In postings, users warn about the oil beetle and report sightings in various places in Germany:
“Be careful, we already have them here in Ludwigslust! Was spotted in the castle park.
Text of the posting (sic!)
If you see such beetles, report them immediately.
It's life-threatening - don't touch them!”

The oil beetle
The oil beetle is a very striking, metallic blue iridescent and flightless beetle that moves very slowly. Female beetles grow up to 3.5 cm in size, the males are slightly smaller. In Germany they are classified as endangered in the red list, so please do not trample them.
Is the poison of the oil beetle actually life-threatening?
The dose makes the poison: Depending on the dosage, his body poison cantharidin was used both as a medicine and as a love potion, but also for poison murders, writes NABU .
If the beetles feel threatened, they secrete a secretion from their legs that contains cantharidin. As little as 0.05 mg per kg of body weight injected into the bloodstream can be fatal to humans .
The following reactions are possible:
- Upon contact with the secretion, irritation with redness, blistering and subsequent tissue damage can occur on the skin and mucous membranes
- Contact with the eyes can cause severe pain, swelling, tearing and photophobia.
- Swallowing can lead to gastrointestinal problems, kidney damage up to kidney failure, blood clotting problems and circulatory problems up to cardiovascular failure.
If you touch such a beetle and it releases its secretion, you should wash it off with water as quickly as possible. You should avoid touching your face – be careful with children!
If you accidentally swallow an oil beetle or notice any noticeable symptoms such as a strong local reaction, circulatory and/or impaired consciousness, contact the emergency services or the poison information center immediately in order to be able to assess the degree of danger.
to report any sighting of animals.
Conclusion
Don't panic, it's best to just leave these beetles alone. They only secrete their secretion when they feel threatened, when they are irritated or squeezed.
The adults live around six to eight weeks and then die. It can therefore be assumed that closed playgrounds will be open for visits again towards the end of May.
Source:
NABU , Erfurt Poison Information Center , Austrian Nature Conservation Association , Frankfurter Neue Presse
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