Subject: On my house
Location: Louisville ky
October 25, 2012 11:01 pm
Hey, this soft boddied insect with a large abdomen who was about 1.5 inches long was on my house. I tried to tap it off into a small box to move it into my yard, but it was fragile and I smashed it a bit. Very docile. Ideas?
Signature: Michael S
Hi Michael,
Your Oil Beetle is in the Blister Beetle family and it should be handled with caution. Blister Beetles can exude a compound cantharidin that can cause blistering in human skin.
Thanks for the quick response. Luckily I didn’t touch it directly, and though its abdomen smashed a bit and oozed some bright yellow, it seemed ok walking around in our yard. I removed it into a small cardboard shipping box with the edge of an envelope. My 3 year old was interested in touching it, as it was right by the front door of our house. Thanks for identifying it. I sent it to some local farmers who didn’t know what it was.
Thanks,
Michael S