Alfalfa Blister Beetle

Three Stripe Blister Beetle

KS alfalfa blister beetle

The three stripe blister beetle is the one we watch for of the 80+ known blister beetles that exist and amongst the 7-8 that are known to inhabit Kansas. This is the blister beetle that will cause the most damage with the fewest number of beetles. The other blister beetle sub-species require beetle numbers into the hundred and over a thousand in some cases to be horse toxic. Any bug in those numbers would be easily detected. The Three Stripe Blister Beetle is the beetle that as few as a dozen may be horse toxic making it more difficult to detect.

Alfalfa blister beetle is widely feared and not well known amongst horse owning alfalfa hay buyers. This web page will not educate the alfalfa buyer on blister beetle. This page is simply notifying all that Cowbones as a hay producer manages as best as possible detection of blister beetle prior to harvest.

We have yet to find a blister beetle in our alfalfa. We watch for them and seek to avoid them for our own horses as much as for yours. While we are diligent we cannot offer any guarantee that any or all alfalfa bales are blister beetle free and no other alfalfa producer can do so either in spite of any statements to the contrary.

We also do not warrant any of our hay, alfalfa or grass, to be free of blister beetles under any condition largely due to the scams seeking insurance payments for supposed horse deaths.

For all buyers the Kansas State University and Texas A&M University (College Station) have excellent online libraries about alfalfa itself and the alfalfa - blister beetle - horse connection far better than can be expressed in this web site. Reading these sources of direct research from independent, informed parties is the best source of alfalfa and insect pest topics available than the more common rumor and conjecture passed around by horse people.

The issue on blister beetle is that it is risk management just as any other risk. The risk itself cannot be 100% protected against. The producer and buyer can only take action to degrade the degree of risk.

Some Blister Beetle Risk Factors

blister beetle alfalfa risk factors

A sampling of some conditions that either increase or decrease the degree of risk associated with alfalfa and the blister beetle is shown in this chart.

This risk analysis is intended to show that we are cognizant of the risks involved, try to guard against them and why we and no one else can ever guarantee blister beetle free alfalfa. Nature simply is not that controllable. To think otherwise is simply to be foolish and places every animal at risk.

There is one test any buyer can execute to develop further knowledge of what may be described as "Certified Blister Beetle Free Alfalfa". Research online that phrase, "certified blister beetle free alfalfa", and two basic sources develop. The first will be those that produce or promote the use of alfalfa and the second are the university research centers with an interest in alfalfa growth, production and usage.

Those that promote the sale and use of alfalfa will claim there is "certified blister beetle free alfalfa" while the university research centers will provide explanation why no producer should or can claim any alfalfa to be blister beetle free. Further, those that do claim their alfalfa to be certified blister beetle free typically do not define what that "certification" is, how demonstrated or proofed or what recourse the buyer has.

In short, no way at any time will we ever claim our alfalfa to be blister beetle free. What we do is to insure we have read the direct research from authoritative sources without bias towards buyers or producers to make us aware of the risks and do the best we can to minimize those risks.

A More Common Risk

Buyers that transport their own hay or hire others to transport hay have all the risk associated with that hay from the moment it is placed on their trailer or truck.

alfalfa hay transportation

A buyer that loaded 315 small square alfalfa bales onto his 40 goose neck trailer without ramp deck pulled by a 3/4 ton truck.

We recognize many different experience levels with those that buy our hay. In that regard this picture has much value. The bales if placed square to the stack and trailer will transport better through less vibration caused migration of the stack while on the road. Hay should be fully covered by canvas to prevent sun bleach and water damage during transport. The canvas tarp front, or leading edge, is tucked under the first bales at the bottom of the trailer front to insure it stays put when traveling down the highway. Tie down crossing straps should be planned for every four foot of load length (36 inch bales) plus two that run the load length from front to back.