Black blister beetle of the blister beetles family is indigenous to parts of the United States and Southern Canada. It has an entirely black body, which in turn is the outcome of its name.
Size: 9 – 12 mm (0.35 – 0.47 inches)
Color: They have an overall black body with slight patches of yellow on their abdomen. One could even spot a glistening shine on their pronotum, elytra, and head.
Other Characteristic Features: Their prominent physical features include a straight body, slightly bulging abdomen, and soft wing covers.
When newly hatched, the larva appears extremely small in size, with long legs, but remains highly active, burrowing into the soil right after emergence. It eventually molts into a grub-like appearance with fewer appendages and mostly consumes grasshopper’s eggs. In the sixth instar, they become dormant and overwinter before transcending to the next phase.
The pupation period commences in spring and continues for approximately two weeks, after which the adult moth emerges in summer.
The small, round eggs are laid in clusters in the soil.
| Other Names | Black aster bug |
| Adult lifespan | Approximately three months |
| Duration of larval stage | 1 – 2 months, but sometimes it may last up to 3 years |
| Distribution | Southern Canada from Alberta up to Atlantic Coast in the south; parts of the United States, and northern Mexico |
| Habitat | Garden, fields, and in all other places where their host plants grow |
| Seasons active from | July – October |
| Host Plants | Flowering plants like goldenrod aster, rabbitbrush, daisy, as well as alfalfa, potato, and beet |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Grasshopper eggs Adults: Pollen, and nectar of flowers |
Compared to most other members of the blister beetle family, this one is an exception. It does not cause significant damage to the foliage as they mostly concentrate on the flowers to suck nectar.
Image Source: bugguide.net, objects.liquidweb.services, static.inaturalist.org,
Black blister beetle of the blister beetles family is indigenous to parts of the United States and Southern Canada. It has an entirely black body, which in turn is the outcome of its name.
Size: 9 – 12 mm (0.35 – 0.47 inches)
Color: They have an overall black body with slight patches of yellow on their abdomen. One could even spot a glistening shine on their pronotum, elytra, and head.
Other Characteristic Features: Their prominent physical features include a straight body, slightly bulging abdomen, and soft wing covers.
When newly hatched, the larva appears extremely small in size, with long legs, but remains highly active, burrowing into the soil right after emergence. It eventually molts into a grub-like appearance with fewer appendages and mostly consumes grasshopper’s eggs. In the sixth instar, they become dormant and overwinter before transcending to the next phase.
The pupation period commences in spring and continues for approximately two weeks, after which the adult moth emerges in summer.
The small, round eggs are laid in clusters in the soil.
| Other Names | Black aster bug |
| Adult lifespan | Approximately three months |
| Duration of larval stage | 1 – 2 months, but sometimes it may last up to 3 years |
| Distribution | Southern Canada from Alberta up to Atlantic Coast in the south; parts of the United States, and northern Mexico |
| Habitat | Garden, fields, and in all other places where their host plants grow |
| Seasons active from | July – October |
| Host Plants | Flowering plants like goldenrod aster, rabbitbrush, daisy, as well as alfalfa, potato, and beet |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Grasshopper eggs Adults: Pollen, and nectar of flowers |
Compared to most other members of the blister beetle family, this one is an exception. It does not cause significant damage to the foliage as they mostly concentrate on the flowers to suck nectar.
Image Source: bugguide.net, objects.liquidweb.services, static.inaturalist.org,
