Bug FAQTriatoma gerstaeckeri
Triatoma gerstaeckeri · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Reduviidae
Source: Wikipedia
Adults are 20 to 30 mm long and are all black with yellow horizontal lines on the pronotum and yellow-orange bases on the forewings. They live in dry scrubby areas of northern Mexico, central and southern Texas, and New Mexico, and most are found near houses. If infected, they can transmit the parasite that causes Chagas disease when they defecate near a bite site.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The bug is completely black except for yellow horizontal lines just outside the pronotum. The base of each forewing is a yellow-orange color.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Fully grown individuals measure between 20 and 30 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
In Texas, 63 % of collected specimens were found near houses. In Mexico, 94 % of specimens were found close to human dwellings.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
Chagas disease is transmitted when an infected bug defecates near the bite site, not by the bite itself. The parasite is not passed directly through the bite.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Common hosts include woodrats, raccoons, opossums, humans, and dogs.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
It undergoes three stages, egg, nymphal instars, and adult, during its paurometabolous development. The complete life cycle lasts about nine to fourteen months.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range extends from the southwestern United States (Texas and New Mexico) into northeastern Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 5 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, New Mexico, Illinois, Oklahoma, Colorado.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where is this bug usually found?
It lives in dry, scrubby areas of northern Mexico, central and southern Texas, and New Mexico, often near houses.
Source: Wikipedia
Does Triatoma gerstaeckeri spread disease?
Yes, it can spread Chagas disease when it defecates near the bite site.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Reduviidae)
North American Wheel BugArilus cristatusCan bite
Leafhopper Assassin BugZelus renardiiCan bite
Masked HunterReduvius personatusCan bite
Eastern Bloodsucking ConenoseTriatoma sanguisugaCan spread germs or disease
Western Bloodsucking ConenoseTriatoma protractaCan spread germs or disease
Pale Green Assassin BugZelus luridusCan biteSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triatoma_gerstaeckeri
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.