Texas has greater than 50 species of stinging caterpillars, and consultants say individuals are most probably to come across them from April by way of June.
One of many extra frequent species discovered within the Houston space is the asp caterpillar, or puss caterpillar. Wizzie Brown, a senior extension program specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, stated it’s also referred to as the Southern flannel moth and has a deceiving, fur-like overlaying that may seem inviting.
“They’re a teardrop form. They appear very, very gentle, like it is best to contact them, however you shouldn’t,” Brown stated. “These are discovered a bit west of I-35 after which east in Texas. They cowl a extremely giant space.”
Different stinging species present in Texas embrace buck moth caterpillars, io moth caterpillars, hag moths and saddleback caterpillars. Brown stated the species usually are not thought-about invasive and normally preserve to themselves, residing in giant bushes.
“A variety of them are going to be in broadleaf bushes, and more often than not, if it is a mature tree, you do not actually know that they are there,” she stated. “Normally when folks name us about stinging caterpillars, it is both that there are extraordinarily giant numbers of them, or any individual arrange a seating space beneath a tree and the caterpillar fell on them whereas they had been sitting there.”
Nearly all of these caterpillars use an analogous methodology of delivering their venom, Brown stated.
“So usually with the stinging caterpillars, they’ve some kind of backbone on their physique that’s hooked up to a venom gland,” she stated. “While you contact that backbone, the backbone can both inject the venom or it would break off, and the venom will unfold in your pores and skin, and that may trigger a response.”
The severity of the sting is determined by a number of components, and Brown stated the response can differ from individual to individual.
“Relying on who you’re and the way your physique reacts to that specific venom, it could possibly be something from possibly localized ache, swelling, redness, to a rash, to much more extreme reactions when you’ve got an allergic response to it,” she stated. “This goes for something that may inject venom, whether or not that is by stinging or biting.
“You wish to monitor your well being, or your children’ well being, and when you’ve got irregular swelling or excruciating ache — or when you’ve got coronary heart palpitations or respiration issues or something like that — you would wish to hunt medical consideration,” Brown added.
For householders, it may generally be troublesome to cope with an infestation if the caterpillars are in a big, mature tree, however Brown stated a particular kind of bacterium, known as Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, can be utilized to kill the caterpillars.
“They do need to ingest sufficient of the product from them feeding on the foliage, but it surely’s solely going to kill caterpillars,” she stated. “So, it is a method you may management caterpillars with out harming useful bugs that is perhaps serving to you handle these populations.”
Total, Brown stated the caterpillars sometimes don’t hassle folks, and so they all cease being venomous as soon as they grow to be moths.
“They’re simply doing their factor,” Brown stated. “The one time that we actually get involved in regards to the stinging caterpillars is normally after they’re on college grounds, or the place children are enjoying, like round playground areas.”
Editor’s notice: The unique model of this text contained a photograph of a Salt Marsh Caterpillar, which doesn’t sting.
