Comments on: Blister Beetles

By: Galadriel

Galadriel — Sat, 28 Dec 2013 23:47:54 +0000

I worry about these but I don’t think we have them here. Phew~!

By: Briana

Briana — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 08:55:43 +0000

Good article

By: jackie

jackie — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:30:07 +0000

this article is great but I am from Southern Missouri. I just moved here 4 years ago and have 4 mares that I brought out with me. The mares were raised on alfalfa hay so the grass hay here isn’t very appealing to them. Especially my 26 year old quarter horse. She has alot of weight since I have moved from Arizona. Out there they spray for the blister bug. So does anyone have a suggestion on when to buy alfalfa hay out in Missouri?
Thanks,

By: Sheryl

Sheryl — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:12:38 +0000

Very scary – definitely need to be on the look out for that

By: Keala

Keala — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:09:48 +0000

From south central Kansas – I have a photo of a swarm and close-ups of striped blister beetles on alfalfa which were taken a week ago. I’ll see if I can figure out how to post them to this website. Although they leave the alfalfa as soon as it is cut, the toxicity can be imbedded in the hay from tractor/mower wheels or from conditioning the hay by crushing the fluids of the beetles’ bodies into the stem and leaves. Just because beetle bodies are not present in the hay doesn’t mean that it cannot be tainted, but examining it for corpses can help. The beetles also become very active when the temperatures are over 90 degrees. Usually by mid August, they receed into the soil to lay eggs for the next year. Thus, I keep my first (April) cutting and last (late September/early October) cutting and sell the summer cuttings to farmers for their cows.

By: mary

mary — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 15:46:07 +0000

a picture would be helpful