Masked Hunter (Nymph)

Scientific Name: Reduvius personatus

Order & Family: Hemiptera: Reduviidae

Size: 15 to 22 mm when fully grown; nymphs are smaller and covered in debris.

Indoor environments like homes, basements, and attics, as well as outdoor areas in loose soil or leaf litter.

Predatory; feeds on small arthropods such as bed bugs, carpet beetles, termites, and earwigs.

Nymphs use sticky secretions to cover themselves in dust, lint, or sand as a camouflage. They are nocturnal and move slowly to stalk prey.

Highly beneficial as they eat household pests like bed bugs; however, they can deliver an extremely painful bite to humans if handled or threatened.

Identified on: 4/30/2026