Bloodsucking Conenose

This Alert is being posted because of the number of pictures and specimens I’ve recently received of adult kissing bugs being found in Ohio homes. The kissing bugs are native to Ohio and called the bloodsucking conenose.

The native kissing bug nymph (immature) shown in the lead photograph for this BYGL Alert was given to me last week by a couple who live in eastern Hamilton County, OH. The nymph was collected inside their home. The scientific name for the bug is Triatoma sanguisuga.

This past week, the Kissing Bug Triatoma sanguisuga was identified from images sent to OSU Entomology from a resident in Warren County and to OSU Extension, Butler County, from a resident in that county. This kissing bug was given the approved common name of Bloodsucking Conenose by the Entomological Society of America (ESA).

Rising spring temperatures have been rousing fall home invaders from their winter slumber inside wall voids, attics, etc. The intruders migrated into these spaces last fall through openings around window frames and door jams. Attics with unscreened outdoor vents or poorly fitting soffits can become 5-star bug hotels.

Insects belonging to the Hemipteran family Reduviidae are collectively known as “Assassin Bugs.” The family includes over 190 species in North America and they are all are meat eaters. The common name for the family clearly describes how these stealthy hunters make a living.

I met Cindy Meyer at her OSU Extension, Butler County, office yesterday to take pictures of a bloodsucking conenose (Triatoma sanguisuga) that had been collected by a concerned homeowner.  This is the second time I've taken pictures of this "kissing bug" species in Ohio.  The first time was in 2010 when I found a specimen crawling on the outside of my home in Butler County.  According to a paper published in the Ohio Journal of Science in 1960 titled, "Arthropods of Medical Importance in Ohio," the bloodsucking conenose is found in southern Ohio.  So, finding the...