Therefore, these bugs are sometimes referred to as “triatomines”. All of the conenose bugs are a type of assassin bug, placed in the subfamily Triatominae, and most of the species are in the genus Triatoma. Other names for these insects are “kissing bugs” or “bloodsucking conenose bugs”.
Mammals are their most common hosts but they will occasionally feed on birds and reptiles.
There are several insects that are commonly mistaken for “kissing bugs”that do occur in and around homes statewide, including western conifer-seed bug and masked hunter.įigure 1: Adult of the western conenose, Triatoma protracta, the only “kissing bug” that is known to occur in Colorado.Ĭonenose bugs ( Triatoma species) are insects that feed on the blood of various wild animals, particularly rodents. Western conenose is rare and restricted to rural areas, usually near nests of packrats (woodrats). Only one species of “kissing bug” has ever been found in Colorado, Triatoma protracta (western conenose).