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Expert
Posts: 1694
   
Location: Willows, CA | I was consulting in a Louisiana barn years ago where 11 horses were lost in one night to blister beetle poisoning. They had fed a pelleted feed that had an alfalfa base that was manufactured in Texas. I talked to a rep for the company and was told that the pelleting process neutralized any cantharidin. I told him that if that were true they had managed to do something that no one else had ever figured out. They settled out of court. All of the horses were customers cutting horses and the bill was staggering. I still have nightmares from hearing those horses going down. When hay is short and expensive, you need to know your hay broker pretty well. It can be hard to get the true origin of the hay you are buying. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 907
Location: a secret | Whats your thoughts on Standlee they acknowledge blister beetle and state they have field survillence??? Its still scary... |
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 Water Weight Barbie
Posts: 6829
Location: Oz, Kansas | This is my constant fear. My daughters horse gets a flake of alfalfa a day to help with his colic issues. My vet said to try & get the first cutting because the grasshoppers haven't started laying their eggs yet so the beetles won't be there to eat the larva. We had a wet spring & my hay guy put his 1st & 2nd cutting up in round bales so I had to get the 3rd cutting. He did spray inbetween the cuttings & my vet bought hay from him so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that there's no beetles. We also picked it up out of the field & I didn't see any signs of any beetles. I've heard it's not a pretty thing to watch & if it's anything like colic I don't ever want to witness it. |
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 Cyber World Challenged
Posts: 2526
Location: My Own Little World | Well, now I have some questions. Living out in Southern Nevada, we haven't had that problem. We either have hay from California, Nevada, or Utah. BUT, from what I'm reading here, if you have grasshoppers, you can have these beetles. We get grasshoppers, although not like some other places. And why does this bug only live in alfalfa? Grasshoppers are also in grass. Pardon my lack of knowledge on this. |
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Expert
Posts: 1694
Location: Willows, CA | Can't express how awful it is to watch a horse go down with this. As to Standlee, I have heard nothing but good things about their products. Don't sell or use them, so I don't have a dog in that fight. I Thought is was all made in Idaho, but I may be wrong. If that is the case I would assume no issues with Blister Beetle. Haven't heard of Blister Beetle from Nevada either. A friend once said you don't need to be able to tell the difference between a diamond and a CZ, but you better know your Jeweler. It is the same with hay. The best insurance is knowing that you have an honest hay broker. |
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  Extreme Veteran
Posts: 459
Location: La Vernia, TX | Blister beetles come in many colors and patterns, but they all have the same basic shape. The toxicity level varies from variety to variety. I've fed alfalfa exclusively since 2006, and I also buy hay for resale, so I had to get myself a solid education on the potential threat.
Here is what you need to know about blister beetles:
1) There are blister beetles in almost every state. Unless your hay comes from a state bordering Canada, or from Canada itself- chances are it's grown where there are blister beetles. There are over 200 species in the United States.
2) Not all blister beetles are created equal. A few varieties are especially potent, and they occupy states such as Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico (alfalfa capital of the world, right?)
3) Beetles "swarm" on alfalfa in mid-late summer and are attracted to blossoms. Never buy alfalfa that was baled after bloom. It's higher quality if you get it before the field is 10% bloomed, anyways!
4) Alfalfa that is cut with a mower/conditioner is more likely to crush beetles in the hay. Even if you don't see beetles, the cantharadin can be crushed INTO the hay and remains toxic. If you're buying 2-3-4 cutting alfalfa from an area known to contain a virulent strain of beetle, only buy from farmers who use the appropriate equipment.
5) Typically speaking, first cutting hay and late season hay will be OK- this is because early in the year, the beetles have not emerged and later in the year, breeding is over and they have dispersed. |
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Water Weight Barbie
Posts: 6829
Location: Oz, Kansas | Phoenix98 - 2013-12-09 9:50 PM Blister beetles come in many colors and patterns, but they all have the same basic shape. The toxicity level varies from variety to variety. I've fed alfalfa exclusively since 2006, and I also buy hay for resale, so I had to get myself a solid education on the potential threat. Here is what you need to know about blister beetles: 1) There are blister beetles in almost every state. Unless your hay comes from a state bordering Canada, or from Canada itself- chances are it's grown where there are blister beetles. There are over 200 species in the United States. 2) Not all blister beetles are created equal. A few varieties are especially potent, and they occupy states such as Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico (alfalfa capital of the world, right?) 3) Beetles "swarm" on alfalfa in mid-late summer and are attracted to blossoms. Never buy alfalfa that was baled after bloom. It's higher quality if you get it before the field is 10% bloomed, anyways! 4) Alfalfa that is cut with a mower/conditioner is more likely to crush beetles in the hay. Even if you don't see beetles, the cantharadin can be crushed INTO the hay and remains toxic. If you're buying 2-3-4 cutting alfalfa from an area known to contain a virulent strain of beetle, only buy from farmers who use the appropriate equipment. 5) Typically speaking, first cutting hay and late season hay will be OK- this is because early in the year, the beetles have not emerged and later in the year, breeding is over and they have dispersed.
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 Sweet Tea
Posts: 3496
Location: Home of the World Famous "Silver Bullet" | equinelawprof - 2013-12-05 1:26 PM Is this same risk present with bagged alfalfa such as Purina? Thank you
how about the pellets and cubes ?? is the same risk there too ?? |
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Expert
Posts: 1694
Location: Willows, CA | The event that I was witness to was from feed pellets that had an alfalfa base. I never understood why you would feed something like that to begin with. It is the most expensive alfalfa in the world. If you want alfalfa in your feeding program, just feed it as long hay or cubes, not as a filler for your concentrated feed. |
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 I Google Everything
Posts: 1910
Location: Not sure yet | Griz - 2013-12-05 11:12 AM This is the prime reason I will not feed alfalfa. I don't think non-horse people realize how bad blister beetle poisoning is and how could you ever be sure they sprayed for them?
Exactly my reason as well.....Last alafha I bought was compressed from the feed store. Wrapped in plastice. I thought no way this could have blister bugs. Wrong! it did and then some. took it back they were as shocked to see them as I was. |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7264
| katt - 2013-12-10 12:50 PM Griz - 2013-12-05 11:12 AM This is the prime reason I will not feed alfalfa. I don't think non-horse people realize how bad blister beetle poisoning is and how could you ever be sure they sprayed for them? Exactly my reason as well.....Last alafha I bought was compressed from the feed store. Wrapped in plastice. I thought no way this could have blister bugs. Wrong! it did and then some. took it back they were as shocked to see them as I was.
WOW - I would have thought the exact same thing with it compressed and all wrapped up like that - scary! |
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