As of: March 18, 2024, 7:30 p.m
By: Joana Lück
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Even if it only lives for a month – the oil beetle is tough.
Read here what you can do if you have had contact with the poisonous insect.
The garden is used for recreation and relaxation.
All the more disturbing when you encounter animals there that are unsightly or even poisonous.
The oil beetle belongs to both categories;
The blue-black insect is actually one of the most poisonous animals in Germany.
This is how you behave when contacted.
Inconspicuous, but very poisonous
Oil beetles are extremely poisonous.
© Anette Jäger/Imago
Small, clumsy and rather inconspicuous: the oil beetle is often not even noticed or is confused with another insect.
However, this can be very tricky as the animal causes severe skin reactions and can even lead to death if swallowed.
The flightless beetle is found primarily in grass, sandy landscapes and orchards, as the
Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
(BfN) knows.
So far, however, there have been no incidents in Germany in which a person or animal was poisoned by the insect.
Even if, according to
BR24.de
, the poison cantharidin is effective against warm-blooded animals, it is extremely unlikely that a single beetle would be enough to cause fatal consequences.
If you do come into contact with the animal, you should act as follows:
Wash your hands thoroughly after skin contact.
If necessary, cool the areas with ice.
Make sure that children and pets always keep enough distance from the insect and do not swallow it.
If this happens, you should contact the poison control center immediately!
You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter from our partner 24garten.de.
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If you experience redness, blisters, or other symptoms related to contact with the animal, you should seek medical attention.
But you can breathe a sigh of relief: the oil beetle can only be seen for a limited time - namely only for a month each year, the insect does not live longer.
The oil beetle is also considered endangered because it chooses specific species of bees as host insects for reproduction.