Sunday, October 11, 2020

Poisonous furry caterpillars that look like wigs are popping up in Virginia

Aylin Woodward,Business Insider•October 10, 2020

A furry puss caterpillar, the larva stage of the southern Flannel moth, Megalopyge opercularis. IrinaK/Shutterstock


The furry puss caterpillar, the larval stage of the southern flannel moth, is one of the most poisonous caterpillars in the US.


According to the Virginia Department of Forestry health team, these caterpillars have been spotted in the eastern part of the state.


The puss caterpillar's hairy coat hides venomous spines — its sting can send people to the hospital.


The health team warned Virginians to "#SocialDistance away from this caterpillar!"

No matter how cute and fuzzy this critter looks, don't touch it.

This toupée-like insect is one of the most poisonous caterpillars in the US. Named the furry puss caterpillar —perhaps for its resemblance to less venomous house cats— people who brush up against its hairy coat have a painful reaction.

And according to the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF), there have been reports of the puss caterpillar in a few eastern Virginia counties.

"#SocialDistance away from this caterpillar!" the VDOF wrote on its Facebook Tuesday.

The caterpillars can fall from trees and lodge in people's clothes

The insect's fuzzy veneer hides venomous spines. As the caterpillars grow in size, before they change into equally fuzzy southern flannel moths, their venom becomes more toxic.
Southern flannel moth after emerging from its cocoon. Brett Hondow/Shutterstock

Their painful sting is followed by swelling and redness, but those who get stung may also experience symptoms like headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, seizure, and in rare cases, abdominal pain, according to a 2005 paper published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Some people may even experience multiple stings because the caterpillars can fall from trees and become lodged in clothes, "particularly shirt collars," the authors wrote.

The Florida Poison Information Center (FPIC) recommends treating puss caterpillar stings by placing scotch tape over the sting, then peeling it off to remove the spines.
Its sting can send people to the hospital
A puss caterpillar, the larva stage of the southern Flannel moth, Megalopyge opercularis. Wikimedia Commons

In 2018, a puss caterpillar dropped from a tree onto 5-year-old Adrie Chambers who was playing in the yard of her Texas Daycare.

Chambers's arm went numb, and she was rushed to the hospital where she was treated with steroids and made a full recovery.

A Florida teenager also got stung in 2018 and was hospitalized shortly after. His mother published a Facebook post about her son's sting, which was reportedly shared hundreds of thousands of times. And in May 2017, a mom recalled hearing a "blood-curdling scream" after her 5-year-old son stepped on one of the caterpillars.

Outbreaks of puss caterpillar stings even prompted public school closures in Texas in 1923 and 1951.

The puss caterpillar is found on the East Coast between Florida and New Jersey, but its habitat extends as far west as Arkansas and Texas, according to a guide published by the University of Florida's Entomology Department.

According to the VDOF, the caterpillars eat oak and elm leaves but can be found in parks or near structures.

Ren Oliver's family spotted one of the furry insects on a deck when eating dinner in Tappahannnock in early September.

"My 5-year-old son saw it and said, 'Don't anyone touch it! It's probably poisonous!'" Oliver told Business Insider.

A furry puss caterpillar on a deck in Tappahannnock, VA, September 2, 2020. Courtesy of Ren Oliver

After reading about how venomous they are, Oliver's father picked up the caterpillar with paper towels and flung it in a nearby river.

"Thankfully we escaped it but it was the wildest looking thing and so appropriate for 2020. Just bizarre," Oliver said.

Caroline Praderio contributed reporting to this story.

Forestry officials warn to 'social distance' from hairy-looking caterpillars


Francesca Gariano, NBC News•October 10, 2020

Attention Virginia residents! Beware the fluffy and hairy-looking caterpillar that has been crawling around the eastern part of the state.

The puss caterpillar, which transforms into the southern flannel moth when it becomes an adult, may resemble a tiny toupee, but it’s actually one of the most venomous caterpillars in the United States according to a profile by Donald W. Hall, professor emeritus of University of Florida's Entomology and Nematology Department.

The Virginia Department of Forestry has been receiving reports of recent sightings and issued a warning on Tuesday with a photo of one of the caterpillars. The department told Virginians in a Facebook post to “#SocialDistance away from this caterpillar!

“The ‘hairs’ of this caterpillar are actually venomous spines that cause a painful reaction if touched. The caterpillars eat oak and elm leaves, but they can be found in parks or near structures."

Within the caterpillar's spines is a venom gland at the base. A person who has been stung may experience burning pain that is followed by a red pattern on the skin, similar to the arrangement of the venomous spines on the caterpillar. Hall also wrote that in addition to localized symptoms, headache, fever, nausea, vomiting and low blood pressure may also occur depending on the severity of the sting. If you are stung, experts recommend calling your doctor and using tape to remove any broken spines from your skin.

In its post, the Virginia Department of Forestry advises, "If you find the caterpillar, leave it alone and let its natural enemies control their populations— there are a number of other insects that will prey on them at different stages of their life cycle.”

The puss caterpillars vary in size from 1.2 to 1.4 inches and are typically found in southern states such as Virginia, but are most common in Arkansas, Florida, and Texas.

Dr. Tim Kring, the head of the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech, told TODAY that while Virginia is in the northern range of where it commonly occurs, it’s “not unusually numerous” this year.

“Like all insects, you’ll have a year where there’s more of them one year and less the next,” he said. “We might be in a little bit of a more (year), but it’s certainly not an unusual year at all for us.”

So why are Virginians coming across these caterpillars more often in recent months?

“In the fall, they’re getting ready to turn into moths and they’ll drop to the ground and pupate,” Dr. Kring explained. “And that’s when you’d probably see them. It’s called the wandering stage where they’re getting ready to turn into the moth.”
Ren Oliver encountered a puss caterpillar last month in Tappahannock, Virginia. (Courtesy of Ren Oliver)

Ren Oliver, 38, from Harrisonburg, Virginia, had a near brush with one of the caterpillars on Sept. 2 while she was enjoying a family dinner outside.

“We were sitting outside on the deck eating dinner in Tappahannock, Virginia,” Oliver told TODAY via e-mail. “My 5-year-old son saw it and said ‘Don’t anyone touch it! It’s probably poisonous!’”

Oliver continued, “Since then, I’ve heard of two people getting stung by them and heard it was excruciating. Thankfully, we escaped it but it was the wildest-looking thing and so appropriate for 2020.”

While this species isn't invasive and doesn't target humans, if you come across a puss caterpillar when you’re exploring outside, it’s best not to interact with it.

“I would say, leave them alone," Dr. Kring said. "They’re not considered a pest to plants, so there’s no reason to kill it. They don’t prefer to be near humans. Once they find that place (to pupate), then you won’t see them anymore.”

Health officials in Virginia are warning about venomous caterpillars that look like toupées


Korin MillerYahoo Life•October 9, 2020


Photo: Facebook/Virginia Department of Forestry
Hairy, Venomous Caterpillars Spotted In Virginia, Officials Warns Residents To Stay Away

Months after the invasion of murder hornets in the Pacific Northwest, health officials in Virginia are warning residents to be on the lookout for a new bug menace — a venomous breed of hairy caterpillar that has been spotted in the eastern part of the state. The Virginia Department of Forestry shared the warning on Facebook earlier this week, along with a photo of the caterpillar, which is covered in human-like hair.

“VDOF’s forest health team has received reports of the puss caterpillar in a few eastern Virginia counties,” read the Oct. 6 post. While the bug looks like a harmless, discarded toupée, the VDOF says that the “hairs” on the caterpillar “are actually venomous spines that cause a painful reaction if touched.”

The Virginia Department of Forestry says people should avoid the venomous pus caterpillar. 

The puss caterpillar, which is one of the most venomous caterpillars in the U.S., is the larva stage of the Southern flannel moth known as Megalopyge opercularis, Nancy Troyano, Ph.D., a board certified entomologist and director of operations education and training for Ehrlich Pest Control, tells Yahoo Life. “These caterpillars have a dense covering of fine hairs that range in color from tan to dark brown and gray,” she says.

Puss caterpillars are most commonly found in the southeastern and south central portion of the U.S., although Troyano says they have been reported as far north as New Jersey and Missouri. “They can be found as far west as Texas and Arkansas,” Ben Hottel, technical services manager for Orkin, LLC, a pest control company, tells Yahoo Life. “These moths can be common in these areas, but are most abundant in Texas.”

But, while they’re toxic to people, puss caterpillars seem to cross paths with humans often. “Among the 11 species of this family of moths in North America, the southern flannel moth is the most commonly encountered by humans,” Troyano says.

The puss caterpillar is toxic because it’s covered in venomous spines that are hidden beneath its hair coat, Hottel explains. “They use this venom to defend against predators that might want to eat them,” he says.

“When handled, these poisonous spines will break off when they come into contact with skin and release a toxin,” Troyano says. “That can cause a severe and painful reaction.”

The caterpillars don’t target humans — they eat oak and elm leaves, according to the VDOF — but they can be found in parks or near structures where people might be, raising the risk of an accidental encounter.

According to Troyano, puss caterpillars can cause the following symptoms if you come into contact with them: a burning sensation where the spine contacted the skin, localized swelling, red, blotching appearance of the skin, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, swollen glands or fever

Several people have described intense pain after coming into contact with a puss caterpillar. In August, one woman in Florida told Fox13 that one brushed up against her arm after an outdoor workout, causing painful red welts to form on her arm. She said it took hours for the pain to ease.

And last month, a Virginia woman landed in the ER after a puss caterpillar that was resting on her car door brushed against her leg. “It felt exactly like a scorching-hot knife passing through the outside of my calf,” Crystal Spindel Gaston told The Daily Progress. “Before I looked down to see where it came from, I thought 100 percent I was going to see a big piece of metal, super sharp, sticking out from my car.” Gaston, who went to the hospital for treatment, said it took three days before she started to feel normal again.

The puss caterpillar also was to blame for a case report published in the journal Cureus that described a 14-month-old boy who developed a red rash on his leg after sitting in a park with his parents. It spread and was treated with antihistamine drugs.

If you spot a puss caterpillar in your yard or on your home, Troyano says you shouldn’t panic. “In general, puss caterpillar populations are kept under control by natural enemies,” she says. “However, if you are seeing multiple caterpillars in your yard, you should contact a pest control company for help.”

And if you come into contact with a puss caterpillar, Troyano recommends immediately washing the affected area with soap and water. Then, remove any broken spines that are in your skin with cellophane tape. “Seek medical attention and for signs of anaphylactic shock,” Troyano says.

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