Description and life history Blister beetles are in the family Meloidae and are common throughout the United States. In Missouri, several species may be found feeding on alfalfa during the growing season. Their colors range from black to gray to brown and some species have orange stripes. The striped blister beetle, Epicauta vittata , is most frequently associated with sickness in Missouri livestock. Most blister beetle species have one generation per year.
Females lay eggs in soil from late summer into early fall.
Eggs are laid in clusters and hatch in about two weeks. The larvae move over the soil and find grasshopper eggs on which they feed. Larvae develop through several stages until in the last or next to last stage they form a thickened skin which will protect them during the winter. These larvae overwinter in the soil, pupate the following spring, and depending on the species, emerge from the soil in June, July, or August. Adults then feed, mate, and lay eggs for the next generation.