What kills a kissing bug?

The most effective professional products for conenose bug control include wettable powder or microencapsulated formulations of pyrethroid insecticides such as cypermethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin, or cyfluthrin.

What do you do if you find a kissing bug in your house?

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 eats kissing bugs?

Kissing bugs are bloodsuckers and seek out mammals including dogs. Dogs eat bugs and will snatch up kissing bugs.

What is a natural kissing bug repellent?

Citronella oil appears to be a promising potential repellent to prevent sleeping people from being bitten by kissing bugs.

Are kissing bugs active at night?

Kissing bugs feed on blood and are active mostly at night (nocturnal).

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

Do kissing bugs live in beds?

Inside human dwellings, Kissing Bugs become crack and crevice dwellers like Bedbugs and cockroaches. Kissing Bugs emerge from hiding places at night and attack people in bed, much like Bedbugs will. When looking for a Kissing Bug infestation, generally follow the advice given for Bedbugs.

How long does a kissing bug live?

The life span of kissing bugs in North America is approximately a year, perhaps longer for the large southern species, Triatoma recurva. In the temperate zone, there is usually one generation per year, whereas in Mesoamerica and parts of tropical South America, several generations of bugs may occur within a year.

Do kissing bugs survive winter?

Their northern limit of distribution is likely determined by their intolerance to survive prolonged cold temperatures but reports from Utah and Colorado have shown these insects can be hardy.

What happens if a kissing bug bites a dog?

Chagas Disease in dogs is a big problem caused by a little bug. The bite from the kissing bug may be painful, but in and of itself is no big deal. Infection happens when one of these little critters is itself infected with a tiny protozoan parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi.

Should I call an exterminator for kissing bugs?

Kissing bugs are a serious problem. If you see one, you need to call a professional pest control company immediately. These pests are often infected with a parasite that can cause humans or the animals they come in contact with to get sick.

Where do kissing bugs usually bite?

The bugs might hit anywhere on the body, including the face, head, arms, and feet. Kissing bugs are so named because they like to bite around the mouth or eyes. You'll often see 2-15 bite marks in one area and maybe redness and swelling.

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.

What happens if my cat eats a kissing bug?

What is Chagas Disease? Cats do not usually manifest symptoms but they can be a carrier of T. cruzi, and when bitten by a kissing bug, transmit the organism to other animals, including humans, causing Chagas disease. In humans, Chagas disease can be very serious and life-threatening.

Can Chagas disease be cured?

Treatment. To kill the parasite, Chagas disease can be treated with benznidazole or nifurtimox. Both medicines are nearly 100% effective in curing the disease if given soon after infection at the onset of the acute phase, including the cases of congenital transmission.

Do kissing bugs fly or crawl?

What are kissing bugs? Kissing bugs are a flying, blood-feeding species of insect that are part of the Triatominae subfamily in the Reduviidae family. They are also called Assassin Bugs and they feed on warm blooded animals, including humans.

What season do kissing bugs come out?

As the weather heats up in May and June, the adult bugs take flight around dusk to find a mate and a meal. In Tucson, a rise in reported bites for people correlates with this dispersal period, which usually peaks right before the monsoon season. Kissing bugs are often drawn to outdoor house lights.

Can you get sick from a kissing bug?

Because they tend to bite people's faces, triatomine bugs are also known as “kissing bugs”. After they bite and ingest blood, they defecate (poop) on the person. The person can become infected if T. cruzi parasites in the bug feces enter the body through mucous membranes or breaks in the skin.

Can kissing bugs hurt humans?

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.

What do kissing bug eggs look like?

If you suspect you may have kissing bugs, check for clues like feces and eggs. Feces may be spread on walls and can be both white and dark, and usually look like stripes. Eggs can be found in wall crevices and are mostly white or pinkish.

What causes kissing bugs?

The cause of Chagas disease is the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is spread from an insect known as the triatomine bug, or "kissing bug." These insects can become infected by this parasite when they swallow blood from an animal that is infected with the parasite.

What states are kissing bugs found?

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 during the day?

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.

What do kissing bugs not like?

Essential Oils. This is a great kissing bug control remedy that you can use in problem areas as there are some smells that they do hate. Mix a couple of drops of a strong essential oil like citronella, mint, or tea tree with water. Apply it liberally everywhere you see the bugs congregating to keep them away.

Are assassin bugs and kissing bugs the same?

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 bug bites you with Chagas disease?

American trypanosomiasis, also known as Chagas disease, is caused by a parasite. This parasite lives in the poop of triatomine (kissing) bugs. The bug often poops when it bites. Most people get Chagas disease by unknowingly rubbing triatomine bug poop into the bug bite when they scratch the bite.