Masked Hunter Nymph (Dust Bug)
Scientific Name: Reduvius personatus
Order & Family: Hemiptera (True Bugs) / Reduviidae (Assassin Bugs)
Size: Nymphs: ~5-15 mm (depending on stage); Adults: 17-22 mm
Natural Habitat
Often found indoors in dusty corners, attics, basements, or underneath furniture; outdoors they inhabit dry locations like woodpiles or barns.
Diet & Feeding
Carnivorous predators; they feed on other small arthropods including bed bugs, earwigs, silverfish, and termites.
Behavior Patterns
Nymphs have a sticky exoskeleton and actively cover themselves with dust, lint, and sand as camouflage (hence the name 'Masked Hunter'). They are stealthy ambush predators.
Risks & Benefits
Benefits: Effective pest control as they eat household pests. Risks: Generally non-aggressive to humans, but can inflict a very painful (though medically insignificant) bite if handled or threatened.
Identified on: 2/25/2026