Triatominae are biting hematophageous insects that have been wild vectors of the parasite Trypanosoma curzi for thousands of years. The arrival of man with his cortege of domestic animals and impact on the natural environment led these insects to adapt to the human environment so well that many species are now domesticated. Insect extermination programs have allowed satisfactory control of parasite transmission but have also promoted replacement of the exterminated species by species that were once semi-domestic or wild.