Cone-Nose

Yes, I freely admit, part of the thrill of leaving Big Bend National Park was the idea that we'd be done with blood-sucking assassin bugs. I thought perhaps we'd be bringing a few with us in our bedding, especially as there are many tears in the box-spring for the bed that is now Awyn's. My fears have been confirmed; yesterday I caught a cone-nose in Awyn's room. I saved it in a baggy, but I don't think it survived, as it's no longer wiggling legs when prodded. Now I'm pondering ways to get rid of any progeny that might have moved with us. I thought about taking a picture of my bug in a bag, but I may just use stock footage that I've saved from others. Then again, a picture of a nasty little black bug that sucks blood and is known to be a vector for Chagas disease might slow down the proposed visits from relatives. It's the sort of bug that most people would look at and simply know was something to be squashed. I've done a little web-research to find out what kinds of assasin bugs might be found in Oklahoma, and yes, there are a few varieties that are apparently somewhat less noxious or possibly even desirable (shudder) to have, but the variety that moved with us is NOT welcome in my home no matter what else it might hunt.

I'll post a link to a great website for those of you who like to look up bugs on the internets.