North Dakota’s Toxic Insect That Leaves A Blister After Its Bite

I gotta be honest, growing up on the east side of North Dakota, I had NEVER heard of this bug until recently.

This insect is what nightmares are made of in my opinion.  Its bite will literally leave a blister on your skin.  Its toxic venom can also be very bad for your pets, such as dogs and cats, and also horses, and other livestock.  Especially, if they're ingested, according to Planet Natural Research Center. 

They are often found in alfalfa fields or adjacent to them (it just so happens I have an alfalfa field right across from my home).  They flourish when there's a lot of grass cover like there is this year from all the moisture.

That means, if you want them out of your yard, keep your lawn mowed to keep these little buggers away from their food sources.

This insect also loves those yellow sweet clovers.  Sweet clovers seem to be on the increase this year and thus adding to the population of this particular insect.  Sweet clovers are a natural forage and seem to be more prevalent every couple of years.

The combination of sweet clovers and plenty of grass across the countryside has this insect primed to be a problem.  Not only for farmers and ranchers but even suburban areas near farmland or grasslands.

So, what is this destructive and potentially dangerous insect?  BLISTER BEETLES.

Here's a video of these nasty creatures at work from NDSU Extention.

Blister Beetles can do a lot of damage to the garden as well. Again, the best advice I received from my Ag friends is to keep your lawn short to keep these nasty bugs away.