Maine Garden Ideas
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Blister Beetles

Blister Beetle

How to Control Blister Beetles


If you have wild lupines growing on your property, you have probably noticed blister beetles feeding on the plants. These beetles grow to a length of 2 inches or more, but are commonly about an inch long. The most common blister beetle in my area is a dusky blue-gray color, but they can be jet black or striped.

According to the University of Florida, blister beetles belong to the Meloidae family and encompass over 2500 species. These beetles can be found on lupines in the early spring, but may also infest your garden and devour foliage. While they are considered beneficial because they also feed on grasshopper eggs, when they attack your flowers and vegetables you may not see their value. Getting rid of them can be a bit of challenge.

Try these methods for controlling blister beetles:
  • Hand Picking: While this is an effective method, you must wear protective gloves. Blister beetles get their name from their ability to blister the skin if you pick them up. They emit a substance called cantharidin that irritates and blisters skin and mucus membranes. If you choose to handpick blister beetles, don you gardening gloves. Many hold a bucket of soapy water under the foliage of the plant and give it a little shake to drop the beetles into the water. Old-timers used a branch of pine to sweep them from the plants and into the waiting mixture of soap and water.
  • Organic Pesticides: If you aren’t up to the task of hand picking these crawly creatures, try applying an organic pesticide to control blister beetles. Look for one that contains spinosad, an organic pesticide made from fermenting naturally-occurring bacteria from the soil.
  • Chemical Pesticides: If you aren’t opposed to using chemical pesticides or are having difficulty controlling blister beetles with less aggressive methods, use a pesticide that contains either carbaryl or lambda-cyhalothrin.
When using pesticides to kill blister beetles, read the label carefully and follow all precautions as directed. Keep pesticides, even organic pesticides, out of the reach of small children and pets
Copyright © 2014 Nannette Richford



  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • About Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • How to Grow a Pomato Plant
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
        • Turnips vs Rutabagas
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
  • Garden Pests
    • How to Control Japanese Beetles
    • How to Control Blister Beetles
    • How to Get Rid of Colorado Potato Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables