A:”False blister beetles,” sometimes known also as “pollen feeding beetles,” are unique in that adults of all the approximately 1,000 species in the world are pollen feeders. They obtain their common name because many species cause blisters when pinched or squashed against the skin. Being pollen feeders, they are often common on flowers. They are also attracted to lights. Oxycopis mcdonaldi (Arnett) causes skin blistering and makes itself a nuisance at resort areas where the beetles are attracted by night lights around swimming pools, tennis courts, and open air restaurants. Adults mate on flower heads during pollen feeding. Both sexes feed on pollen but the female will not accept the male until her gut is packed full of pollen. The pollen grain contents are then digested and used in the manufacture of eggs. Eggs are laid under bark of nearby trees. Larvae hatch, drop to the ground, bore into damp soil and complete their larval life. In the soil they probably feed on rootlets and fungal rhizomes. Pupation takes place in the soil, and adults emerge to continue the yearly cycle, which usually coincides with the blossoming of certain flowers. Other species of false blister beetles have larvae which bore into driftwood, pilings, decaying wood, debris, and some make vertical tunnels in moist soil. Adults of some species prefer the pollen of a single plant species, while others are found on a variety of hosts.

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