Masked Hunter Nymph (Dust Bug)

Scientific Name: Reduvius personatus

Order & Family: Order Hemiptera (True Bugs), Family Reduviidae (Assassin Bugs)

Size: Nymphs vary as they grow but typically range from 5 to 13 mm (0.2 to 0.5 inches); adults reach up to 20 mm.

Natural Habitat

Often found indoors in dusty corners, attics, and basements where they can find prey. Outdoors, they live in wooded areas or dry, sandy locations.

Diet & Feeding

Carnivorous predator. They feed on small arthropods found in homes, including bed bugs, earwigs, silverfish, and other household pests.

Behavior Patterns

The nymphs secrete a sticky substance that causes dust, lint, and debris to adhere to their bodies, creating effective camouflage (hence the name 'Masked Hunter'). They are ambush predators that wait for or stalk their prey.

Risks & Benefits

Generally beneficial as they eat household pests like bed bugs. However, if handled or threatened, they can deliver a painful bite to humans, similar to a bee sting, though the bite is not medically dangerous or venomous.

Identified on: 2/11/2026