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The bugs have brown or black wings, sometimes with a ring of red, orange, or yellow stripes on the edge. They’re usually ½- to 1-inch-long, about the size of a penny. They’re also called cone-nosed bugs, bloodsuckers, cinches, and triatomine bugs. Like mosquitoes and ticks, kissing bugs need blood to live.
What happens if your bit by a kissing bug?
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.
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.
How do you tell if a bug is 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.
What attracts the kissing bug?
Kissing Bugs are mainly nocturnal and outdoor lights attracts them. They are constantly looking for a meal, so pets, animals, birds, and their resting places become important harborage areas.
Where does a kissing bug live?
Kissing bugs live throughout North America, Central America, and South America. In the United States, kissing bugs have been found in 29 states.
Do all kissing bugs carry Chagas?
That ailment can have serious long-term health consequences if untreated. Experts stress, however, that the risk of Chagas infection remains low. Not every kissing bug carries the parasite. And even if you are bitten by an infected bug, odds are you still won’t be infected.
Can you squish a kissing bug?
Don’t Squish Kissing Bugs If you see a kissing bug, the CDC advises against touching or squashing it. Put it in a container, and then fill it with rubbing alcohol or freeze it. Then take the bug to a local extension service, health department or university laboratory for identification.
Do kissing bugs come out during the day?
Kissing bugs have that name because their bites are often found around the mouth. They usually hide during the day and are active at night when they feed. They can go for weeks without feeding.
What is 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.
Is a stink bug and kissing bug the same thing?
Kissing bugs look similar to stink bugs, but stink bugs are typically smaller and lack the red, orange, or yellow stripes of color that you can see on kissing bugs.
How do you know if you have a kissing bug bite?
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.
How long can you live with Chagas?
If untreated, infection is lifelong. Acute Chagas disease occurs immediately after infection, and can last up to a few weeks or months. During the acute phase, parasites may be found in the circulating blood. This phase of infection is usually mild or asymptomatic.
How painful is an assassin bug bite?
Assassin bug bites can be quite painful immediately with some pain and swelling persisting for a day or two. As with any insect sting or bite, the victim should seek medical attention immediately if there is any sign of anaphylactic reaction, such as generalized swelling, itching, hives or difficulty breathing.”.
How do I identify a bug?
To be sure you’re really looking at an insect, ask yourself these four questions: Does it have six legs? All insects do. Are there three distinct body regions—head, thorax, and abdomen? If not, it’s not a true insect. Do you see a pair of antennae? Antennae are a necessary insect feature. Does it have a pair of wings?.
How do you repel kissing bugs?
How to Get Rid of Kissing Bugs Naturally Clear Out Wood and Rock Piles. Keep piles of rock and wood well away from your house and other locations nearby to help keep kissing bugs away. Diatomaceous Earth (DE) Bottle Trap. Essential Oils. Pyrethrin. Shiny Container Trap. Neem. Garlic Spray.
What is Chagas disease do to you?
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.
Is Chagas curable?
Today Chagas disease is treatable. Therapy is highly effective if given during the acute phase of the disease and less effective when administered during the chronic phase. This is why early diagnosis is so important. In infants aged under 1 year, treatment achieves a complete cure.
