Arizona Blister Beetle
This red jewel-like bug is called a Blister Beetle.
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Its name comes from the fact that its body fluids are toxic. If you handle them their fluids can cause your skin to break out with a rash, hence their name “Blister Beetle”. Not everyone will get rashes or blisters from handling them. It depends upon how sensitive your skin is.
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I’ve handled them with no effects. Apparently my skin is immune to their fluids.
But if you do handle them you should wash your hands before eating. Their fluids can be very irritating to the stomach lining and they have been known to kill animals that accidentally ate the beetles.
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I read a news report of some horses that died in the Arizona town of Bisbee because their Hay was infested with the Beetles and the horses died from accidentally eating the beetles along with their Hay.
Arizona Blister Beetle belongs to the following groups:
Arizona and AW Welcome CenterAvailable for sale as Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints, Framed Prints and Posters
Gabriele Swans..., 21 days ago
wow cool image Steven
sootycat669, 20 days ago
Great shot … love the detail.
Tabitha Borges, 20 days ago
neat
jesika, 20 days ago
An interesting image & narration
j
S.I. Sheehan, 18 days ago
Thank you for the info….. Having been raised in AZ. I knew about this….. Excellent capture…. Love the sky as well….. ~S
Steven Love in reply to S.I. Sheehan’s comment, 18 days ago
You’re welcome.
I forgot to mention in the description that I shot this with my camera in Manual Mode. The aperture was set to F22 with the shutter set to 1/320.
Maria Langer, 17 days ago
Yes, blister beetles will kill horses. Nice shot.