Genus: Meloe metallic blue meadow oil-beetles,M. americanus

[charlie g]

I have enjoyed encounters with these metallic blue bugs in the meadows for years. I really should sitdown and ID them. I really hope they are not notorious destructive pests...they are easy enough to see, never a large group of them to date. This 10/17 I encountered 'a pair' laying eggs! Even in the meadow, I've encountered a pair! I now wonder if that is just a coincidence?
These are called: 'blister beetles' as when threatened, they secrete a chemical: cantharidin which creates blisters and irritated human skin.

Charlie guevara

[charlie g]

These sure look like my childhood days: "Hostess brand Twinkies"..DF illumination. Not much evident than a thick outter egg case..and lots of grannules.

As I know these eggs are fresh..I guess they must 'over winter' before hatching...gulp, I just had a thought..maybe the 'pair' of bugs were observed because this stash of eggs was supposed to be externally fertilized by the chap with the bug laying the eggs?!! Did I disrupt fertilization of this pairs eggs? I guess the start would be to ID these bugs. Charlie guevara

[charlie g]

Looking at the depth at which this clutch of eggs has been deposited..I sense they must already be fertilized. So I'm going to leave the eggs outdoors in dirt..Spring'18 there may be interesting microscopy. Charlie guevara

[billbillt]

Thanks for posting such an interesting study.. Maybe you can place the eggs in some dirt in a cup and see what happens.. They may all ready be fertilized...


BillT

[charlie g]

Thanks, Billt, I just ID'ed these as: 'Oil beetles', genus of: 'Blister beetles', Genus: Meloe!

The plot thickens..so far I only on google found these as UK and European species (dughh..maybe I'll google: North American oil bettles?~)...and in UK due habitat disruption..some folks are concerned about these bugs scarcity.

The eggs I harvested are expected to hatch next spring into: 'triungulins' ( these larvae resemble LadyBug larvae...tiny alligators!). Triungulins climb up onto spring'18 meadow flowers, and latch onto solitary ground bees which forage the Spring'18 flowers. The small triungulins are nest-parasites, they are carried to the solitary ground bees nests..the triungulins (?like Winnie the Poo would if he were small?)...the triungulins eat the nest stores of pollen until they develop into adult oil-beetles.

So it's off to the forum: Bee monitoring for me on this, and larval microscopy in late winter/Spring'18. Charlie guevara

[billbillt]

Very interesting study.. Please keep the info flowing with updates...

The Best,
BillT

[charlie g]

Meloe americanus seems quite active in our chilly/ snow pattered finger lakes/US meadow. One of these 'oil-beetles' caught my eye as it slogged up grass blades dressed with a snow patch. So good doggie and I did a rather quick search of only one small area...and collected active Meloe americanus.

I now sense these organisms are in some sense group organisms..as my dog and I found many in the same small area of the meadow! Charmingly..just like our neighbor opposums do when cornered/caught in a trash can while foraging...these beetles also all 'play possum' for quite a few minutes when collected in a container.

So my totally guess/hunch plan..is that this group still was determined to lay eggs. I intend to do microscopy of eggs near to hatching...microscopy of their larval stage: triangulums (What is in the gut track flora of these triangulums?). I placed the group of these chilly late 11/17 adult 'blister beetles/ oil beetles' in a bucket of meadow soil...perhaps I'll add grass/leaves as cover of this dirt.

Charlie Guevara, finger lakes/US where temps swing from high 20's F...to 50's F in a single week these times. BTW..good doggie wears orange as it is now hunting season.

[billbillt]

Anxious to learn more from your study of these "blister beetles".. Interested to see the results of your dissection/microscopy of the eggs of said beetles.. Please keep up the good work and reports..

BillT

[Rodney]

We have several species of blister beetles in the humid south Georgia; I made one mistakes several years ago after handling a blister beetle around July etc., when I wiped the sweat off the top of my eye brow and the oil toxins migrated down into the top part of my eye from the continuous sweating.
What a big mistake that was, but my eye lived through it after flushing several times.
Rodney