The DEADLIEST Bug in North America (and how to spot it!) ft. @TheWildlifeBrothers

Ever heard of the kissing bug? This insect is a large assassin bug which is known to transmit a terrible parasite that causes the deadly Chagas' disease. In this video, Harrison, Evan and I encounter one of these insects in the wild, and show you how to identify a kissing bug if you find one in your local area.

Here at MyWildBackyard we investigate the secrets of the natural world- secrets that can be hidden in our very own backyards! I want to share the incredible world of insects, spiders and other wildlife with you and inspire you to explore your curiosity. Get out there, and find your adventure!

Kissing bugs can be incredibly dangerous. They aren't aggressive, but if you found one near your home, there could be more. If you can positively identify a true kissing bug in your area, calling professional help might be advised. The Wildlife Brothers and I are professionals and held onto the kissing bug specimen collected in this video for future research, and everything in this video was for educational purposes.

For those who read the description- we've updated the channel! I'm working on adding more features to videos to better expand our conversations about the secrets we find in the natural world! Introducing the Creature Tier System! There are four rankings:
1. Staple - These are the lowest tier creatures. They are the most common species in a given habitat, and while they're not boring, they're really only exciting when you're exploring a new habitat and you haven't seen them before. Not something to write home about.
2. Neat - These are a step up from Staple. They don't make your entire day, but they are worth taking a closer look at when found. Definitely can be exciting to have a productive day finding many Neat species.
3. Wild - These are exciting to find. Whether they have interesting defensive features that offer a nice challenge in the field, are particularly cool looking, or maybe a little bit rare, Wild species aren't necessarily the MOST memorable of encounters, but they definitely make your day when you see them. An adventure featuring many Wild species will truly be memorable.
4. Gem - These are special. Usually involving extremely interesting biology and significant rarity, Gem species are animals that you really do not see every day. These species can make your whole adventure, and will be very memorable.
5. ???? - Is there a Creature Tier above Gem? Stick around to find out....
Each of these Creature Tiers are a spectrum, and we can debate the placements of various animals in the comments section!

My Field Equipment (This section includes affiliate links, buying any of the products using the links below helps support the channel, update equipment and pay for production trips to get more epic wildlife videos!)

Main Camera: iPhone 13 Pro Max
Backup Camera: iPhone SE 2nd Gen
Macro Lens - SANDMARC iPhone 13 Pro Max Edition

Special thanks to these tracks and their artists for making this movie possible:

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

#AssassinBug #KissingBug #ChagasAwareness