Kissing bugs and Chagas disease

Triatomine bugs, also known as kissing bugs, reduviid bugs and cone-nose bugs, are almost an inch long with elongated cone-shaped heads.  The body is grayish-brown with a wide abdomen that has flattened sides.  The flattened sides of the abdomen stick out beyond the wing margins and are marked with red, orange or yellow stripes.  Nymphs (immatures) look similar to adults, but lack fully developed wings.

There are other insects in Texas that look similar and can be mistaken for kissing bugs.  Many of these insects do NOT bite and do NOT transmit disease organisms.  You can find some common insects that are mistaken for kissing bugs here.

Adults are capable of flying and are attracted to lights at night.  The insects can be drawn towards the house by leaving outside lights on at night.  Once inside, they will find a host and feed at night.  After engorging themselves, they move away from the host to hide in cracks and crevices during the day.  Outside, the bugs can be found in animal bedding or nests such as doghouses, chicken coops or rodent nests.

Some Triatomine bugs carry the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi which can cause Chagas disease in humans, dogs and other small mammals.  T. cruzi, a protozoan, is transmitted via the insect’s feces when it is scratched into a wound or rubbed into a mucous membrane.  Immediate (acute) symptoms of Chagas may be swelling of the face (especially the area around the eye), swelling of other areas of the body, moderate to high fever, but sometimes acute symptoms never occur.  Treatment is available during the acute phase, so see a physician as soon as possible if you suspect Chagas.

To reduce the chance of Triatomine bugs entering the home, work on excluding them.  Some of the following may help to seal the home to keep the bugs outside.

• Prune trees and shrubs so they do not touch or overhang the house
• Do not stack firewood or other items against the house
• Install weather stripping around loose fitting doors and windows- if you can see daylight around a door during the day, then the weather stripping should be replaced
• Block weep holes in brick or stone façade homes with copper mesh
• Use stainless steel mesh wire to block access points in the attic (i.e. vents)
• Keep window screens in good repair
• Turn off outside lights at night.  If that is not possible, use “bug bulbs” that have a wavelength less attractive to insects

You can find more detailed information on kissing bugs, Chagas, and where to submit samples on this TAMU website.

Also, media outlets in Dallas recently ran a story on Kissing bugs and Chagas.  You can find footage of that here.

A plethora of webinar opportunities

All Bugs Good & Bad Webinar Series

Did you miss the wonderful bed bug webinar presented by Amelia Shindelar?  The recording of the webinar has been posted at: https://learn.extension.org/events/1866

You can view the recordings of any of the previous All Bugs Good and Bad webinars at:
http://www.extension.org/pages/72197/2015-all-bugs-good-and-bad-webinar-series


The next webinar is entitled: "Wildlife in the Backyard - a Double-edged Sword." Tune in on December 4 at 1 pm Central time.  https://learn.extension.org/events/1886

Other upcoming webinars:

Bed Bug Updates for Pest Management Professionals
9am (CST) on December 1, 2015

• Topics will include:
• Best Management Practices
• Customer Service
• Protecting the Company

Understanding Bed Bug Control for Social Service Professionals
9am (CST) on December 3, 2015

Basic bed bug control information particularly relevant to social service workers who do home visiting

• Topics will include:
• Protecting Yourself
• Educating Your Clients
• Resources Available Through the University of Minnesota

Four Steps to Bed Bug-Free Premises for Landlords
9am (CST) on December 10, 2015

• Topics will include
• Encouraging Tenants to Report Infestations Promptly
• Helping Tenants Prevent Bed Bug Entry Into Residences
• Successful Control Procedures – a Partnership between Tenants and Landlords

For more information and to register visit www.bedbugs.umn.edu/webinars

Central Texas rain and mosquitoes

WOW!  More rain here in Central Texas today....and that is a bit of an understatement.  Work this morning was exciting, if a bit worrying.  We had everyone in the bathrooms for a period of time because we were under a tornado warning.  Fortunately, that didn't last too long for us.  It was good bonding time.  After returning to my office, I discovered water seeping in through the wall and window.  I had to sop up the water and set up a barricade of old t-shirts.  Currently, it's not raining so all is well for now.  Everyone, please be careful and stay safe!

With the all the rain, expect mosquitoes to pop out again.  When it comes to managing mosquitoes, remember the 4 D's.

1. DRAIN- Drain all standing water. Check rain water collection systems (hopefully you have screening to block mosquitoes on your rainwater system), dishes under flower pots, pet dishes, buckets, tree holes and low lying areas in the yard. If you have areas of standing water that it is not possible to drain, try using mosquito dunks (active ingredient Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis).
2. DUSK & DAWN- Mosquitoes are most active during dusk and dawn, so try to avoid being outside during the peak times.
3. DRESS- Dress in light-colored clothing with long sleeves and long pants.
4. DEET- Wear some type of insect repellent. DEET is a common insect repellent for mosquitoes and works very well, but there are other options. Other active ingredients to look for are picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus. The Insects in the City blog has a great post on repellents.

Check out the Mosquito Safari website for more information on mosquitoes.