Comments on: Blister Beetles

By: Daniel

Daniel — Mon, 07 May 2012 01:03:32 +0000

Last year we woke one morning to an infestation that was on par with a plague of Biblical proportions. We tried several things in a desperate attempt to save what we could and nothing seemed to work. Then as the day got hot they moved into my cucumber trellis, it is made from metal cattle panels so I took a weed burner to them. When it was over there was a layer almost an inch thick under the trellis and the rest moved out of the garden the following day. I at least saved the tomatoes.

By: J.B.

J.B. — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:44:36 +0000

Sorry meant to say cages around the tomatoes. If you knock them into the soapy water it does kill them.

By: J.B.

J.B. — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:43:34 +0000

We had huge infestation of blister beetles (ones w/yellow stripes) and we found that spraying the tomato plant down with soapy water worked in getting them off the plant but then when the soap bubbles went away, they scattered so you stomped on them. It would have been great to knock them into the soapy water but we had cages around the beetles. They destroyed our swiss chard, moved to the kale, almost destroyed our tomatoes, destroyed almost all the pepper leaves, on the sweet potatoes and okra. They love to hide so get rid of the straw or cardboard mulch. We also picked them off by hand at night since they were easier to pick off w/o harm, but my husband did get one on his collar and it gave him 3 blisters which they say will go away. We also sprayed a hot cayenne pepper spray at night which seemed to kill them, too. Good luck!

By: justin white

justin white — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:00:49 +0000

I had one on the side of my right eye it was horrible every time I open my eye I would rip the scab

By: Patsy

Patsy — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:27:14 +0000

WE HAVE BLISTER BEETELS BAD IN OUR GARDEN. WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO PICK THEM OUT BY HAND AS THEY ARE BY THE THOUSANDS. WE SPRAYED AND HOPE THE HAS TAKEN CARE OF THEM. ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS?

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 03:05:54 +0000

My 2 year old grandson had horrible blisters on the right side of his neck and shoulder from this bug. His mom took him to the doctor and he popped them. They are about two inches long and an inch wide they look horrible. I have seen these bugs everywhere just didn’t know what they were. Thanks to this web site for the great information and hints on how to take care of him. Thanks to all.

By: sally brooks

sally brooks — Fri, 13 May 2011 22:19:00 +0000

I have the grey blister beetles all over my arizona ash tree and the leaves on the tree are starting to turn brown. Could they be causing the leaves to turn brown and if so what can I use to get rid of them without picking them off? Insecticide……
Thank-you,
sally

By: Sherry

Sherry — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 18:50:29 +0000

That’s an interesting theory although I have never had a cold sore in my life and getting into the doctor on the first day is next to impossible but I will give it some consideration.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 18:23:16 +0000

Sherry, Even if the original blisters were from the bug, I suspect something different–maybe you got the herpes virus into one of the open sores, and you are getting recurrences. It wouldn’t help to get a blood test for herpes, because at your age you have a 90% chance it would show positive for the cold sore virus. (Almost everyone gets HSV-1 eventually, even if they’ve never had a cold sore.)Ask your doctor if he/she would do a herpes culture of the blisters–but it needs to be done the 1st day of the blisters, for best accuracy. If positive, you could take one of the antiviral meds to make it go away faster. I know it’s an unusual place for it, but herpes sores have even been found on the fingers.

By: Sherry

Sherry — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 01:05:10 +0000

I’m glad to hear I’m not alone. Over 50 years ago a blister beetle crawled across the back of my neck. For many years the blisters and pain recurred when exposed to lots of sun. (a large area) I have had small breakouts throughout the years and had another just this week. It begins with pain in my neck & shoulder, then the blisters appear and the pain goes away. I treat with antibiotic ointment but nothing seems to speed the recovery. Anyone else have recurring episodes?