Blister Beetles

Blister beetles and other assorted nasty bugs. They come in varied colors including black and multiple colors. Many people do not realize how dangerous they can be? People have been known to swat one away and they propel that liquid and it burns. Nasty stuff so please stay away. They get their name from their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. Sometimes they will point their butt up toward the aggressor and then spray. Sometimes animals eat them by mistake and the insect then burns their mouth. Again, nasty….

In the bug world the brighter the color the more dangerous they are. Its a warning to predators not to mess or eat me. So please use extreme caution when spotting a character like this. There are a lot of dangerous bugs in Arizona, so take care out there. Scorpions, Africanized Honeybees, Black Widow spiders and a few reptiles like snakes and Gila Monsters. All venomous all dangerous.