Masked Hunter Nymph (Dust Bunny Bug)
Scientific Name: Reduvius personatus
Order & Family: Order: Hemiptera, Family: Reduviidae (Assassin Bugs)
Size: Nymphs vary from 3-15 mm depending on their growth stage; adults are approximately 17-22 mm.
Natural Habitat
Often found indoors in dusty areas like corners, basements, and attics; outdoors they inhabit dry locations under rocks or loose bark.
Diet & Feeding
They are predators that eat other arthropods, including bed bugs, silverfish, flies, termites, and earwigs.
Behavior Patterns
Nymphs are known for their unique camouflage; they secrete a sticky substance that covers their body, allowing dust, lint, and debris to adhere to them, making them look like walking dust bunnies.
Risks & Benefits
They can deliver a painful bite if handled, comparable to a bee sting, but they do not transmit diseases. They are beneficial for pest control as they hunt household pests like bed bugs.
Identified on: 2/25/2026