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Eastern Bloodsucking Conenose

Triatoma spp. (shown: T. sanguisuga)[16]

Kissing bugs are blood-feeding insects, active mostly at night, that can carry Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease. They have been found in 29 U.S. states, and studies of bugs collected in the United States have found the parasite in roughly one in six to nearly two in three of those tested, depending on the place.[1][2][3][4][5]

Group
Insect
Order
Hemiptera
Family
Reduviidae
US records
26 states
Sources
16 cited
Updated
2026-11-11
Eastern bloodsucking conenose (kissing bug), black with orange-red bands along the abdomen edge
Eastern bloodsucking conenose (kissing bug), black with orange-red bands along the abdomen edge. (c) Justin Williams, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Where sources disagree
  9. Related profiles
  10. Common questions
  11. Sources

How to identify it

  • Adults are about 1/2 to 1 inch long from the tip of the 'nose' to the end of the body; UC IPM gives 1/2 to 3/4 inch for the western bloodsucking conenose of California.[6][1][7]
  • Most kinds have a band around the edge of the body striped with orange or red; the western conenose of the Southwest may have only a plain light-brown edge, or none.[6]
  • The head has four-segmented antennae, prominent eyes and a straight, three-segmented beak that extends backward below the body; adults hold their wings flat over the back.[7]
  • Young kissing bugs hatch from small oval eggs and pass through five wingless nymph stages, each needing a blood meal before it molts. Only adults have wings and can fly.[1][6][7]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Bed bugsKissing bugs are larger, less rounded and winged as adults; bed bugs are small, flat and wingless.[8]
Western corsair and other assassin bugsThe western corsair is also drawn to porch lights and has a similar shape, but it is orange and black with an orange spot on each wing and feeds on other insects, not blood.[7]

Where it lives

Eleven kinds occur in the U.S., found in 29 states; Texas, New Mexico and Arizona have the most species and findings, and records are rare in states such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Illinois.[1]

US map: public records from 26 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

They feed on blood throughout life, from people, dogs and wild animals such as woodrats, raccoons, opossums and coyotes. They don't attach like ticks, and bites usually don't hurt while they feed; UC IPM says a meal takes 10 to 30 minutes.[1][7]

Adults fly toward lights at night and then crawl into houses.[1][7][9]

By day they hide in cracks and dark places. Outdoors they live under porches, in rock, wood and brush piles, in rodent nests and animal burrows, and in dog houses, kennels and chicken coops; in California the two main species live in the nests of woodrats and other wildlife.[10][7]

Dog kennels in southern states can attract them with heat and smell.[1]

Indoor encounters are common: in a Florida study, about a third of the bugs collected were found inside homes and nearly a quarter of tested blood meals came from people, and in Illinois and Missouri nearly all bugs sent in by the public were found indoors. In Texas most turned up at dog kennels and on patios, with activity peaking in June and July.[11][12][4]

Damage and signs

  • Bites usually happen at night and come in groups on the face, neck, arms and legs. They are painless at first but can itch and swell into a welt that lasts several days.[7][1]

Health risk

The Chagas parasite is in kissing bug droppings, not the bite: CDC says people are infected when the droppings get into a bite wound, a cut, the eyes or the mouth, and less often through blood transfusion, organ transplant, pregnancy or contaminated food. The early stage often has mild symptoms or none; about 20 to 30% of people with long-term infection develop serious heart or digestive problems, and treatment works best when started early. Texas DSHS says outdoor dogs are at higher risk, partly because some eat the bugs. The bites themselves can trigger allergic reactions up to anaphylaxis, which a review in Clinical Infectious Diseases calls the major concern with kissing bugs in the United States, especially in the Southwest.[10][2][13][14][3]

Control

Prevention

Turn off outside lights at night when it's safe, or keep yard lights away from the house.[1][9][7]

Have pets sleep indoors, especially at night, and clean pet resting areas regularly.[9]

Keep them out

Seal cracks and gaps around doors, windows, walls, roofs and baseboards, repair window screens, seal entrances to attics and crawl spaces, and don't leave doors or windows open without screens.[1][9][7]

Sanitation

Clear wood, brush and rock piles, wild animal and rodent nests, and trash from under and around the house so wildlife and the bugs stay away.[1][9][7]

When to call a professional

CDC says no insecticides are approved specifically for kissing bugs in the United States and that roach traps don't catch them, so talk with a pest control expert or extension agent before using any insecticide, and follow the label.[9][1]

Where sources disagree

Infection rates: a review in Clinical Infectious Diseases says the parasite may infect more than half of sampled bugs, and a 2013–2014 Texas study found it in 63.3%. Later studies found 40% of 30 bugs tested from Illinois and Missouri, 29.5% of 298 in Florida and 4 of 23 in North Carolina.[3][4][12][11][5]

U.S. cases: CDC's Chagas overview gives an estimated 280,000 people in the United States, while Texas DSHS cites a CDC estimate of about 300,000.[2][14]

How far north they reach: Texas A&M lists Illinois among states where kissing bugs are probably rare, while a 2024 study of records and public submissions suggests they are found throughout Missouri and possibly to Illinois' northern border.[1][12]

Life span: Texas A&M says some kinds live up to two years, while UC IPM describes a yearly life cycle for California's conenose bugs, with eggs laid in summer and autumn.[1][7]

Common questions

What should I do if I find a kissing bug?
Don't touch it with bare hands. Catch it with a glove or plastic bag, keep it in a closed container, clean the surface with a bleach solution, and freeze it for a few hours. Note where and when you found it and any bites. Texas A&M accepts photos and specimens for research, and state health departments such as Arizona's test bugs approved for testing.[6][15]
Can you tell a kissing bug bite by looking at it?
No. It's not usually possible to tell what bit you from the bite; if you're worried about a bite or about Chagas disease, see a healthcare provider.[6][13]
Can my dog get Chagas disease?
Yes. Infection has been reported in dogs in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and other states, and outdoor dogs face the most risk from kennel infestations and from eating the bugs. Texas DSHS says there are currently no drugs in the U.S. to treat infected dogs, so ask your veterinarian about testing and keep pets indoors at night.[14][9]
How common is Chagas disease in the United States?
CDC says the disease is most common in rural Mexico and Central and South America and is present in the U.S. but not regularly spread by the bugs here; Texas DSHS says most infected people in the U.S. are from high-risk parts of Latin America and that cases acquired in Texas do occur but are uncommon.[2][14]

Sources

  1. Texas A&M University Kissing Bug Community Science Program, “Kissing Bugs & Chagas Disease in the United States.” kissingbug.tamu.edu/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “About Chagas Disease (Sept. 4, 2024).” www.cdc.gov/chagas/about/index.html (accessed 2026-11-11)
  3. Clinical Infectious Diseases, via PubMed, “Klotz et al. (2010), "Kissing bugs": potential disease vectors and cause of anaphylaxis.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20462351/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
  4. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, via PubMed, “Curtis-Robles et al. (2015), Using citizen science to assess Chagas disease entomological risk in Texas.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26658425/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
  5. Journal of Medical Entomology, via PubMed, “Juhasz et al. (2026), A century of passive surveillance reveals widespread triatomines across North Carolina.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41804046/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
  6. Texas A&M University Kissing Bug Community Science Program, “Kissing Bugs: Frequently Asked Questions.” kissingbug.tamu.edu/faq/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
  7. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Pest Notes: Conenose Bugs, UC ANR Publication 7455.” ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/conenose-bugs/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
  8. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Pest Notes: Bed Bugs, Publication 7454 (May 2013).” ipm.ucanr.edu/legacy_assets/PDF/PESTNOTES/pnbedbugs.pdf (accessed 2026-11-11)
  9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Preventing Chagas Disease (Feb. 4, 2026).” www.cdc.gov/chagas/prevention/index.html (accessed 2026-11-11)
  10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “How Chagas Disease Spreads (Feb. 4, 2026).” www.cdc.gov/chagas/spreads/index.html (accessed 2026-11-11)
  11. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, via PubMed, “Beatty et al. (2025), Field evidence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection, diverse host use and invasion of human dwellings by the Chagas disease vector in Florida.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40623053/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
  12. Journal of Medical Entomology, via PubMed, “Santos et al. (2024), The distribution of triatomine vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi in Illinois and Missouri.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38070198/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
  13. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Treatment of Chagas Disease (Feb. 1, 2024).” www.cdc.gov/chagas/treatment/index.html (accessed 2026-11-11)
  14. Texas Department of State Health Services, Zoonosis Control, “Chagas Disease.” www.dshs.texas.gov/chagas-disease (accessed 2026-11-11)
  15. Arizona Department of Health Services, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, “ADHS Kissing Bug Submission Protocol.” www.azdhs.gov/documents/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/vector-borne-zoonotic-diseases/kissing-bug-testing-protocol.pdf (accessed 2026-11-11)
  16. iNaturalist, “Triatoma sanguisuga taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/322394 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-11-11. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.