Should I call an exterminator for kissing bugs?

When to Call a Pest Control Professional. The presence of kissing bugs may also signal the presence of other pests, including rodents and birds. This calls for attention from local pest control professionals.

Can an exterminator get rid of kissing bugs?

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 solution to keep kissing bugs in their place, out of your home, or business.

What to 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.

Should I be worried about kissing bugs?

The Bottom Line. Kissing bugs can transmit a parasite that leads to a potentially serious illness called Chagas disease. Most cases of Chagas disease occur in Latin America. Although infection directly from exposure to the kissing bug is rare in the US, it is still important to take steps to prevent kissing bug bites.

Do kissing bugs live in houses?

Triatomine bugs (also called “kissing bugs”, cone-nosed bugs, and blood suckers) can live indoors, in cracks and holes of substandard housing, or in a variety of outdoor settings including the following: Beneath porches.

How to Get Rid of Kissing Bugs (4 Easy Steps)

Do kissing bugs live in beds?

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.

Do kissing bugs go away in the winter?

Kissing bugs are night feeders and suck the blood of animals, both vertebrates and invertebrates. They are most active in the summer but start appearing in late spring and stay around until fall temperatures turn cold.

What attracts kissing bugs?

Kissing bugs can be attracted by light. Consider turning off lights near homes and kennels at night. Seal cracks and gaps to prevent kissing bugs from entering your home. Check windows, walls, roofs, and doors.

What percentage of kissing bugs carry Chagas?

Up to 60% of kissing bugs carry the parasite that causes Chagas, compared with only 0.1% of mosquitos that carry dengue, an infectious disease occurring in tropical areas. Although more than half of kissing bugs carry the disease-causing parasite, Hamer said it's still difficult for a person to be infected.

Do kissing bugs bite at night?

They are hosts to the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which can cause Chagas disease in humans. Kissing bugs are bloodsuckers of warm-blooded creatures that feed at night. Klotz J.H.

Where do kissing bugs hide in a home?

They are nocturnal, so they will hide in dark, dry crevices during the day. Any cracks in furniture, walls, or floors are a potential home for kissing bugs, as well as under beds or near pet beds.

Where do kissing bugs lay their eggs?

Deterrence of Kissing Bug Bites

They are usually solitary adults but, on occasion gravid females may enter the home and lay eggs giving rise to nymphs. Bugs are often found between the mattress and box spring or under bedding sheets.

What bugs can be mistaken for kissing bugs?

Indeed, wheel bugs and a few other true bugs continue to be misidentified on social media as kissing bugs. Two of the most common faux-kissers appearing on social media are boxelder bugs (Boisea trivittata) and western conifer seed bugs (Leptoglossus occidentalis).

Does bug spray work on kissing bugs?

Use pyrethroid insecticides: While there isn't a spray specifically made to kill kissing bugs, pyrethroid insecticides can work.

Do kissing bugs come out during the day?

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.

Is kissing bug a pest?

Unlike their loving name, kissing bugs are a type of pest called a reduviid bug, known to bite and suck blood from their victim's face (as well as other body parts). They can transmit a potentially deadly disease called Chagas Disease, sometimes known as “kissing bug disease.” Learn more about Chagas Disease.

What state has the most 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.

When should you get tested for Chagas?

Indications for Testing

Laboratory testing for Chagas disease is indicated in individuals who are at risk when clinical findings point to acute- or chronic-phase infection.

Should I be worried about Chagas disease?

Also called American trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease can infect anyone. Left untreated, Chagas disease later can cause serious heart and digestive problems. During the acute phase of infection, treatment of Chagas disease focuses on killing the parasite.

What season do kissing bugs come out?

Kissing bugs are most commonly encountered during their dispersal season, May through July, as adult kissing bugs fly towards homes attracted by lighting (Wood 1950, Ekkens 1981). Some species actively seek out humans and domestic animals to feed on.

Can a kissing bug fly?

Kissing bugs go through five juvenile (nymph) stages before they become adults. Nymphs do not have wings. Only adult kissing bugs have wings and can fly. All kissing bugs feed on blood throughout their life.

How common are kissing bugs?

In some states, kissing bugs have only been found a few times and are probably rare. Those states are Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. All shaded states have at least one historical record of kissing bugs.

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).

What does a kissing bug look like compared to a box elder?

Look-alikes

The boxelder bug (Boisea trivittata) is often mistaken for a kissing bug due to its red and black coloration. However, while the kissing bug has six red-orange stripes along the side of its abdomen, the boxelder bug has red along the edges of the front wings.

How do you test for Chagas disease?

The diagnosis of Chagas disease can be made by observation of the parasite in a blood smear by microscopic examination. A thick and thin blood smear are made and stained for visualization of parasites.