Masked Hunters And Bed Bugs

Bed bugs have a natural insect enemy known as the masked hunter. If you have bed bugs, you might also find your home infested with a second unwanted visitor.

Let me tell you a little bit about masked hunters...

Masked hunters or Reduvius personatus, are a type of assassin bug (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Also called the masked bed bug hunter, as bed bugs are often a main food source, these insects are originally native to Europe. They accidentally hitchhiked into the United States.

They are now quite common, particularly in the east and central areas of the United States. And they are now beginning to show up in the Southwest as well.

Why are they called masked hunters? The name comes from the immature bug's curious habit of carrying dust on its body to camouflage itself. As they crawl about, they become covered with dust that sticks to their bodies. This dust and fuzz that they carry provides an effective disguise and a means of escaping detection. Both the adults and the smaller-sized nymphs can bite, and both feed on other insects - most often on bed bugs that subsist on pigeons, bats and people.

Photo By Jeff Hahn

Adult masked hunters are dark brown to black and are an elongated oval shape. When full grown, they're about 3/4 inch long. They have a short, stout, 3-segmented beak.

Masked hunters do not feed on human blood. They are insect predators, preying on bed bugs. And while the idea of a natural enemy of the bed bug is exciting. Finding masked hunters in your home is not. They will not eat enough of the bed bugs to eliminate them from your home. And, even worse, masked hunters are capable of inflicting painful bites as a defensive reaction, if they are disturbed or carelessly handled. The bite has been compared to being as mild as a bee sting to the pain of a snake bite.

If bitten by a masked hunter, the area will first experience numbness and swelling, followde by a degree of pain. Rarely does a masked hunter bite require medical attention, but that need cannot be ruled out. Thankfully, masked hunters do not transmit any disease.

Most of the time, you will only find a few masked hunters in your home. You can easily get rid of these bugs by physically removing them, use a broom and dust pan, vacuum them up or pick them up with a paper towel. Just be sure not to handle them directly to avoid accidental bites. Should a masked hunter land on a person, just gently brush the masked hunter away.

If large numbers of masked hunters are found running around your home, they are there hunting another insect that is also abundant. In this situation, the best way to control the masked hunter is to eliminate the food source. Remove the food - typically bed bugs - and the hunters will leave.

Because bed bugs are a common food source of masked hunters, look for these nasty blood suckers when masked hunters appear in large numbers. Bed bugs are found in cracks and crevices in mattresses, bed covers, box springs, hollow bedframes, upholstery of other furniture, behind baseboards, peeling wallpaper, pictures, and light fixtures. They'll hide anywhere that is dark and gives them cover.

If you have bed bugs, they might attract masked hunters into your home. But that does not always happen. On the other hand, if you find a number of masked hunters in your house, there is a good chance that you have a bed bugs problem.