Black Beetles Matter! Except Black Blister Beetles, THEY SUCK!!!
The Black Blister Beetle
I was out checking on our potato plants today when I discovered another common garden pest, the Blister Beetle! They were swarming all over my potatoes. I mean look at them all! They ate the whole plant!
I did a little homework and discovered that these beetles come in over 7000 variations. They come in all colors including black. The reason they are called Blister Beetles is because they secrete this blistering agent called cantharidin.
You can read all about cantharidin here...
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/cantharidin#section=Top
As you can see, the Blister Beetles like helping themselves to your crops in your garden. In this case, my potatoes! The best thing you can do is collect them all up putting them in a jar or container and feed them to your chickens. See! Learn something new everyday. I love nature! Isn't gardening on the homestead fun? You might be a hippie if you like watching the chickens go at it feeding them all these pesky bugs you find in your garden. I know I sure do! Feeding time is always fun :-).
If you are smart, you can build your own mad alchemy lab right here at home using just the chemicals that some of these bugs like this here Blister Beetle secretes. Between all the bugs and the flowers you can be a potions master/medicine man over night. :-)
As always I'm Theo aka Rainbow Man and here is the PROOF!!!
PROOF of Blister Beetle.
PROOF I have a Blister Beetle problem.
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I've been fighting them this year too. They'll get on the tomatoes too! Your proof photo is excellent by the way! You entering any of these photos in any contests?...
I will be next round as soon as you announce it. I'm a little late for last weeks contest.
They're big! Good thing they're black - they really stand out so yo see them.
They are a good inch long or so. You don't have to worry about them biting you or nothing. I couldn't get my camera to focus so these were the best pics I could get. The beetles started to scatter too when I got down close to them to take these pictures.
Will putting DE on your potatoes help? I had some tiny beetles on mine and it worked. These guys are big!
What is DE?
I use this one for my critters and my plants
http://www.redlakeearth.com/red-lake-diatomaceous-earth-us.html
You can purchase it plain without the clay to. Just make sure it's food grade.
Diatomaceous Earth! Duh, I knew that. I didn't know that could be used as an insect repellent.
It doesn't repel it kills so use it with care. Don't want to hurt your beneficials
It kills them! "DE" is the slang all the kids are using on the street for Diatomaceous Earth. It's what I've been using.
howdy there Rainbow Man! you mean you don't eat them suckers? I think papa-pepper eats his! lol. great photos but I was hoping we'd get to see the chickens eat those things!
I'm not set up right now to feed chickens. They are caged up in the chicken house and there isn't room in there really to make a video. I will make a video when we have our chickens in the future.
well Rainbow Man, I don't know what to say. just sounds like you ain't tryin hard enough to me. lol.
If I'm going to blister my mouth, it'll be with hot peppers!
haha! papa-pepper you're everywhere! can't escape you! lol good to see you here sir! that's funny!
At least your having fun feeding the chickens...
I was going to tell you not to roll it with your banana peels, then I saw this and about choked.
the STD of the bug world, If a dude gives a girl something that causes blisters.... she isn't going to be happy..
Sounds personal. lol