Wondering about kissing bugs.

I have been around for a long time and I am not sure if I had ever seen a Kissing Bug before. That has changed, for sure. It seems that in the last few days they have been showing up around my place. A few days ago, I saw one on the outside of my screened in porch. I got my camera, went out the side door, came around the house, and tried to get a picture of it. It would have been a good picture because the sun was hitting it just right. When I approached it, it just flew off. I didn’t know that they were that skittish. It was only a day before that when I killed one outside.


Just a couple of days after that, I saw one on the inside of the screen. I got my camera and went out onto the porch, but this time I didn’t get close to it. I just used the telephoto feature on the camera to zoom in on it. The light was all wrong; it was shining from behind the bug. I knew this would not be a good picture but took it anyway. See for yourself:

I killed that one and another one on the next day. All of a sudden the number of these bugs that I have seen has ballooned from none to four and counting. Not sure if I want to see any more. Of course the trouble happens when they find you and you don’t see them. About 4 or 5 years ago, a woman who lived just up the road from us was bitten on the leg by one. It appeared that the bug bit her in multiple places. It was probably disturbed while feeding on her and had to bite multiple times. (The kissing bug [conenose beetle] injects an anesthetic along with the bite so the victim does not feel a thing.) This lady, along with complications from infections, was on crutches for a period of time.


I always heard and believed that they were only found in desert areas. My area of East Texas is lush and green with both hardwood and pine forests. At least it used to be and still is, but if we don’t get some rain soon, it will be a desert. Do you think the kissing bugs know something we don’t? (grin)

I know that the picture I took does not show the bug very well, but if anyone out there recognizes it as something different than a kissing bug or conenose beetle, please let me know.

Got to go, it is time to take the dogs to the groomer. You all have a nice day, you hear?