Blister beetles?

~Dan · Feb 10, 2013

About an hour ago I went out to the barn to toss some hay to my horses. While I was doing so I was pulling some flakes off of a bale and noticed a dead, black beetle sitting on top of the flake. I tired to pick it up so I could Google what Blister Beetles look like and compare, but I dropped it in the snow. I called my vet to get her opinion. She believes since my hay is not alfalfa, and the beetle was all black, it is not a BB. My hay, to my knowledge is timothy/other grass mix, and little to no alfalfa. I live in Western New York. I Googled BB and there is a variety of black ones.

With hay being so scarce, I don't want to throw out a good bale because I found one bug in it. But on the same token, I don't want to put my horses in jeopardy because of said found bug.

Can anyone offer some advice? Between drama with horse people, and now this, I'm having a bit of an anxiety attack!

Dan.

Minimor · Feb 10, 2013

Since your hay is not alfalfa you likely do not have to worry. I don't believe blister beetles congregate in grass--they feed on alfalfa. I have found the odd black beetle in my hay--and it did look like a blister beetle, not sure that it was--but I looked through the bale and didn't find any more beetles so I used the hay, no problem.

~Dan · Feb 10, 2013

Thank you, Holly. I figured there was not much to worry about, but with something as easily fatal as Blister Beetles, I certainly didn't want to take any chances.

Dan.

Marsha Cassada · Feb 10, 2013

Blister beetles are gray or brown. I don't think they occur in grass hay.

But they are certainly scary.

~Dan · Feb 10, 2013

I agree, Marsha. Never something I, any other horse owner, or horse for that matter, should ever go through! Apparently as few as 5 can be lethal to a standard size horse, I'm sure it only takes 2 or 3 to kill a mini.

Dan.

Minimor · Feb 10, 2013

These are the variety that I have known to be responsible for horse poisonous in two cases--or at least ones that looked like this

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/medical/blister_beetles01.htm

but depending on what area one is in they do range in color from black to grey or brown or tan or kind of golden, some striped some not.

Marsha Cassada · Feb 11, 2013

My Dapper Dan had a bout in 2011 and the vet said it was typical blister bug poisoning. Luckily he recovered just fine but it really scared me. Alfalfa hay was so scarce that year, but I gave away the rest of the hay for cattle. Better for the horses to have no hay than take a chance. And I never bought hay from that grower again. However, we had swarms of them over the property that summer and it's possible he did not get it in the hay, but just while grazing. They are a despicable insect. They can devour whole shrubs overnight.