Blister Beetles
What are they?
Blister beetles are chunky, heavy-bodied and usually dark-colored beetles that are most often found roaming on the ground. The English name comes from the habit of many species of exuding a bad-smelling liquid if alarmed; this liquid can cause blistering of the skin in some people. The larvae of some species feed on honey or pollen in bee nests and achieve this in a remarkable way. Groups of blister beetle larvae clump together, the colony then resembling the size and shape of a female bee. They emit a pheromone that mimics that of female bees and attract male bees; jumping onto an arriving male bee, some of the larvae will ride the male until he connects with a female bee. From here, the larvae transfer to the female bee who unwittingly transfers them to her nest.
Identification
Identification of many of the blister beetle species is difficult and often not possible in the field. Details of leg and antennal segments are often needed to identify individuals to species and this is often not possible without magnifying lenses.
Oil Beetles Meloe species
Oil beetles are very difficult to identify to species but make up a fascinating group. They get there name from a pungent, oily substance that can be emitted to deter predators. They are chunky, heavy-bodied beetles with stubby wings and angled antennae. They are most often found roaming across the ground.
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Margined Blister Beetle Epicauta funebris
Differs from the oil beetles in the genus Meloe by having a less-obviously swollen abdomen, longer wings and a strangely outsized head. The wing cases are margined in pale gray.
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