OUCH!
Location: Hillsborough, California
January 31, 2011 12:30 am
I put on a pair of rubber gloves sitting next to the laundry room sink to wash my dog. I thought I was having a ”charlie horse” on my hand (is that even possible?) and then it felt like someone was pushing a needle in my hand. I realized I was being bitten. I threw off the gloves and shook out the contents and this is what fell out? Can you please identify this creepy looking bug ?????? Is is at all dangerous???? I guess it’s not deadly since it happened on Friday (January 28, 2011) and I am still alive on Sunday. Will you inform me if you can identify it or do I have to keep checking the website? Thank you!!!!!
Signature: M. Better

Assassin Bug

Dear M. Better,
This is an Assassin Bug, most likely in the genus Zelus.  They are beneficial predators, however, they have been known to bite humans, and as you indicate, the bite is quite painful.  Most of our reports of bites result after accidental encounters like your own, or through careless handling.  The insect bites with its piercing mouthparts that are used to suck fluids from the hapless insect and arthropod prey.  Though painful, the bite is not considered dangerous.

Bite mark of an Assassin Bug

Daniel,
Thanks for the quick response!   I looked up the Assassin Bug, genus Zelus, on your website and saw a bug that was similar but didn’t have that dreadful looking hook of a mouth.  Does that particular insect have a “hook” mouth?  Is the “hook” the part that penetrates it’s victims?  Is the insect able to point the hook straight forward to penetrate or is it always in the hook position?  Thanks!
M. Better

Hi again,
All Assassin Bugs have similar mouthparts.  There is some degree of mobility in the organ.

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Curious find in my apartment
Location: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
January 8, 2011 8:17 am
Last summer, I first found this strange insect crawling on my sink – I thought it a spider at first for its odd structure, but on closer inspection noticed it had only six legs.
Its hind legs were larger, and bent – its locomotion looks somewhat like if a human were on their back, pushing themselves by bending their knees up, planting their feet, and pushing.
This seems to be most of its movement, pushing with those big hind legs and then lesser movement with the front.
It almost looks dusty on its body, like its hairs trap debris or possibly is a natural camouflage of some sort. Has two long whisker-like antennae coming from its head.
Doesn’t seem to be a very powerful crawler against gravity; a tupperware container was suitable for trapping it, as it was unable to make its way up the sides.
That specimen last summer was only maybe 4 mm long, very small, very hard to see.
This morning, however, I discovered a much larger one, somewhere from 8 to 10 mm in size on my wall. I captured it as well, but haven’t had any photos of it yet – if perhaps something more is needed yet that the pictures I have of the first specimen are needed, I can attempt to send them in, as well.
Please note that while these admittedly lower-resolution than needed photos of this tiny bug [again, only about 4 mm in length] seem to appear as if it has two pincer-like legs raised and may appear like that of a pseudoscorpion, those are in fact its larger back legs, with the head opposite. They appear raised because it preferred the rounded edge of the tupperware container it was in.
Thanks, and I appreciate any help you may have on this enigmatic fellow.
Signature: Jude Reed

Masked Hunter

Hi Jude,
Despite the lack of clarity in your photo, the outline of this Masked Hunter, a species of Assassin Bug, is unmistakable.  The immature Masked Hunter has a sticky body surface that attracts dust and lint acting as a camouflage for the insect.  Masked Hunters are beneficial predators, but they should be handled with care as they might bite.  Bed Bug infestations seem to be ubiquitous in the news media of late, and the Masked Hunter is often called a Masked Bed Bug Hunter, indicating that they are natural predators of the nocturnal blood suckers.

Aha! I thank you many times over for the info. And it even answered as well my curiosity I’d had about the bugs that occasionally pop up in summers for me – the adult Masked Hunters seem to be the answer there, as well.
You’ve helped me twofold, and I appreciate it fourfold. Thank you.

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Black Bug is South Dakota
Location: South Dakota
January 1, 2011 12:40 am
It is almost January, 30 minutes away to be exact. I am in Brookings South Dakota. This bug flew into my bathroom and surprised me. Reminded me a bit of a boxelder bug but without the red. Is it unusual to see bugs in the dead of winter?
Signature: -Brooke

Masked Hunter

Hi Brooke,
This is a species of Assassin Bug known as a Masked Hunter, Reduvius personatus.  The common name Masked Hunter refers to the ability of the immature insect to camouflage itself with dust and debris because of its sticky body surface.  The debris is often accumulated in its immediate surroundings.  We have one image in our archive of an immature Masked Hunter covered in turquoise fibers because the house in which it was living had a turquoise carpet.  Masked Hunters are beneficial predators in the home and they are also known as Masked Bed Bug Hunters, a fact that should bring comfort to many who worry about the prevalence of media attention to the epidemic of Bed Bugs nationwide.  According to BugGuide, the Masked Hunter is:  “Capable of inflicting a painful bite if handled but does not feed on blood, and does not transmit disease“, so it should be handled with care.

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Is this a Kissing Bug?
Location: Carbondale, IL
December 14, 2010 4:09 pm
I’ve lived in Brasil for awhile and there I saw this bug once before, but it looked a little different.
I found this bug in a clothing hamper in Southern IL.
Also – if once suspects having the Chagas disease, how can you be tested to find out?
Signature: – Alais de Hoogh

Eastern Bloodsucking Conenose Bug

Hi Alais,
This is an Eastern Bloodsucking Conenose Bug, Triatoma sanguisuga, and members of the genus are frequently called Kissing Bugs because they bite sleeping individuals on the lips.  According to BugGuide:  “Natural habitat is nests of small mammals. Sometimes invades houses” and “Sometimes bites humans, and the bite may be severe, causing an allergic reaction.“  Of the entire genus, BugGuide indicates:  “Bite can cause severe allergic reaction in many humans. Bite and defecation into bite can transmit Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan. The most notorious vector is T. infestans, found in South America. The North American species are not normally thought to transmit the disease, though they can carry the parasite. (The North American species do not normally defecate at the site of the bite, which is what actually transmits the parasite.“  We do not give medical advice and if you suspect Chagas Disease, you should seed professional medical attention.  Your physician should be able to provide information on testing for Chagas Disease.

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