'Freaky' Video Shows Beetles Invading Prescott Neighborhood

One Prescott man shared a video of some creepy crawlers in a local neighborhood and it has residents disgusted. The video was posted in the Facebook group called 'Arizona's Weather Authority.'

AZ Family reported that the black beetles in the video are Blister Beetles, and they live throughout the state.

The bugs contain a defensive chemical called cantharidin, which can be harmful to humans and livestock. They have the ability to pop their leg joints and cause a yellowish blood to ooze out. That secretion can cause blisters on humans that is similar to poison ivy.

The creepy video shows the insects completely covering some small trees. Viewers can see hundreds of the insects, which are some of the largest in the world, lined the trunks and limbs of the trees.

Click here to see the video posted by Facebook user Christian Skari.

Dr. Joanna Woods, a Phoenix mom, had an encounter with the insects a few years back. Woods said, "It was just so much pain that I couldn't get through the cloud of pain. It was excruciating. I could liken it to childbirth. When they ask you if the pain was between one and 10, there were times it was 10."

Emanuel Jara with Responsible Pest Control told AZ Family that the beetles have been in the state for years and typically don't pose a threat to humans. Jara said, "You can find them in parks, in bushes and your very own backyard."

Woods said, "My first thought is - gross - they're really ugly and gross. The idea of the whole concept of a blister beetle is really disgusting."