False Blister Beetles

False blister beetles are slender, soft-bodied insects usually 5 to 15 millimetres long. They have a narrow middle section and wider, flexible wing covers that often do not fully cover the back end of the body. Most of these beetles are metallic green, blue, or bronze in colour, though some can be yellowish-brown. They have long, thin antennae, and males often have thickened back legs, which helps to tell them apart from other beetles. Adult beetles are usually seen on flowers and the heads of plants like cow parsley during the summer, where they feed on pollen and nectar. In the UK, false blister beetles prefer hedgerows, edges of woods, meadows, and coastal areas. They are most active when the weather is warm and are attracted to light at night. Although their name suggests otherwise, they do not produce the blistering chemicals found in true blister beetles. Their larvae grow in damp, rotting wood or inside plant stems.