For centuries, cantharidin was prescribed as a cure for a variety of ailments. Spanishfly or cantharis, a preparation of dried meloid beetles, was thought to cure gout, carbuncles, rheumatism and many other medical disorders, in addition to its use as an aphrodisiac. Today, the toxic properties of cantharidin are more widely recognized and its use is largely restricted to veterinarians, who employ it as a counterirritant and blistering agent. Blister beetles commonly found in Colorado alfalfa fields. Biology and Habits Most species of blister beetles have one generation per year.
Adults lay eggs in the soil.
Larvae undergo several changes before overwintering as pseudopupae. Adult beetles are soft bodied with short wings. In some species, the wings do not completely cover the abdomen. In Colorado, E. murina and E. fabricii often are most abundant in June, while other Epicauta species are more abundant in July and August. After emergence, adult blister beetles are strongly attracted to alfalfa and other blooming hosts.