Tarantulas are nearsighted, and their habit of pouncing upon grasshoppers and other large insects on which they prey is probably the basis for exaggerated stories of their jumping abilities. Their strong, sharp fangs can inflict a painful bite, but they use them only rarely in defense against human molestation. Stahnke states that any effects produced appear to be the result of bacterial infection rather than that of poison, although a mild poison is present. Treatment of tarantula bite with iodine or similar antiseptic is recommended. One species of _Avicularia_ and several of _Aphonopelma_ range throughout the Southwest where they are active during spring, summer, and autumn months. They live in web-lined holes in the ground, usually located on south-facing slopes. The males are commonly encountered traveling across country, and are particularly noticeable as they cross a highway. Preying upon insects, these large and interesting desert dwellers are beneficial rather than harmful to mankind, and deserve protection. Unfortunately, many become the innocent victims of the wholly unwarranted fear in which they are held because of the fantastic stories regarding their purported poisonous characteristics. Conenose bug (Kissing bug, Bellows bug, Walpai tiger, Cross bug, others) (_Triatoma_ sp.) Although not limited to the deserts of the Southwest, conenose bugs, of which there are several species, are commonly associated with subtropical climates. Certain South American species of the family _Reduviidae_ are disease carrying and there is evidence the conenoses in San Diego County, California, are infected with a disease-producing flagellate. Lack of large bug populations in close contact with man and ineffective transmission habits protect man in the Southwest from disease contacts. However, the site of the bug’s bite becomes inflamed, and swelling may spread over an area up to a foot in diameter. In general appearance, conenose bugs resemble assassin and squash bugs, with protruding eyes at the base of a cone-shaped snout and are about the same size. Some species are considerably smaller, while others attain a length of an inch or more. Habitat of conenose bugs Since conenose bugs subsist upon animal blood which they suck from the capillaries by inserting the stylets of the proboscis, they seek locations where there is a source of blood. These include livestock barns, poultry houses, and human habitations. [Illustration: _Conenose bugs_—Triatoma protracta _Adult male (rounded abdomen); Adult female (pointed abdomen)_ (Photo courtesy of Dr. Sherwin F. Wood)]