Kissing bugs are best known as blood-sucking insects that belong to the Triatominae family of insects. These insects attack human beings while they sleep for the sake of their food. Their name sounds creepy as kissing bugs because they bite around your eye and mouth or face at night when you sleep. Moreover, these insects can transmit a fatal disease named as Chagas which is incurable. It can cause immense health risks to make it worse. However, causalities are not even more common but it is an absolutely life-threatening danger for you. Here, you will discover all the information about kissing bugs included how to get rid of kissing bugs, Where Do Kissing Bugs Hide in a Home, Do kissing bugs fly, What Does a Kissing Bug Bite Mark Looks Like and more. Let’s dig into it!
Where Do Kissing Bugs Hide in a Home?
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Kissing bugs hide inside the dwellings (under carpets), secluded areas, under rocks and bricks, piles of garden trash and broken tiles. You can also found them in your pet bedding. They also hide inside the chicken pens, hamster nests, pet kennels, etc. They come out during the night time through windows and doors into your homes.
Do kissing bugs fly?
The kissing bugs develop the wings during their adulthood but they don’t have a habit to make their wings mobile in normal condition unless they are hungry. They use their wings and fly to find their food but the only the adult kissing bugs can do the same.
What Does a Kissing Bug Bite Mark Looks Like?
The kissing bug bite mark looks like violet-colored lesion and it usually appears around your mouth and eyes. But the kissing bugs might bite on other body parts such as feet, face, arms, and head. The swelling appears in the bite area after 7 days of the bite. The reason behind the swelling is that the bite site has the inflammation due to the proliferation of the bugs in the tissues of your skin. This condition is called “Chagoma”.
Symptoms of Kissing Bug Bite
Kissing bugs come out at night and bite while you are sleeping that leads to inflammation, swelling, and lesions. The lesion swell mark persists for up to one week. It has also acute reactions that may last up to thirty days. The reported reactions of kissing bug bites are difficulty in breathing at night and itchiness while walking, headache, rashes, fatigue, abdominal pain, body ache, diarrhea and more. Other symptoms of kissing bugs bites are severe redness and swollen eyelids.
How to get rid of kissing bugs naturally
There are some proven ways that will help you how to get rid of kissing bugs when you find them inside your dwellings. Moreover, these methods will also help you to eradicate the infestation but it depends on the locality of kissing bugs.
Clean up Wood and stone Piles
The piles of stone and wood are the best place to live kissing bugs. So make sure to clean up the piles of wood, brush, and stone in your backyard.
Use Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth
The food-grade diatomaceous earth could be effective when it comes to control or eliminate the kissing bugs from your home. Sprinkle the food-grade diatomaceous earth powder where the kissing bugs tend to hide for example under mattresses, carpet, ceilings, window cracks, etc. This white powder is safe to use for the kids and pets. But don’t use it for instant control of kissing bugs.
Vacuuming:
Vacuuming is the best remedy when it comes to pest infestation. So, keep your home clean and tidy by floor mopping, vacuuming, wiping surfaces with water and bleach because these pests can lead to fatal disease.
Pet Hygiene
Only vacuuming is not enough when you are going to get rid of kissing bugs. The cleanliness of your pet is vital because they become the main source to bring kissing bugs in your house. Moreover, the strains of bugs incline pets to medical complications. With the cleanliness of your pets, also focus on the hygiene of the kennels of your pet because it can decrease the risk of Chagas disease (due to kissing bug bites).
Hang fresh-cut rosemary bouquets
If you want to see kissing bugs fizzing about then hanging fresh cut bunches of rosemary or mint near nests sites (crevices, sheltered alcoves, railings, canopies, attics, under bricks, etc.) could be a great idea. The reason is that the herbs are natural repellent and rosemary has more effective repellent for parasites. If you don’t want to see kissing bugs in your home then this natural remedy will help you to get rid of these parasites.
Sprinkle cinnamon Powder
Kissing bugs enter your house from open doors and windows. First off, check all entry areas of kissing bugs and sprinkle the cinnamon powder over there to keep these parasites out of your house. Also, clean up the floor surfaces and kitchen counters with the water-vinegar solution. For this solution, take an equal amount of water and white vinegar in a bottle and clean their entry areas.
Homemade Repellent Spray
Ingredients you will need for this homemade repellent spray:
- Essential oil (organic) of Lemon Eucalyptus: 1 bottle
- Sunflower oil (Organic): 1 bottle
- Amber glass or Cobalt blue: 1 bottle
Method:
- Take one glass bottle and fill it with sunflower oil (organic). This oil will act as thinner for essential oil and it gives the smooth touch to the skin.
- Now add 12-24 drops of organic essential oil of Lemon Eucalyptus in this bottle. You can add more drops according to the size of the bottle. For the 8oz of sunflower oil, use only 10 drops of organic essential oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. If you choose a large bottle of sunflower carrier oil then you may add more drops. Whatever the size of the batch is, take 10 parts of sunflower carrier oil for 1 part of organic essential oil of Lemon Eucalyptus.
- Now tightly close the opening of the bottle and blend this mixture of oils by shaking them well.
- Spray this repellent on the potential nest’s areas and hiding areas of kissing bugs.
- Make sure to store this repellent spray in a dark and cool place. The daylight and heat can destroy the characteristic properties of sunflower oil and organic essential oil of Lemon Eucalyptus
- Use this repellent spray under the adult command and keep out of it from the reach of children. Don’t let your eyes come into contact with organic essential oil of Lemon Eucalyptus because it could cause a sensation of burning and irritation.
Sleeping Habits
Kissing bugs prey while you sleep and excrete on the lesion which upsurges the menace of Chagas disease. So, it is advised that you should use repellent infused clothing fabric for your bedding. Furthermore, close the bedroom doors while sleeping and fill the window holes with some cloth because the kissing bugs could enter the rooms through open doors and window holes. Your good sleeping habits not only prevent you to become the sleeping victim of kissing bugs but also control their home entry.
Conclusion:
Hope you enjoy the incredible journey! You could keep the kissing bugs away using these methods of how to get rid of kissing bugs. To identify the symptoms of kissing bugs and their spotting is so simple if you consider our guidelines. Also, you could consult your local pest control expert for treatment choices and use insecticides as an alternative. The sleeping habits, vacuuming, home cleaning routines, pet cleanliness, cleaning of rock piles and rodent control could also control the growth of kissing bugs. Leave a comment and let us know which natural remedy you are using to get rid of these life-threating insects.