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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
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| Is there a list somewhere of states to avoid buying alfalfa from? Google isn't cooperating with my cross referencing abilities today..help! |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
 
Location: The best kept secret in TX | classicpotatochip - 2017-04-24 11:41 AM Is there a list somewhere of states to avoid buying alfalfa from? Google isn't cooperating with my cross referencing abilities today..help!
Google didn't fail me today... Yet. LOL
Here is what I found: " There are over 200 species of blister beetles found in the central to southern United States. The only alfalfa hay that is free of blister beetles is from the extreme northern United States and Canada. Alfalfa hay from the southern and western U.S. is of the most concern, where particular species of blister beetles are present that contain high levels of cantharidin. Alfalfa hay from Kansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, in particular, is more often associated with incidence of blister beetle poisoning. This is due to the toxicity of blister beetles from these states and the large amount of alfalfa hay produced and shipped from these states. In addition, midsummer alfalfa is more likely to contain dead blister beetles than first-cutting hay or late cuttings as the adult beetles are only active during the summer months. Early May and late September are the best harvest dates for buying alfalfa hay for horses. The process of mowing and crimping at the same time during harvest crushes and traps the beetles in the hay. Farms that use separate mowing and crimping procedures, or that use no crimping process are not likely to have a problem with blister beetle contamination." |
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Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | OSU has stated to buy alfalfa before May. or After September to reduce blister beetle infestations.
A dead beetle is still poisonous to horses. I didn't know that until just now.  |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | IRunOnFaith - 2017-04-24 11:46 AM
OSU has stated to buy alfalfa before May. or After September to reduce blister beetle infestations.
A dead beetle is still poisonous to horses. I didn't know that until just now.
The problem is always from a dead beetle. A blister beetle wing can be enough to kill a horse. The early and late cuttings are the safest. Also, if your alfalfa has blooms in the bale that is a danger sign, as that is an attraction to them. Northern hay or cubes really minimizes the issue. This is a horrible way for a horse to die. |
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"Heck's Coming With Me"
Posts: 10797
Location: Kansas | I'm in Kansas and we had two horses affected (many years ago). I had no idea what was going on with these sick horses until the vet took a flake of alfalfa out in the sunlight and sifted through it. Sure enough little striped wings. These horses lived but many in the area died that summer from blister beetle poisoning.
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| I'm in CA and we don't have the issue although it is a possibility I guess. I have always heard midwest is what you want to avoid. Having said that we just don't see many cases of it happening these days. |
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Veteran
Posts: 246
Location: Not in Texas anymore. . . | My husband is a 2nd generation alfalfa producer and he says, "Alfalfa hay should only be fed to horses from 1st, sometimes 2nd (depending on heat, rain, etc), and last cutting. If you can, find a hay guy you trust and you should be fine ... The beetles travel in swarms like bees and generally easy to see while cutting. They LOVE the dry hot weather!" |
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Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | winwillows - 2017-04-24 12:34 PM IRunOnFaith - 2017-04-24 11:46 AM OSU has stated to buy alfalfa before May. or After September to reduce blister beetle infestations.
A dead beetle is still poisonous to horses. I didn't know that until just now. The problem is always from a dead beetle. A blister beetle wing can be enough to kill a horse. The early and late cuttings are the safest. Also, if your alfalfa has blooms in the bale that is a danger sign, as that is an attraction to them. Northern hay or cubes really minimizes the issue. This is a horrible way for a horse to die.
Thank you for the lesson Win. Much appreciated. |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | This is one reason to be cautious about southern manufactured concentrate feeds that use alfalfa meal as an ingredient. There is no process that will neutralize cantharidin in a processed feed. I have had several feed company representatives tell me that their feeds that were made with alfalfa meal from Blister Beetle regions were safe because their process eliminated any risk. I always congratulated them for doing something that no one else ever figured out how to do. |
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 Hummer's Hero
Posts: 3071
Location: Smack Dab in the Middle | IRunOnFaith - 2017-04-24 11:46 AM
OSU has stated to buy alfalfa before May. or After September to reduce blister beetle infestations.
A dead beetle is still poisonous to horses. I didn't know that until just now.
The dead beetle is the dangerous part. I always suggested buying first or maybe last cutting in Kansas, and always, always buy uncrimped alfalfa. Crimping is what kills the beetle...they only want live plants, so even if caught up in cut hay, they will leave it as it dries down, before being baled up in the hay. But a crimped beetle stays and gets baled. |
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| Buy before May 15 and the last cutting since blister beetles
are not active at these times .. their main meal is grasshopper
eggs and very young hoppers...
Female blister beetles lay clusters of eggs in the soil in the
summer. The small, active larvae that hatch from these eggs
crawl over the soil surface entering cracks in search for
grasshopper eggs which are deposited in the soil.
After finding the eggs, blister beetle larvae become immobile
and spend the next year in the ground as legless grubs.
The following summer they transform into the pupal stage
and soon emerge in the adult stage. This is why blister beetle
numbers increase dramatically the following year of high
grasshopper populations.
Also be leery of alfalfa that remains green or looks too green
to be natural and does not follow the brown/tan dehydrating
outside layer of naturally grown alfalfa ...........
alfalfa growers are using all kinds of chemicals prior and after
cutting to retain the vibrant green color .. especially in cubes ...
Edited by BARRELHORSE USA 2017-04-25 1:38 AM
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25352
Location: Bastrop, Texas | I don't know if I've ever seen blister beetles, but Cantharidin is some nasty stuff. You just touch a wart with the tiniest amount of the stuff and it sloughs off in a couple days.
The history of this stuff is pretty fascinating. Talk about a double-edged sword. On the one hand it was once used as an aphrodisiac, while on the other hand, it's very deadly. "Spanish Fly" |
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