Black Blister Beetle

Blister Beetles Make Their Late-Summer Appearance

Curtis Young (OSU Extension, Van Wert County) has been sharing images of Black Blister Beetles (Epicauta pennsylvanica) for the past few weeks on our Tuesday morning BYGL Zoom Inservice. Over the weekend, I received two e-mail messages from homeowners describing blister beetles swarming onto flowering perennials and vegetable garden plants, most notably tomatoes.
Published on
Authors
Joe Boggs

Blister Beetles Wreaking Havoc on Tomatoes

I received two e-mails over the weekend from backyard gardeners in southwest Ohio with pictures showing Black Blister Beetles swarming over tomato plants. Black blister beetles as well as Margined Blister Beetles are the two most common species found in Ohio. Both beetles are capable of showing-up in large numbers to feed on the leaves and flowers of a wide range of perennials and annuals including vegetable plants.
Published on
Authors
Joe Boggs