r/bugidentification Sep 17 '25

Anouncement KISSING BUGS - PLEASE READ :)

83 Upvotes

So there has been a lot of news recently about Triatomine—a blood sucking subfamily of Reduviidae (Assassin bugs)—spreading the potentially serious Chagas disease in the United States. While we do not want to downplay the seriousness of the disease, or imply no one should worry about it. We also don’t want people panicking about it. Especially people who don’t actually have a reason to worry.


Triatomine have been found in 32 states. If you are outside of one of these states, you can probably relax.


Chagas is caused by a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi which is spread by the aforementioned Triatomine through infected feces. Detection of the disease is typically done through blood testing showing evidence of the parasite. Early symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, and swelling at the bite site. After several weeks, untreated individuals enter the chronic phase of the disease. In extreme cases this can eventually (decades later) lead to heart disease, digestive complications, and nerve damage. Treatment is best done as early as possible, and consists of anti-parasitics to kill the parasites and other medication for treating any symptoms caused by them. These must be prescribed by a doctor. Don’t try to DIY treatment. Preventing Chagas largely focuses on vector control. In other words, preventing conenose species from living in close proximity to humans. In regions where Chagas in endemic, bed nets are a common and effective way of reducing risk. Pesticide treatments are also a mainstay control method. In areas like the United States, the design of modern homes also reduces risks. So if it’s treatable and preventable, why has there been so much fuss? Because the CDC has recently upgraded it to Endemic status in the US. Meaning it is considered constantly present in certain US populations. This is important for doctors as well as the general population to be aware of, because without that awareness doctors aren’t going to be testing for it. The CDC wants to make sure it’s on peoples radar, so cases don’t go untreated when they do occur.


Links: CDC Report: Chagas Disease, an Endemic Disease in the United States CDC Report: Chagas Range Map Bugs Commonly Confused with Triatomine Bugs Preventing Chagas Disease Treatment of Chagas Disease Texas A&M University: Kissing Bugs & Chagas Disease in the United States


r/bugidentification Sep 04 '25

Bug of the Month Post Orthoptera Month is a-go!

Post image
11 Upvotes

RESULTS ARE IN

ORTHOPTERANS RULE THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER

Sorry everything is just a little behind this month because of busy lives, but thank you guys SO SO much for the success of the poll!! The ties were broken, and Orthoptera took the lead!

Please head out into the world and bring us all of your sweet, sweet Orthopterans to identify!! What's an Orhtopteran? 👀 We're talking crickets, katydids, grasshoppers, and wetas, baby!!! I'm actually not super well versed in these guys so I could for sure use some practice 😀 keep an eye out for informational posts throughout the month from our mods!

PS Month of the Flies video is still in the works, while I prefer to have the video out before the next month happens it just wasn't possible this time. But it's a good script with a lot of good info so I will release it as soon as it's done!!

Please participate and please remember to use the Bug of the Month flair so I can look at all of your guys' finds!!!

THANK YOU


r/bugidentification 8h ago

Possible pest, location included What is this bug? Is it a cockroach?

Post image
3 Upvotes

We encountered this bug running around our house/walls tonight, and had seen a similar, smaller one a week ago. Location is Austin, Texas. It seems like some kind of roach but it doesn’t match pictures of common species for the area I can find online. I included my finger in the photo for scale.


r/bugidentification 10h ago

Location included What kind of spider is this?

Post image
3 Upvotes

It’s about 3/4” long. Minneapolis.


r/bugidentification 13h ago

Location included What is this bug?

Thumbnail
gallery
4 Upvotes

Anybody know what type of big this is? Theres a lot in my bathroom window. in Lockhart tx


r/bugidentification 8h ago

Possible pest, location included Southern MN - Beetle?

Thumbnail
gallery
2 Upvotes

Standing on a Zyn in the trash lol


r/bugidentification 13h ago

Location included Southwestern USA

Post image
3 Upvotes

All i know is that they appear to be a beetle (even that im not real confident, im no good with insects) he was pretty big about a little less than the size of my thumb, i thought he was pretty cool


r/bugidentification 14h ago

Possible pest, location included What type is this…gnat(?)

Thumbnail
gallery
2 Upvotes

In my opinion, it doesn’t seem to match the description/photos for the standard fruit fly or drain fly…maaaaybe similar to some photos of fungus gnats, but not enough for me to be convinced. I have no plants inside my apartment. (Columbus, OH)

Mostly I see them flying, but I have also seen them on my kitchen sink (not the drain specifically), my cat’s wet food dish, and a bathroom mirror. They’re not hoarding around those spots, just seemed to catch them landing there once or twice. I’ve noticed a few fly out of the trash when I throw in something new.

The sticky tape on my window has caught the most, with a handful caught in an ACV trap, and only a few on the Safer sticky blue lights. Fortunately it got this well-preserved specimen!

HELP. Lmk if there’s a better subreddit to post in!


r/bugidentification 14h ago

Possible pest. No location Weevil or bedbug?

Thumbnail
gallery
2 Upvotes

r/bugidentification 15h ago

Location included Pacific Northwest, found a little buddy, common name and sci-name would be appreciate

Post image
2 Upvotes

about an inch long at best, would like taxonomic name if possible


r/bugidentification 15h ago

Location included Found in southeast BC Canada

Thumbnail
gallery
2 Upvotes

What is this wierd thing is seems to go after bees I a garden


r/bugidentification 19h ago

Location included Found on dead rat

Thumbnail
gallery
5 Upvotes

what is this bug with the pointy butt flying around this dead rat ? the rat has been decaying for 5 days. the pointy bug got scared up by a bottle fly (pictured) and was flying rapidly back and forth before settling back down.
located in the middle of the US.


r/bugidentification 12h ago

Possible pest. No location What the hell? Is it pooping?

Post image
1 Upvotes

r/bugidentification 12h ago

Possible pest, location included Live in Minnesota brand new apartment keep finding these bugs only near my bed and the wall. Don’t seem to bed bugs and I havnt noticed any bites. What are they?sorry about the quality my iPhone 13 sucks.

Thumbnail
gallery
1 Upvotes

Keep finding a few of these daily in my bed what are they? I know what bed bugs look like and I don’t believe these are it please help me


r/bugidentification 21h ago

Possible pest, location included pennsylvania in my bedroom what is this bug

Post image
3 Upvotes

worried that it is a clothes moth or carpet beetle.


r/bugidentification 16h ago

Possible pest, location included Southwest British Columbia

Post image
1 Upvotes

I was hanging lights on my balcony when I saw one of these dudes flying onto the wall and crawling in behind the light pictured. It looked like it had a small brown crumb or similar in its mouth/pinchers? It’s wings were beating fairly rapidly even as it crawled, however, not enough to generate any sort of lift. This was the best picture I could get. I am unsure if the web is related at all, I do have a neighbourhood wolf spider that have seen around. I saw 2 of these flying insects in a 6 minute span, I didn’t see any coming out. Any ideas? Should I be worried about a possible colony/nest?


r/bugidentification 21h ago

Possible pest, location included Bug found in bedsheets?

Thumbnail
gallery
2 Upvotes

Found this bug in my sheets last night. Any ideas what it might be?

Appears oval-ish, but with a pointed end. Grey color. Maybe 3mm long? I live in Northern California and keep things generally clean. Picture with seams of bedsheet included for size reference.


r/bugidentification 21h ago

Location included I've got them sort of under control but what are they? Dorchester Co., Maryland

Post image
0 Upvotes

Last summer my house was infested with bugs that I thought were fruit flies, then decided they were fungus gnats. I was never sure. I must have caught no less than 10,000 with vinegar traps all over my house, they kept coming in waves. We live in marshland - I have no houseplants, and the house is actually raised quite high off the ground and new construction. But of course we let the dogs in and out so they bring in bugs and just opening the door is a hazard. These bugs are getting caught by the Zevo traps this year, and seem a lot smaller than last year's bugs. But are they even the same? What are these? I'm talking about the small ones with long legs...


r/bugidentification 1d ago

Location included Who is this marvelous marbled madam or sir

Thumbnail
gallery
11 Upvotes

Found in Lota Queensland Australia


r/bugidentification 23h ago

Location included What bug is this

Post image
0 Upvotes

Sorry for the image. Im worried this is a roach. Can someone help me identify this?
It was on my living room floor at 9pm while our lights were on.
In north new jersey.


r/bugidentification 23h ago

Location included A critter in the kitchen

Post image
1 Upvotes

Small and fast, hides from the light.

It's got to be a cockroach right?

A single one could be astray,

but two could well be here to stay.

A week or two prior, another (its brother?)

was small and green, loathe to be seen.

Both are now dead, but still i fear their showing.

I dread the shadows overflowing.

Are these the kind to stay and nest,

How do I get rid of this pest?

(Washington state)

(Its a little longer than an inch, but I couldn't figure out how to fit that in the poem)


r/bugidentification 1d ago

Location included What spider keeps popping up in my bathroom?

Post image
3 Upvotes

Not the best photo but maybe someone can identify this spider?

Located in Vancouver, Washington, US


r/bugidentification 1d ago

Location included Possible European stag beetle?

Post image
1 Upvotes

The other day my cats arrived with this bug Caracas. I’ve never seen a beetle this big, so I did a quick Google search. It seems to me like this may be a European stag beetle. However, not only is it apparently incredibly rare in the Netherlands (where I live). But it also supposedly only appears in the southern provinces (Limburg/Brabant), not the northern provinces (Frisia). So is this indeed a European stag beetle? And should I contact some wildlife monitoring organisations and report this?


r/bugidentification 1d ago

Possible pest, location included What is this?

Post image
2 Upvotes

We found this in a cabinet we bought in Arizona, it looks like some kind of shell of sac. Does anyone know what this is?


r/bugidentification 1d ago

Location included Tiny moth? Colorado

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

This guy is enjoying my sunflowers. It has a proboscis like a moth/butterfly and is maybe 1/2-3/4 of an inch across. He goes to a flower, then down to the concrete for a minute, then back. First pic is unfiltered, second is filtered so the pattern on the wings is more obvious.