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Vernon  

Blister beetle snapped in the Okanagan may make your skin crawl

That is one nasty bug

The creepy crawlies are back – and some of them are creepier than ever.

Last year, the Vernon & Area Community Facebook page became a clearing house for photos of unusual bugs that people spotted crawling around the North Okanagan.

Numerous posts to the page revealed some very icky critters scurrying around the area.

From a trap-door spider, to a humungous moth, people posted pictures of the pests – much to the horror of those who aren't fond of insects of any type.

There have been similar posts this spring, but one recent one got a lot of people talking.

More than 80 comments were made about a large, nasty-looking beetle after a picture of it was posted online.

After some debate, the general consensus was the big, black bug is a blister beetle.

"Many species are black, brown, or other drab colours, sometimes with iridescent blues or bronzes or with yellow, orange, or red head, legs, or markings. Others are mostly yellow, orange, or red, sometimes with dark spots or stripes. When squeezed, blister beetles exude an irritating, oily chemical that can blister one’s skin," according to a conservation department in the United States. 

Encyclopedia Britannica says there are more than 2,500 species of the blister beetle in the world. 

The blister usually heals within a few days and causes no permanent damage.



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