Gardeners are accustomed to squashing pests between their fingers, especially when an insect is chewing through a prized tomato plant. But there’s one garden visitor you definitely don’t want to crush with your bare hands: the blister beetle. These insects contain cantharidin, a potent chemical that can irritate skin and cause painful, fluid-filled blisters when the beetle is crushed or handled roughly. The University of Maryland warns that the chemical can blister human skin if a beetle is crushed against it, which explains the insect’s unsettling common name. Before grabbing the next unfamiliar beetle eating your vegetables, here’s how to recognize this pest and remove it without learning that lesson the painful way.
