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christie_sw_mo

Blister Beetles going after my cherry tomatoes

christie_sw_mo
14 years ago

I've been seeing a LOT of blister beetles the last few days. I don't want to put sevin on my ripe tomatoes so maybe I'll try a dust buster and hope I don't make them mad. I don't want them to come after me.

Does anyone else have more than usual?

The ones I'm seeing are charcoal gray colored like the photo on the top right of this page.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blister Beetles

Comments (5)

  • helenh
    14 years ago

    I pick them up if I can before they drop and squash them. So far I haven't got a blister. Stink bugs are worse - harder to catch and sneaky damage. I am charging up my dust buster too. I have no more than usual. I don't want to put poison on the tomatoes either; they are nasty things.

  • gldno1
    14 years ago

    Dust Buster! There is another thing I have never heard of trying. So far, that is one bug I haven't seen, but then I have to really inspect things closely before I see them.

  • christie_sw_mo
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    When I was looking up pictures of them, I also came across pictures of people who had blisters and it convinced me not to touch. I thought they bit, but something I read said they make a toxic bug juice when you squish them or something like that. ewwww

  • helenh
    14 years ago

    I am annoyingly cautious about big things, but I am not afraid of little things. You are probably wise to be careful. I have handled them many times with no blisters.

  • mulberryknob
    14 years ago

    A dust buster! Now there's an idea. I don't think they would come after you. Their instinct is to drop and hide in weeds and mulch. And I have handled them with my ungloved hands many times, pinching their heads off. But I have also been blistered twice. Pinched twice this year and washed immediately and didn't blister. There are usually too many in one spot for this to be effective. I also use the Shake and Stomp method to kill them. The next time I see them I'm going to get the dustbuster and dump them into the Japanese Beetle trap that is only 1/2 full.