What kind of creature eats bed bugs? What’s the sworn enemy
of the Brown Recluse?
From my Tweeting Microscope, here’s two fascinating
predators.
The Masked Bed Bug Hunter (Reduvius
personatus)
A member of the Assassin Bug
family, you’re likely to find this creepy fly as I did, during the night of a
full moon, tapping against a window out of an attraction to bright lights.
As the name implies, it’s best
known for hunting bed bugs, although it’s also happy to snack on wood lice and
carpet beetles. Seeing one in your neighbourhood means there’s a good chance
someone nearby has an infestation of one of those (I’ve found carpet beetles in
my area).
Unfortunately Masked Hunters don’t
consume enough bed bugs to stop an infestation, but it’s still better to catch-and-release
if you find one than kill it. Do so very carefully for they have a nasty bite.
From the Dept. of Entomology at
Penn State, here’s USDA entomologist L. O. Howard
“This species is remarkable for the
intense pain caused by its bite. I do not know whether it ever willingly
plunges its rostrum (mouthpart) into any person, but when caught or
unskillfully handled it always stings (pierces). In this case the pain is
almost equal to that of the bite of a snake, and the swelling and irritation
which result from it will sometimes last for a week. In very weak and irritable
constitutions it may even prove fatal.”
Yikes!
Also of note is the way the younger bugs will camouflage themselves
using bits of fluff, dust, and lint.
I’ve only found adults, but what was curious about them was how
sensitive they are to sound. Simply clicking a mouse, opening a can of pop, or
even whistling were all things I found that made the Masked Hunter immediately
perk up at the ready.
Triangulate Cobweb Spider (Steatoda triangulosa)
A teeny tiny spider with a beautiful diamond pattern, the Triangulate
is a house spider that likes to spin small cobwebs into the dark corners of
your home where it lies in wait for other spiders to wrap up within its silk.
It’s best known as the natural hunter of the infamous brown recluse,
but since they don’t exist here in Canada mine likely searches for Hobo
spiders, other house spiders, and any ants or pill bugs who’ve come in from the
outdoors.
Although it admittedly casts a rather familiar-looking silhouette,
and indeed it is a relative of the Black Widow, there’s no record of anyone
having been bitten by this species and it isn’t considered to be a “medically
significant” threat.
The Triangulate does pack some potent venom, but because it doesn’t
use it until after it’s silk-wrapped prey has stopped the struggle, the venom
doesn’t come out at first, even if you were to mishandle the little guy enough
to induce a bite (generally it’s response when threatened will instead be to
run away).
So between the two predators on this page, for humans it’s the fly
whose parlour you want to stay out of, not the spider’s.