North American wheel bugs found in Illinois do not carry diseases. They are often confused with kissing bugs, or triatomine bugs, which can transmit Chagas disease, but wheel bugs pose no risk of disease transmission.
It is important to know the difference between these two insects:
Feature Wheel Bug (harmless)
Diet: Predatory on other insects, feeding on garden pests like caterpillars. Good bug!
Appearance Recognizable by the cog-like crest on its thorax. Grows up to 1.5 inches long.
Kissing Bug (may carry disease)
Hematophagous (blood-sucking) and parasitic on vertebrates, including humans and other mammals.
Lacks a crest. In the U.S., most species have orange or red stripes or solid coloring on the outside of their bodies.
Capable of transmitting the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas disease