I have a couple of acres of sparse alfalfa that I found the blister beetles on. Took some to the county extension office for ID. Was told that they tend to appear during a drought and when grasshoppers are present as one part of their life cycle feeds on grasshopper eggs. If livestock consume them in sufficient quantities (dead or alive), it can be fatal. This area is not fenced so the horses do not graze there. Mowed the alfalfa with a C-2 this morning in hopes of reducing their numbers. My dermatologist said they use an extract of the cantharidin chemical to remove warts. Something new to me and definitely unwanted.
Blister Beetles
- Thread starter Bob McCarty
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