Conenose bugs belong in the insect Order Hemiptera, Family Reduviidae, commonly called assassin bugs because most members of this family are predators of other arthropods and are in fact beneficial. Conenose bugs are an exception to the family rule and
are blood-feeding parasites that feed on a wide variety of domestic and wild animals, and occasionally humans.
Conenose bugs are also known as kissing bugs, Triatomine bugs, Mexican bed bugs, and the Wallapai tigers. The name “kissing
bug” refers to a South American species that usually bites its sleeping human victims around the mouth. Although conenose bugs are in the same insect order (Hemiptera) as bed bugs, and both feed on blood, they have very different habits.
The conenose bug is a large, dark brown or black hemipteran (“true bug”) with patterns and markings that vary by species, which range in size from 0.5 to over 1 inch (13.0 – 33.0 mm) in length. It has an elongated, cone-shaped head, from which it derives its name (Figure 1, 2 and 3). The head has four-segmented antennae, conspicuous eyes, and a three-segmented straight beak (mouthparts) that extend backward below the body (Figure 4). The beak is slender and tapered and almost bare (Figure 4). Wings are held flat over the back, and extend to the end of the abdomen, but do not cover the abdomen fully so abdomen margins are visible beneath them (Figure 1, 2 and 3).
T. rubida adults are 0.6 to 0.9 inch (15.5 – 23.0 mm) long, colored light reddish brown to dark brown, broad, flat, but stout-bodied, with 6 reddish orange spots on each side of the abdomen (Figure 1A). The abdomen is flattened
longitudinally underneath. The 1st antennal segment reaches or surpasses the tip of the head (Figure 1B). The pronotum is dark with light areas on the sides (Figure 1C). Mouthparts have long hairs at the tip (Figure 1D). Its wings
are normally folded across the back while resting or crawling and not usually noticed by the casual observer. Oval, pearly white eggs are laid singly from May to September, each batch laid after a blood meal. Nymphs have 5 instars usually requiring
1 year for the life cycle.
In summary, T. rubida is larger than T. protracta, and is easily distinguished by the reddish or brownish-red lateral markings on the abdomen seen just outside the folded wings. T. recurva is the largest among the three common species, with pronotum uniformly dark colored and strongly up-curved edges of its wide abdomen.
Blood is taken rapidly with feeding lasting 10 to 30 minutes. Fully engorged bugs can take one to five times their weight in blood, and the bugs will feed about every one to two weeks when hosts are available and temperatures are warm. Adults live into mid- to late autumn. Conenose bugs overwinter as developing nymphs and molt into adults in spring.
Females can lay up to several hundred eggs over their lifespan depending upon conditions. Active dispersal is achieved by flight in adults, usually around dusk and early evening. Immature kissing bugs can’t fly but crawl when stimulated to find a food source.
The conenose bugs are attracted to the lights in our houses, the odors that we exhale, skin odors, and to the warmth of our bodies. Bugs that enter a house will feed on household pets as well as humans. In suburban and rural Arizona, the insect is attracted to porch lights. At dawn, it looks for a place to get out of the sunlight and the heat. It may enter a residence through a doorway, gaps around doors and screens, or up from crawlspaces under flooring. Once inside, the insect moves toward areas of low light intensity, hiding in and under furniture (between mattresses is a favorite hiding place) and in closets during the daytime hours. At night, the kissing bug ventures forth in search of a blood meal, which may be a sleeping pet or human.
Trypansoma cruzi, the Chagas disease-causing protozoan which some conenose bugs carry, is transmitted via their feces. Unlike most fly- and tick-transmitted diseases, the bug bite itself doesn’t transmit the organism or disease. Rather it is transmitted when conenose bug feces are scratched into a wound, ingested, or rubbed into moist tissues around the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Incidence of Chagas disease is low in the United States, even though many species of conenose bugs carry T. cruzi in their gut. Studies (Reisenman et al. 2010) have shown that about 40% of the kissing bugs around Tucson, Arizona were infected with T. cruzi, but so far they have not been shown to transmit it to humans. Researchers attribute the low incidence of Chagas disease in humans in the U.S. to poor efficacy of disease transmission by the bugs, infrequent human contact, and inability of the bugs to permanently colonize homes. However, it is important to recognize that higher populations of conenose bugs might be indicative of higher incidences of Chagas disease. Reports of increasing numbers of Chagas disease cases in dogs have been reported in southern Texas (Reisenman et al. 2010).
Conenose bug bites usually occur at night, and are grouped as several bites on the face, neck, arms, legs, and sometimes on the chest or other body parts. Bites are initially painless because the insect’s saliva contains an anesthetic, but might soon itch, swell, and cause a substantial welt that can last for several days. More severe reactions range from huge, painful welts to allergic reactions, including difficulty in breathing, low blood pressure, and rapid heart rates due to anaphylaxis. Conenose bug bites can be confused with bites from other arthropod pests such as spiders, scorpions, or bed bugs because they can look similar. A useful clue that might be helpful to identify the source of bites is that conenose bug bites usually occur in late spring to early summer, and not at other times.
The biggest risk with conenose bugs is the possibility of a severe allergic reaction. Some people develop a severe or life-threatening allergy to them with multiple bites. This makes it even more important to locate the bug and kill it before the reactions worsen.
If you are bitten by a conenose bug, you should keep the bite sites clean with soap and water. Antihistamines like Benadryl, diluted ammonia solutions and bathing in Epsom salts solution may control itching. Severe reactions require medical treatment. Emergency allergy kits often are prescribed for patients who suffer severe reactions to use in case of future bites.
Call the tollfree national hotline at 1-800-222-1222 to reach your local poison center. If you live in Arizona outside of Maricopa County, this number will get you to our experts at the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center in Tucson.
An attempt should be made to reduce the number of conenose bugs present in and around the home.
No registered pesticides have been specifically approved in the United States for use against these bugs. Long lasting insecticide treated bed nets and curtains have been shown to kill these bugs. A licensed pest control operator should be consulted if you are considering the use of insecticides.
Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center. A bug with 5 names. http://azpoison.com/sites/default/files/poisonology_conenose_bug.pdf
Gouge, D.H., Nair, S., Li, S. and Stock, T. 2015. Pest-proofing your home. University of Arizona Cooperative Extension. AZ1677. http://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1677-2015.pdf
Ekkens, D.B., 1981. Nocturnal flights of Triatoma (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in Sabino Canyon, Arizona. I. Light collections. J Med Entomol. 18(3): 211-227. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmedent/18.3.211
Klotz, S.A., Dorn, P.L., Mosbacher, M. and Schmidt, J.O. 2014. Kissing Bugs in the United States: Risk for Vector-Borne Disease in Humans. Environmental Health Insights, 2014:8(S2) 49-59. doi: 10.4137/EHI.S16003
Nair, S., Gouge, D.H., Rust, M., Li, S., Schuch, U.K., Fournier, A.J., Kopec, D.M., Umeda, K., Baker, P.B., Brown, L.M. and Duggal, N. 2015. Handbook on pests of community environments in the desert southwest United States. http://cals.arizona.edu/apmc/Handbook.html
Reisenman, C.E., Lawrence, G., Guerenstein, P.G., Gregory, T., Dotson, E. and Hildebrand, J.G. 2010. Infection of kissing bugs with Trypanosoma cruzi, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 16(3), 400-405. http://doi.org/10.3201/eid1603.090648
Wood, S.F., 1950. Dispersal flight of Triatoma in southern Arizona. J Parasitol. 36(5): 498-499.
This publication is an updated and expanded publication to replace AZ1109 previously authored by Susan Cordell and Paul Baker. This material is based upon work that is supported in part by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA NIFA) under the Crop Protection and Pest Management, Extension Implementation Program, award number 2017-70006-27145 which provides Extension IPM funding to the University of Arizona. Any findings, recommendations, services, or organizations that are mentioned, shown, or indirectly implied in this publication do not imply endorsement by the University of Arizona or the USDA.
Authors
Shujuan (Lucy) Li
Cooperative Extension - Arizona Pest Management Center, Maricopa Agricultural Center, University of Arizona
Dawn H. Gouge
Department of Entomology - College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, University of Arizona
Shakunthala (Shaku) Nair
Cooperative Extension - Arizona Pest Management Center, Maricopa Agricultural Center, University of Arizona
Alfred J. Fournier
Department of Entomology – College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, University of Arizona & Arizona Pest Management Center, University of Arizona
Wesley E. Hall
Department of Entomology - College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, University of Arizona
Contact:
Shujuan Li
lucyli@email.arizona.edu