Question: I found this insect on my gas grill today. Is this the kissing bug I have been reading about?
Answer: What you are seeing is the giant agave bug (Acanthocephala thomasi). Kissing bugs (Triatoma species) are smaller and don’t have the bright orange feet and orange tips on the antennae. Also, the kissing bugs feed primarily on mammals, such as pack rats and humans, whereas the bug you found feeds on plants. Recently, there was a flurry of news reports in other parts of the country on the kissing bugs and the associated Chagas disease they can transmit. These stories then spread through social media, gathering some misinformation as they went. So I understand why you are concerned. Despite the media hype, this was not actually new information.
Kissing bugs are more common in the Southwest. However, the risk of Chagas disease transmission in Arizona is very low, according to University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Specialist Dawn Gouge. UA researchers found a high rate of infection (about 40 percent) of kissing bugs in southern Arizona by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi that causes the Chagas disease infection. However, the kissing bugs in Arizona differ from those in areas where Chagas disease is a health problem and are not as effective in transmitting the disease to humans. The reason has to do with the timing of blood feeding and defecating. Our local species fly then poop as opposed to poop then fly. The protozoa are passed in feces, not during blood feeding, so by waiting to defecate until after they fly from where they eat, their behavior greatly reduces chances for transmission.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Questions may be emailed to tucsongardensage@gmail.com
