Living in Brandon, Florida, and other parts of Hillsborough County puts people into contact with a great number of biting and stinging insects. Some of those creatures’ bites can be painful to humans and poisonous to pets as well as livestock. That’s why our pest control pros are often called out to eradicate them. Two groups of offending insects that live in Brandon are blister and false blister beetles.
As you might have guessed, they have a tendency to cause ugly, cantharidin-filled blisters to form on the skin. The fluid is highly poisonous. As such, it has the ability to kill humans and animals. Pets and livestock tend to be more at risk of death because they often inadvertently consume the insects. However, the poison may also be absorbed through the skin. So for a person that is already medically compromised, a large number of blisters may spell trouble as well.
There are many different species of false blister and blister beetles that live in Brandon and other parts of Florida. The adult beetles are commonly found eating plants in gardens, orchards, lawns and fields. The beetle’s larvae, on the other hand, tend to be located in very moist piles of soil and compost.
Both the adults and larvae may typically be exterminated with insecticides or the introduction of natural predators. One caveat though, even when dead, the insects are still poisonous. Thus, clean up of the insects’ carcasses must be thorough and completed with the utmost of care. Otherwise, blisters are likely to show up on the bodies of the cleanup crew.
To find out more about having blister and false blister beetles safely removed from your property in Brandon, Florida, please contact us at Consolidated Pest Control today. We can spray the exterior of Brandon homes and the surrounding areas to help keep both types of blister beetles at bay.
