Kissing bugs can carry a parasite that causes Chagas disease, but this is not common in the United States. Itching from the bites can be so bad that some people will scratch enough to cause breaks in the skin that get infected easily. The bites can also cause a serious allergic reaction in some people.

It’s best to NOT squish a bug, but sometimes it happens! After the bug is squished, do not touch the bug with your bare hands. The T. cruzi parasite may be in the feces of kissing bugs, and their bodies may have the parasite on them.

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.

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.

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.

Recently, the commonest look-alike I’ve been getting reports of is the masked hunter bug (Reduvius personatus), which can also be encountered indoors. If you aren’t familiar with masked hunter bugs, there’s a good reason why these insects can sometimes mistaken for kissing bugs—they’re technically kissing cousins.

Some types of assassin bugs—typically, wheel bugs—will bite if and when they are handled. If this happens to you, you will probably experience intense and immediate pain. If you think you may have been bitten, wash the affected area and wipe it off with antiseptic. You can take ibuprofen or aspirin as a pain reliever.

The differences between stink bugs and kissing bugs In the US, kissing bugs are typically black or very dark brown, with distinct red, orange, or yellow stripes around the edges of their bodies. Stink bugs lack that splash of bright color, and are usually a lighter shade of brown.

Bite Marks 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. It might be hard to tell them apart from other bug bites, minor skin irritations, or infections.

Wheel bugs and kissing bugs (Triatoma spp.) belong to the same taxonomic family, Reduviidae; the so-called “assassin bug” family. They both share several family features including large bodies, long spindly legs, a narrow head, beady eyes, and a long “beak” at the front of their head.

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: The female bug lays eggs in the spring. The immature bugs (nymphs) need a blood meal every time they shed their skin and grow larger.

Kissing bugs are a ‘vector’ because they can carry a parasite that can make people and animal sick. The parasite is Trypanosoma cruzi, and it causes Chagas disease. The number of infected kissing bugs varies from location to location. A parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas disease.

Kissing bugs are secretive and are not likely to be seen in the open during the day. They sometimes fly to lights at night. The only other signs would be their bites, but there are many other sources that can result in similar skin inflammation.

Kissing bugs are generally light brown to black, but some have red, yellow, or tan markings on their abdomen. Kissing bugs have six legs, antennae, are about ½ ”-1” long, and often resemble a more oval and elongated cockroach. Three species of kissing bugs that can be found in Texas.