Q: I am finding kissing bugs in my house. Is there any way to prevent them from getting in and biting us?
A:Β Kissing bugs (aka conenose bugs or assassin bugs) are predator insects that nest with packrats. The first step would be to reduce the packrat habitat near your home. A well-managed landscape is much less likely to harbor rodents. It is difficult to prevent insects from entering your home entirely. Kissing bugs are big enough that you can prevent entry much of the time by making sure all windows and door screens are in good repair and there are no obvious gaps.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Questions may be emailed to plwarren@cals.arizona.edu
