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GOT KISSING BUGS?

In southern Arizona, the kissing bug season (migratory flights by adults) starts in late spring, when nights get warm and dry, and continue throughout the summer - sometimes there is a second peak of migratory activity around September. During this time, adult kissing bugs will leave the packrats nests where they live to find mates and establish a new colony. It is especially during this time that they may enter your house. Here are some commonly asked questions about kissing bugs.

What does a kissing bug look like?
The dominant kissing bug species in the greater Tucson (AZ) area is Triatoma rubida. The adult T. rubida is 1 to 1 ½ inches in length, dark brown in color, and slender. Two other species in this area are T. protracta (same length but almost black in color) and T. recurva (much wider in the abdomen but same color and length).

Insects that look like kissing bugs but are not:
Click on the images for a larger view.

Rhiginia cinctiventris Photo by Jillian Cowles

Will I see them all year long?
Flying adult kissing bugs are mainly seen during the months of May and June in the greater Tucson area. Just prior to this, the bugs molt from their final 5th instar stage into adults with wings. The new adults then leave their refuge in the packrats nests throughout the desert areas in order to mate, find a new refuge and lay eggs.

What are kissing bugs attracted to?
Kissing bugs usually fly just after dusk. During their flight in search of a new refuge, kissing bugs are attracted to porch lights or lights in your windows. They can enter your house through very small cracks and spaces in windows, doors, and pet doors. As other blood-sucking insects, they are attracted to the odors that we and our pets exhale. During the night, the kissing bugs will feed on any blood source available. Then they will seek refuge in small spaces like between your mattresses, under your pets bedding, etc.

How do I know if I have kissing bugs in my house?
Usually you will find them walking at night, perhaps when you are up late or if you get up in the middle of the night. You also may see their feces (small brown or black spots) they have left behind on your bed linens or close to where your pet sleeps. BE SURE TO WASH ALL LINENS THAT YOU THINK MAY CONTAIN FECES FROM KISSING BUGS! If you live on the outer edges of Tucson, you have a higher probability of having kissing bugs enter your house than people who live in town. If you or your neighbor has had trouble with kissing bugs in the past, simply keep your eyes open during the flight season for evidence in your house. Make sure you seal every place where a bug can get through (for example, spaces between doors and windows, etc..).

What should I do if I find a kissing bug and whom should I contact?
If you have a seen or captured a kissing bug (or an insect you think might be a kissing bug) in your house, contact Carl Olson, the associate curator of Entomology of the University of Arizona. He will need the insect for positive identification (avoid touching the insect with the bare hand - use gloves or forceps - and place it in a sealed container). His e-mail is bugman@ag.arizona.edu and his phone is (520) 621-5925. He will take your live or dead kissing bug, and after positive identification, we will use it to aid our research in the study of kissing bugs in the southern Arizona area.

You can also contact us by e-mail
Pablo Guerenstein: pgg@neurobio.arizona.edu
Carolina Reisenman: carolina@neurobio.arizona.edu
or by telephone; 520-621-6643 or 520-621-6631