The evening times., 1899-09-07
KISSING BUGS DISCUSSED
Considered by Experts at the Co.
lumbus Convention.
Many Relations of the Oscuinting
Insect Infcsting Various Parts OF
Appetite for Human Biood-Popu-
lar DeIusions CONCERNING Spiders.

A representative of the chronological
division of the Department OF Agricu ture
has Just returned from Columbus Ohio.
where he attended a meeting of the Amer
ican Association for the Advancement OF
Science. which has since been styled the
Convention OF kissing Bug Experts, be-
cause a number OF papers were read be-
fore the section of entomology OF the as
sociation regarding that insect A paper
was read by DR.. L. b. Felt State ento-
mologist of New York; another by A. IL.
kirkland, of the Gypsy moth commission
of Boston, and a third by a representative
Of the Department of Agriculture on in
sects that have beeen held responsible for
spider bites.
According TO the gentleman who repre-
sented the Agricultural Department al
Columbus, the spider is a much-abused
insect and at its door have been laid
hundreds of ills for which the kissing bug
is responsible. The bite of the spider is
seldom fatal or even dangerous" said the
gentleman, ''and even the dreaded taran-
tula is not such q venomous insect as is
popularly believed. The bites inflicted by
the tarantula are rarely dangerous unless
the person wounded is peculiarly suscep-
tible 10 poison or course, the Mexican
natives, with their systems full Of dis
ease are frequently very badly affected
by tarantulas, but persons with good,
clean blood in their veins have little TO
fear from the tarantula any other
spider.
To return TO the matter OF the kissing
bug: There were several papers read on
this subject and the public generally, which
believes that the insect is a newspaper
fake should have heard some OF the discus
sions. However, / guess il is a good thing
they did not, as nervous people would be
seeing kissing bugs in every harmless
house insect that crept across the floor.
There are five general species OF kiss
ing bugs. and nearly all Of these have one
or two relations which differ from them
in some small particular but have the same
general habits and resemble them closely.
Around Washington are found the 'melano-
lestes picipes' which may be called The
original kissing bug, as it was the irst
one generally exploited through the news
papers. There is also the melanolestes
abdominalis. which is so called because OF
its red abdomen. II is first cousin 10 the
'meIanolestes picipes. Then there is The
'reduvius personatus, also common in
Washington. Both the 'personatus and
picipes have several relations which en-
gage in the same business as the heads
of their tribes. These bugs are found al
along the Atlantic Coast.
To trouble the residents of the territory
south of Virginia TO the Gulf and as fan
West as Southern Illinois, there is The
-bonorhinus sangui sugus. or the blood
sucking cone nose and the 'rahasus bigut-
tatUis thoracicus,' or the two spotted cor
soir which is probably one Of the worst
sting species OF the kissing bug Both OF
these species have five or six relations thai
ioin win them in their warfare upon hu-
man beings.
TO poster the inhabitants of the North
ern States from New York as far as Jh'
DakCtas. is the 'CarsCus sub cOleopUotus,
which has no popular name. The kissing
bugs are probably called cannibals by tn
rest O. The insect world as they feed main
Iy upon insects and may be found unde
the barks OF trees. in cid stumps, and il
almost any place which insects frequent
and when they cannot get insects they are
nCt aTerSe 10 human blood, but rather like
it1raa4e, .. 81. -..
-'The 'reduyius persOnatus is a Euro
peaR importation that came to this country
several years ago probably before the laws
restricting foreign immigration went into
effect; at any rate they appear to be here
TO stay. They have also recently taken &
great fancy TO living in private residences
and hotels without paying any rent OF
board but this is probably accounted foI
by the fact that their great dish is the in
sect that infests beds They fancy this
bug as a food and like to have ii alive and
kicking, for they have found that it has
a penchant for preying upon humanity"