{"id":420,"date":"2019-10-18T16:15:42","date_gmt":"2019-10-18T16:15:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pestdefenseguide.com\/?p=420"},"modified":"2021-09-27T20:21:46","modified_gmt":"2021-09-27T20:21:46","slug":"what-is-an-assassin-bug-and-how-do-you-get-rid-of-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pestdefenseguide.com\/what-is-an-assassin-bug-and-how-do-you-get-rid-of-them\/","title":{"rendered":"What is an Assassin Bug and How Do You Get Rid of Them?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Assassin bugs are a member of the Reduviidae class of insects that includes thousands of species, such as the Zelus, wheel bug, and the kissing bug. The kissing bug is the insect that most commonly affects humans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While assassin bugs can be very beneficial to gardeners, they cause serious health issues when they bite humans. It’s great to keep them in your garden, but equally important to protect your home from the kissing bug. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we help you understand what assassin bugs are, how they help the ecosystem, the dangers they pose to humans, and how you can protect your home from them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is an Assassin Bug?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Assassin bugs, also called the kissing bug, are a type of predator insect that feeds on smaller insects, such as bugs, flies, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and aphids. They feed on the blood of insects and even humans, but they do have their benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although kissing bugs are mostly found in South American and the southern part of the United States, they are increasingly being discovered in the north. Unfortunately, assassin bugs are not harmless. They can cause several medical issues as well as pain and discomfort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do Assassin Bugs Look Like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Kissing bugs range from small and red to large and brown, depending on the species. Kissing bugs are brown with red or orange stripes and can be as small as your thumbnail or as big as 1 \u00bd” long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Zelus bug can be brown and green, red and black, and a few other color combinations. They are also long and slim and almost resemble spiders or short and stout like the kissing bug. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wheel bug is one of the most distinctive assassin bugs. It gets its name from the crest on its thorax. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are Assassin Bugs Dangerous?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Assassin bugs are one of the insects responsible for Chagas disease. It carries a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi<\/em> which is in their feces. When a kissing bug bites you, it defecates, and its feces carries Trypanosoma cruzi, <\/em>which enters your blood stream from the bug’s bite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n