Kissing Bugs in Phoenix: The Bite You Never Felt

You went to bed fine. You woke up with a swollen lip, a puffy eyelid, or a welt on your cheek that itches like nothing you’ve ever felt. You don’t recall being bitten. Your first thought is bed bugs, and your stomach drops.

Take a breath. You are not alone, and in a Phoenix home in July, bed bugs are often not the answer. Bill’s Pest Termite Control has been taking this call for over three generations, and this time of year, it usually points somewhere else: the kissing bug.

What a Kissing Bug Actually Is

The kissing bug, also called a conenose bug, is a blood-feeding insect with a narrow cone-shaped head and a flat dark body about half an inch to an inch long. The giveaway is the rim of the abdomen, where a border of orange-red or yellow spots runs down each side.

Arizona has seven species, but Triatoma rubida is the one Phoenix homeowners run into the most. Its saliva carries a mild anesthetic, which is why a person can sleep straight through a bite and wake up to the damage.

Why Are They Flying Into Homes Right Now?

Kissing bugs live outdoors in woodrat nests, called middens, where they feed on the rats. Between late May and the end of July, the adults take dispersal flights at dusk in search of a mate and a fresh meal, and that activity peaks in a short stretch from late June into early July.

The bugs fly toward light, so a bright porch bulb draws them straight to the house. Near dawn, they look for somewhere dark and cool to hide, slipping under a door sweep or through a gap around a window frame.

A midden in the yard is a strong source, but kissing bugs travel close to a mile. A neighbor’s woodpile or a wash behind the block wall can supply a bedroom just as easily.

Kissing Bug or Bed Bug?

• Kissing bugs fly in from outside. Bed bugs cannot fly, and arrive on luggage or secondhand furniture.
• Kissing bugs live in rat nests and visit once. Bed bugs live in your mattress seams, headboard, and box spring.
• Kissing bug bites usually land on exposed skin, often the face, as one or two swollen welts. Bed bug bites cluster in lines on arms, shoulders, and legs.
• Kissing bugs almost never establish indoors. Bed bugs reproduce indoors, and their numbers climb fast.

If the welts keep coming night after night in clusters, read our guide to the signs of bed bugs and call us. The two pests need completely different treatments, and guessing wastes weeks of treatment time.

The Bite, and When to Worry

Most people get swelling, redness, and an itch that can hang around for a week or longer. It’s miserable, but it passes.

Some people react strongly: hives, dizziness, low blood pressure, trouble breathing. That is a severe allergic reaction, and if it happens, call 911 rather than wait and see. For a bite that is not an emergency, Poison Control answers around the clock at 1-800-222-1222.

You may have read that kissing bugs carry the parasite behind Chagas disease. The parasite does show up in Arizona’s bugs and packrats, so it is worth taking seriously. Even so, locally acquired human cases are rare. The CDC reports that autochthonous human infections have been identified in only eight U.S. states, Arizona among them, and the parasite is mainly found in rural Mexico, Central America, and South America, where most people diagnosed in this country were infected. It is a reason for good habits, not lost sleep.

For an ordinary bite, wash the area with soap and water, and an over-the-counter antihistamine usually calms the itch. See your doctor if a bite worries you or is slow to heal.

How Do We Get Kissing Bugs Out, and Keep Them Out?

Kissing bugs follow packrats, so that is where our pest control starts. We locate and clear the middens (nests) on your property, which is why packrat control does more for a kissing bug problem than any spray around a bed frame.

From there, we seal the way in, closing up door sweeps, weep holes, window frames, and the gaps where utility lines pass through the wall. We treat the perimeter with EPA-approved products that are safe for your kids and pets.

We will also recommend switching your outdoor bulbs to yellow, since bright white lights draw kissing bugs straight toward the house after dark.

FAQ

Are kissing bugs breeding in my mattress?

Almost certainly not. They breed in packrat nests outdoors. If something is reproducing in your bedroom, you are dealing with bed bugs, which require a different treatment.

One bug flew in. Do I have an infestation?

Probably not. A single bug during flight season is a visitor. Several in a week suggest something on or near your property is hosting them, which is worth an inspection.

I killed one. Should I keep it?

Yes. Bag it and hang onto it. A real specimen tells our technicians exactly what you are dealing with, and it beats a blurry photo every time.

Let Our Family Protect Yours

You have worked hard for your home, and you should be able to sleep in it without wondering what might bite you. Bill’s Pest Termite Control is family-owned, born and raised in the same Sonoran Desert you call home, and backed by 8,000+ 5-star reviews from your Valley neighbors.

Call (602) 308-4510 today for your FREE inspection, evaluation, and quote. Text us any hour at (602) 786-7386.