The name can be charming but the kissing bug is not friendly at all. Kissing bugs, also known as assassin bugs are bugs that feed on the blood of mammals including humans. They obtain their name from the fact that they feed by biting on the mouths of mammals. They are not as many in Australia as in other parts of the world like the United States. However, that does not mean that they are less dangerous. By entertaining the bugs in your home, you risk being infected with the Chagas disease, which can come with serious health complications and at times death. The disease is transmitted through the fecal waste of the bug and it starts attacking your body when the waste enters your body; the fecal waste of the bug can enter the body through an open wound, the eyes, or by swallowing.  

Identifying The Kissing Bug

Distinguishing the bug from other bugs in your home is not always easy. However, there are few characteristics that set the difference. In terms of color, for instance, kissing bugs are dark in color. There are also red stripes around the legs.

The kissing bug has a long mouth part on the underside of its body; to see the mouthpart, you may require the assistance of magnifying glasses. Its eyes bulge from the bottom as well as the sides of its cone shaped head. The red-stripped legs are six in number and fairly thin.

As for their preferred areas of residence, the kissing bugs like to chill in rocky structures, in wood piles, beneath porches, under cement, in animal burrows, and in rodent nests.

Getting Rid Of Kissing Bugs

Getting rid of kissing buds is simple because it is just a matter of spraying their areas of residence with pesticides. If you suspect that the bugs reside in your bedding or clothes, wash them with hot water. For items that cannot be washed, seal them up so as to starve out the bugs.

But the most important thing could be how you handle the bugs after killing them. Never touch the bugs with bare hands; wear gloves to catch the bugs and dump them in a sealed plastic bag or a vial. Then clean the areas that have come into contact with the bugs (including their homes) with bleaching solution.

Do not ignore the kissing bug in your home. Ignorance and hesitance in eliminating the kissing bug puts you at risk of contracting the Chagas disease, which can in turn cause health problems like diarrhea.  In more serious cases the Chagas disease lead to inflammation of major body organs like the kidney and the heart. For assistance, talk to a pest control professional.