How to Get Rid of Kissing Bugs: Your Guide

Kissing bugs, also known as conenose bugs, might sound harmless due to their peculiar name, but they pose serious health risks to humans and pests. They’re known to bite and suck blood from their victims, potentially transmitting a deadly illness called Chagas disease. As a homeowner, it’s vital to understand these insects before learning how to get rid of kissing bugs in your home or around your property. 

So, how do you kill a kissing bug? First, let’s learn how to identify and then look into the steps you need to take to eliminate them and prevent future infestations. 

Identifying Kissing Bugs

Kissing bugs have a distinctive appearance, with a dark brown or black body and red or orange stripes along the edges of the body. They’re typically one inch long with a flattened, oval-shaped body and a long cone-shaped head and beak that they use to pierce the skin of humans or pests. They tend to bite exposed areas of skin and have a similar bite to mosquitos and bed bugs that form small red, swollen spots that may itch and cause allergic reactions. 

To understand how to get rid of kissing bugs, it’s crucial to identify where they hide. As they’re primarily nocturnal, they mostly feed on sleeping mammals and hide in dark, cluttered areas in and around homes, especially near potential entry points. Common hiding sports include:

• Cracks and crevices in floors, walls, and furniture
• Near pet sleeping areas, rodent burrows, and animal nests 
• Around sleeping areas near mattresses, bed frames, and box springs
• Behind picture frames and baseboards
• Woodpiles or areas with uncollected leaf litter near houses

How to Get Rid of Kissing Bugs

Once you’ve identified kissing bugs in your home, it’s time for effective removal. We’re going to focus on a DIY approach that combines different methods to ensure maximum effectiveness.

Set Up Light Traps and Bait Stations

Before using any treatments, consider setting light traps or bait stations that attract kissing bugs. These can be set in common areas where they hide, like pet houses, room corners and edges, and window and door frames, making it easier to target them with your preferred control and elimination method. 

Thorough Vacuuming

Use a strong vacuum cleaner to remove eggs, nymphs (immature stage), and adult kissing bugs inside and around your home. Pay close attention to the areas mentioned above. Keep your home clean, and ensure pet sleeping areas are regularly vacuumed and cleaned, too.

Insecticide Treatments

For this, you’re going to use a two-prolonged approach. The first one involves using insecticide dust to apply a thin layer of residue in cracks and crevices, behind headboards, and around potential entry points. Be sure to follow the instructions on how to get rid of kissing bugs on the product label while paying close attention to safety precautions. 

The second step is using targeted aerosol sprays to eliminate bugs directly from contact. This option is best used for spot treatment in areas where you’ve seen kissing bugs. Some of the most effective pesticides and insecticides for controlling these bugs include wettable powders or insecticide formulations or pyrethroid insecticides such as deltamethrin, cypermethrin, or cyfluthrin, which are all fast-acting and have low toxicity to mammals. 

Prevention is Key

Kissing bugs are more likely to become a persistent problem if they can easily enter your living space. As part of learning how to get rid of kissing bugs, here are some preventative steps you can take:

• Use screens on windows and doors: Ensure your windows and doors have tight-fitting screens and repair or replace any existing screens with tears or holes. 

• Seal entry points: Inspect your home for tracks around doors, windows, foundations, vents, and utility lines. Use weather stripping or caulk to seal any openings. 

• Maintain your yard: Regularly clean your yard, prune trees and shrubs, and get rid of debris, piles of unused wood, and rock piles where these bugs might hide. 

• Light control: Turn off outside lights at night, especially near potential entry points. These bugs are attracted to light. Reducing illumination at night can help deter them. 

• Regular pet care: Don’t allow pets around your home to sleep outdoors, especially at night. Check their bedding and sleeping areas for signs of kissing bugs. 

Keep Your Home Bug Free

Now that we’ve answered the question “how do you kill a kissing bug?” with our tips on how to get rid of kissing bugs, it becomes easier to take control of an infestation and keep your home bug-free. At DIY Pest Warehouse, we provide a wide selection of DIY pest control products, including insecticides and sprays, to help you eliminate kissing bugs and other pests. Shop now.