A mother and her daughter discover a rare animal that is even poisonous. They share a photo of their find on Facebook.
According to the German Nature Conservation Association, the insects can be seen quite often in spring. The species is considered endangered because it is currently not spreading any further. Only every thousandth larva actually becomes an oil beetle. Adult beetles only live for about a month. They mostly live on roadsides, in gardens and sparse forests. They contain the defensive secretion cantharidin. This can cause severe irritation to the skin and mucous membranes in humans. However, eating or swallowing a single black-and-blue oil beetle is not fatal. There are no known cases of fatal poisoning of people and pets by the black- blue oil beetle in Germany. But be careful: oil beetles are poisonous. The mother and daughter also adhered to this. “Of course we left the little beetle alone while we admired it and are very proud and happy to have made this find,” they said.