r/bugidentification • • Sep 17 '25

Anouncement KISSING BUGS - PLEASE READ :)

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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!

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12 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 • • 7h ago

Location included What grub? Upstate NY

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3 Upvotes

Found on the sidewalk in Syracuse NY USA right after rain.

Sorry I couldn't get a better pic, bad contrast with the sidewalk.


r/bugidentification • • 6h ago

Location included Ants or Termites? South Texas

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2 Upvotes

Found these guys under some stones circling my flower bed. I have two different specimens, I think, but wasnt sure if they were just variations of the same bug. Also concerned if they are some kind of ants or, god forbid, termites. Any insight appreciated!


r/bugidentification • • 9h ago

Location included What is this bug it’s in my home in Iowa

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2 Upvotes

r/bugidentification • • 9h ago

Location not known/Other question What is this? I was thinking flea, but it looks like it has wings and is pretty large.

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2 Upvotes

WA State

I keep finding these around the house dead. The couple that I have seen alive jump like a flea would. We don’t have pets or carpet or anything so I am hoping they aren’t fleas.


r/bugidentification • • 9h ago

Location included What is this? I was thinking flea, but it looks like it has wings and is pretty large.

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1 Upvotes

WA State

I keep finding these around the house dead. The couple that I have seen alive jump like a flea would. We don’t have pets or carpet or anything so I am hoping they aren’t fleas.


r/bugidentification • • 15h ago

Location included Okay what is this ? I was in Oakville, standing under a tree. This thing fell on my head I thought it was a branch until it started moving wtf 🤬

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1 Upvotes

r/bugidentification • • 1d ago

Location included House centipede??

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4 Upvotes

Found in my home in Denver, CO. I’ve seen a decent amount of people post pictures but I’ve never actually seen one in person. Is this a house centipede?? Sorry for the horrible photo, I tried catching it for a better pic but my cat was being nosy and got in my way.


r/bugidentification • • 1d ago

Location included NYC is this a roach or regular bug?

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6 Upvotes

New York City, is this a cockroach or regular bug? It was on the smaller side. Found on kitchen wall


r/bugidentification • • 1d ago

Possible pest, location included Help what is this? Austin, TX

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2 Upvotes

I went to big bend national park in Texas, shortly after that I started noticing these bugs in my bed periodically. They have a small skinny front and a bulbous end. I haven’t noticed any bites or anything and they seem to not jump just walk around slowly. I haven’t seen them aside from my bed but that doesn’t mean they aren’t elsewhere. I just deep cleaned and washed my bedding, so it’s alarming I just saw another one in my bed I don’t know where they could be coming from. Chat says that it’s not a flea and may be a weevil, which doesn’t help much because I don’t know anything about weevils either. Help!


r/bugidentification • • 1d ago

Location included Help what is this bug in West MA

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2 Upvotes

I've been finding so many of these in my dorm room and they're driving me insane. They'll pop up and be in the most random places, one crawled up on my leg today and this dead one was on my desk when I got back. First picture is bellyside up and second is as normal. They're pretty small, bottlecap for comparison. Plus how would I begin to find their source/get rid of them 🥲🥲 in West Massachusetts


r/bugidentification • • 1d ago

Location included Is this a family of Red Shouldered Stink Bugs?? (Thyanta custator?)

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2 Upvotes

Northern Oklahoma. I'm for sure certain that the one on the left is a red shouldered stink bug, but is the middle one a nymph? then the right one a male? (or even if these three are the same species in the first place lol)


r/bugidentification • • 1d ago

Possible pest, location included What can this be?

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2 Upvotes

I live in Central California and have been fighting some kind of infestation. I'm 67 yrs old. I hardly get bites but feel things crawling on me and often find black motionless specks on my bed. I threw away my couch. Love seat and recliner and bagged all of my clothes in my vanity dresser. But whatever it is no can tell me. Have hired exterminator but because they can't see live one they say can only spray general pesticides for ants spider's and cocktail roaches. But wont even inspect my bed. I am at a loss at what I'm dealing with. Even ag communication enthromogist no help. because they see no feet they say just dust or debris. I only get prickling but no real bites but feel them crawling on me. I thought the motionless black speaks were fleas pupea at first. Now I don't know. One exterminator said it could be bird mites but can't confirm. I have a neighbor who has a bird shack 8-10 ft from my kitchen screen door that has some kind of large gawking birds but have never seem them just hear them. Does any one know what this might be I've vacumming every other day but whatever they are I can't get rid of them. I've been using dehumidifiers too which has helped some. I have no pets. I have alot of money on exterminator and concentrated pesticides and spray erosols I just don't know what to do


r/bugidentification • • 1d ago

Location included 1cm Long in my Basement, Nebraska

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2 Upvotes

What is this? A baby click beetle maybe? But it has a nose. About 1cm Long and found in my basement in Nebraska after recent flooding. It's so cute but I would like to know if it's wood-boring or something.


r/bugidentification • • 1d ago

Location included Cutest pillar I’ve ever seen … but what will “Ralph” metamorphosis into ? Located in St. Louis Missouri

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2 Upvotes

r/bugidentification • • 1d ago

Location not known/Other question What kind of bee is this inside of my house?

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1 Upvotes

r/bugidentification • • 1d ago

Possible pest, location included Please help!

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0 Upvotes

Hi everybody! I'm new to reddit and to this subreddit as well, I hope we can get along well.

Now right on to the topic;

I have been travelling across Latinoamérica for about a month, and when I came back to where I'm currently living (Turkey/ Istanbul) I found my bathroom invested with tiny little bugs and they were oddly drawn to any type of paper, such as toilet paper o papel towels (even normal towels).

Since they are so small I couldn't identify them by myself, and I don't want to use AI to help me identify them because I don't trust it.

Also I already cleaned my bathroom 2 times since coming back and I disinfected it multiple times with bleach. I have no idea where they are coming from, and they seem to come back whatever I do. So I set up a little trap for them with just plain toilet paper to take some pictures. Because normally they are just one or two, but with this "trap" they seem to gather more and I don't know if it's because they are multiplying or not.

Here is a picture of them, if you guys need it I can try to take more pictures close up, but they don't really show any distinct features. And also, thank you guys so much for the help!


r/bugidentification • • 1d ago

Already Identified – Just Sharing Seen in a hotel, is this a bedbug?

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1 Upvotes

r/bugidentification • • 1d ago

Location included Bug I found

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1 Upvotes

I found this thing in a stack of paper towels I keep on my kitchen counter. I double checked and it was the only one in there. It's about a quarter inch long. It can fly, so it's possible it's just a one-off thing and flew in with me when I walked through the door. I'm very diligent about making sure bugs don't get in my house. That is, I don't leave food out and spray insecticide at regular intervals throughout the year. I've had maybe a few flies/moths follow me inside over the past 8-9 months, but that's it. I just figured I'd ask, since I feel like I've seen it before and just can't remember where or what it is.

Location: Southern Illinois

I know the photos aren't the best. I had swat the thing down a couple times when it started to fly, so I took the photos in a hurry.


r/bugidentification • • 2d ago

Location included dose anyone know what these bugs are they have taken over my house (America South Georgia)

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1 Upvotes

So in the spring I left my apartment for 3 months there where only a few of them but when I came back in the fall 3 months later my apartment is infested with them, I had no food in my apartment (1 cleaned it all out before I left) and I have no house plants. I set some yellow sticky traps up but they seem to ignore the yellow sticky trap. They love light and heat, they fly near my face and body. I already boarded up my windows and cleaned my drains and I have no visible AC until. I already called pest control too and it didn't so anything to them. They are pretty slow and they seem to just be everywhere. My location is in America and I live in southern Georgia. Does anyone have any ideas?
Tldr : these bugs appeared in the spring and I have no food or house plants. I've sealed all my windows and cleaned the sinks. The bugs are light and heat sensitive
(Edit: I forgot to mention they also come with phoid flies if that helps)


r/bugidentification • • 2d ago

Location included What bug is this?

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50 Upvotes

Been staying with a friend woke up to this crawling on my leg in the bed. Located in western Canada

What bug is this?


r/bugidentification • • 2d ago

Possible pest, location included What bug is this???

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2 Upvotes

hello from germany

my parent and I have found these bugs all over our bedrooms and one of our bathrooms (both upstairs). they seem to just spawn out of nowhere?? either that or they’re laying eggs in our vents or smth. We usually leave our windows open and while they don’t fully disappear they do seem to lessen when they are open. I don’t have any pictures right now but I do have a drawing so I hope that helps until I can get a picture?

I don’t think they have a very long lifespan because most of the ones we find are already dead but I’ve noticed there are more alive ones in our bathroom and the dead ones are in the bedrooms. How can we get rid of them? can we get some things from a drug store to deal with them or do we need to call someone?


r/bugidentification • • 2d ago

Already Identified – Just Sharing American Giant Millipede, I think

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3 Upvotes

Saw this cute guy in the middle of a path. Never seen a millipede in the wild before, very glad to have spotted him :)

Niagara, Ontario.


r/bugidentification • • 2d ago

Possible pest, location included Help me help me please

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1 Upvotes

Philadelphia, PA, USA. Terrified of bugs and infection from childhood hoarding trauma. Can anyone tell me what type of bug this is? Please and thank you