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:

How can you tell if a kissing bug is a bug?

Kissing bugs can be recognized by their ‘cone-shaped’ head, thin antennae, and thin legs. All of the U.S. species are mainly black or very dark brown, with red, orange or yellow ‘stripes’ around the edge. Their bites are generally not painful (since their goal is to bite and feed without being detected), and they are mainly active at dusk or night.