Blonde Puss Caterpillar in Pine Bark
Puss Caterpillar on Twig
Puss Caterpillar on Yaupon Leaf
The larval stage of this insect is a small (the mature adult is about 2 cm. long, 1 cm. wide), wooly, pussycat-appearing caterpillar, whose innocent appearance belies the numerous sharp, venom-laden spines, hidden beneath its luxuriant coat of soft hairs.
Because these caterpillars appear as innocuous pieces of fluff, children and adults are easily tempted to pick them up. Even those who know their nasty reputations find it difficult to believe that these beautifully adorned, innocent-appearing animals have the power to move powerful, grown men to tears of pain and agony. One touch, however, quells all doubts in a blinding instant of truth.
Puss Caterpillar Sting on Right Bicep
Puss Caterpillar Sting Under Arm
The spines that stick out from each verruca (a Latin word meaning “wart”; in this case a glandular excrescence on the skin of the caterpillar that houses venom glands and is adorned dorsally with sharp, hollow, venomous spines) on the body of the caterpillar usually , but not always, induce an immediate onset of excruciating, unrelenting pain, radiating to the lymph nodes in the armpit or groin, and then to the chest. Though only rarely representing a true medical emergency, these symptoms have the feel of a genuine, serious, life-threatening event. As a result, it is common for victims of puss caterpillar stings to seek medical assistance at hospital emergency rooms, where they hope that the E.R. staff will be able to apply appropriate medical interventions.
Healthy Puss Caterpillar Ventral Surface
Within minutes or hours of the sting event, a halo of reddened skin, caused by capillary congestion, forms. The reddened tissue is locally sensitive, painful, and warm or hot to the touch. The skin remains reddened but otherwise unmarked for minutes or hours. As the local redness subsides, a pattern of darker, raised, nodular lesions forms, usually within 24 hours after the sting. These darker lesions are arranged in a characteristic pattern.
The sting pattern varies based on which portion of the caterpillar touches the body.
The puss caterpillar’s underside is shown below. This portion of the caterpillar contacts the surface of the caterpillar’s track as the caterpillar crawls along. Note the way the hairs along the edges of the body emerge from swollen “warts” or verrucae (raised tubercular ridges, arranged along the median of each body segment). Though the soft hairs themselves are harmless, these same swellings also sport a multitude of sharp, venomous spines capable of injecting the caterpillar’s venom into the skin of a sting victim. If the underside is pressed against the body, the visible sting pattern (that shows up later) will follow this shape; if one side of the caterpillar is involved, the sting pattern is usually that of a crosshatched triangle, with each of the verrucae involved in the sting showing in the pattern. If the upper surface is pressed against the skin, the sting pattern is that of a crosshatched oval.
The sting pattern usually begins to show within 24 hours, but the full pattern may not be expressed for hours or days after the sting occurs.
The photos below show puss caterpillar stings on a right foot foot (L) and forearm (R). The lateral (side) surface of a caterpillar had been crushed against the foot, while the stings on the forearm were caused when the upper bodies of two caterpillars were crushed by pressing the arm against a railing where the caterpillars were crawling. Note the regular pattern of dark red spots in the photos; these spots correspond to the verrucae in the body of the caterpillar, showing where the concentrations of fragile, venomous spines penetrated the sting victim’s skin. In the majority of cases, these spines break off during penetration and slowly release their store of venom as long as they remain embedded. Each spine, as described by Nathan C. Foot in his 1921 paper on the subject, is one-third to one millimeter long, and 15-45 microns in diameter. Such microscopic structures cannot be seen with the naked eye. However, because human flesh tends to push embedded foreign objects outward, even spines that have penetrated deeply will move toward the surface of the skin–where they may be extracted manually–within a relatively short time. This fact figures prominently in the treatment options that should be considered when dealing with a puss caterpillar sting.
Puss Caterpillar Sting on Side of Foot
Puss Caterpillar Sting Under forearm
These photos were taken several hours after the sting event.
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Links: (1) Puss Caterpillar General Information. (2) The Puss Caterpillar’s Stinging Apparatus. (3) Puss Caterpillar Extermination. (4) The Puss Caterpillar’s Natural Predators. (5). Puss Caterpillar Stings–Medical Interventions. (6) Puss Caterpillar Stings–Home Remedy First Aid Measures.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE: The materials presented on this page were collected, assembled, written and/or edited by Jerry Cates, EntomoBiotics Inc. Questions? Corrections? Comments? BUG ME RIGHT NOW! Contact Jerry via telephone or E-mail. Please also consider leaving a detailed comment in the space provided below.
Tue, March 16, 2010 10:13 am: I think this (i.e., a puss caterpillar ) is what fell into my eyeball from a tree and stung me 5 and 1/2 days ago and the eyeball is STILL sore.
I only flushed it with water and saline.
Wondering what else I can do??
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Jerry–Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:54:39 -0700: How sore is it? I presume the pain is bearable, or you’d have gone to see your physician by now. Something very similar happened to me several years ago, when I rubbed my eye while–unbeknownst to me–several puss caterpillar spines were on one of my fingers. The spines immediately caused excruciating pain, alerting me to what I’d done. Like you, I flushed my eye with water for several minutes; the pain did not go away immediately, but was gone within a few hours. Unfortunately, outside of a medical setting, there isn’t much that an individual can do beyond flushing with water and/or saline. It may be time for you to see the doctor…
Alison–Wed, Mar 17, 2010 11:18 am: Each day it’s better, but it’s still not all the way back and tonight will be a week since it happened.
My medical clinic takes all day to get in as a walk-in and that’s the only reason I haven’t gone.
I just hope no permanent damage was incurred.
Scared me that the muscles behind the eye got involved and generally the whole area around the eye socket..even up in my sinus area by eyebrow.
I’m in Florida.
Thanks for responding to me!
Jerry–Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:02:51: That sounds par for the course, Alison. It isn’t too surprising that the musculature surrounding the eyeball became involved, as puss caterpillar venom seems to migrate from the sting site to other areas rather easily. Has the sting affected your vision? And has the area around the eye swollen or reddened? In my case there were no obviouos signs beyond the pain.
Alison–Wed, March 17, 2010 12:08 pm: The white of the right eyeball was reddened in the area above the iris, but no swelling or blurry vision, thank God!
For the first 4 days, it hurt to move the eyball at all (using the muscles which control it).
So odd..a one in a million situation that, when I set out to take a nightly walk in the dark (for the first time in months of all things!), I set out 3-5 steps looking straight ahead and this thing fell from the tall trees above me right into my eyeball!
I ‘ve never been SURE it was that… I didn’t keep it or look at it… very dark there… my eye stung so badly I was screaming with pain as if acid had been thrown into it and ran back to the house to flush it.
But it FELT like a caterpillar when I plucked it off ( felt soft and rounded)..and made sense that it could have been since it probably fell on my eyelid and then the feet curled downward into the eyeball itself.
I have such luck!
Jerry–Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:35:49: Please keep me posted on your progress. I’m going to post all your comments and my replies, if you don’t mind, as others will be interested in your experience, and especially in how long it takes you to fully recover.
Alison–Wed, Mar 17, 2010 12:45: That’s fine, Jerry.
Actually, I found one of these caterpillars once and captured it very easily. It was very soft to the touch, and I just sat and stroked it for hours. I thought the little guy was so cute and fluffy, I even rubbed the soft fur on my cheek. And I never got even a slightly red rash from him. Maybe they can retract their stingers into their bodies and when frightened, just stick them out. Because I don’t think he felt threatened or anything. So I was fine.
But I would like to know what damage could this insect can do in adult form?
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Hi. Thanks for your comment.
These caterpillars are the larval forms of the flannel moth. The caterpillars spin a cocoon around themselves, and metamorphose into the flannel moth inside the cocoon over a period of weeks or months before emerging to mate and, in the case of the female, lay eggs that hatch into a new batch of caterpillars. The moths, themselves, are harmless.
Every year a number of reports come in, like yours, describing harmless caterpillars that were stroked and handled without causing any stings. Apparently some of the caterpillars are either without stinging spines, or the spines have no venom in them. I write about this on a separate page. A link is provided below.
Unfortunately, I’ve not yet had the opportunity to examine a non-stinging puss caterpillar under the microscope in order to determine if the cause is a lack of stingers or a lack of venom.
Jerry
: SOME PUSS CATERPILLARS DON’T STING.
Last March my daughter had a run in with one of these fellows and her symptoms were much more severe. She was on her way home from the movies (driving) when she got stung. She said it was excruciating pain. About fifteen minutes later her friends said she thought she was driving fine but was actually slumped over the wheel, coasting down the highway. By the time she got home she had no use of her arm. She was stung between her shoulder and chest then on her middle finger when she was trying to remove it. Anyways, she was hospitalized for a week. The paralysis wore off in a few days, but her arm remained weak for a number of weeks beyond that. She was medicated with benadryl, epi, and heavy doses of steroids. She now suffers from neuropathy that the doctors say could go away in a few years.
This spring my porch has been covered with these caterpillars. I was wondering if there is a specific type of tree, bush, or flower that they are attracted or if there is a repellent I could use to reduce my daughter’s risk.
I found one wall and window of my house covered with blood spatters and streaks. It would only clean off with clorox. The next day I found 1/2 as much blood again and saw a couple of caterpillars on the wall. They are brown in color and close to an inch long. I would like to know what they are, how to get rid of them and where they might be coming from and also how long their season is?
Thank you. I am in Daytona, Florida
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Sharon
The blood splatters are a mystery. Can you photograph them next time? And also get photos of the caterpillars. Send those in and I’ll have a go at it.
Jerry
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12 May 2010: Sharon wrote back:
They were here for only about 10 days and are now gone – I don’t know where or into what – so i can’t take a picture of them. If they come back, I will send you a pic.
My reply: That’s about par for the course, Sharon, as long as they are not sprayed with pesticides that kill their natural predators their infestations are self-limiting and rarely recur in the same area anytime soon. Please keep me posted on things–Jerry
I think my grandmother called these Asps? Is that the same thing?
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Yes, Asp is another name for these caterpillars.
Jerry
Today i was cutting my yard and trimming some trees, i was not aware that the caterpiller was there when i picked up the branches i crushed one, In second i felt servere pain running from my fingers to my arm and chest, I couldn’t take it anymore, I went to the day and night clinic and they gave me two shot and medication, they also mentioned it would take several days for the pain and the numbness to go away. I’m home now (6-19-2010) but not feeling good at all. pleaase keep away from this, the pain is to much!
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Editor’s Note: Read through the material on first aid measures, posted at http://bugsinthenews.info/?p=555 and in particular make sure to use tape to remove the spines. That is perhaps the most important step one can take to limit the pain that comes with a puss caterpillar sting.
Jerry
I have yet to see one of these creatures, but reading these stories terrifies me. I was wondering if you could let me know where they are found, so I can know if I should look out for them or not.
Is there a natural way to get rid of these besides stepping on them? I hate to use Sevin or anything like that? Thanks.
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Editor’s Note: Suggested approaches to naturally exterminate these caterpillars are discussed on the following web page:
Exterminating Puss Caterpillars
Read this over and consider following the suggestions provided.
Jerry
My husband was stung by one on the top of his hand this evening. Immediate pain and redness, followed by swelling and pain. He has felt tingling down into his fingers and up to his elbow area as well. We have applied cortisone and taken antihistamine orally. What are the signs to watch for so that we would know if medical help is neccessary? You have a great site…wish we would have looked a few hours earlier.
Thank You,
Lisa
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Editor’s Note:
Lisa
All the symptoms your husband experienced are typical for a puss caterpillar sting. You don’t mention using tape to remove the spines; if you have not done this yet,please do so right away as the tape helps considerably even hours or days afterward.
Read the material on First Aid for Puss Caterpillar Stings.
It is rare for these stings to progress beyond the symptoms you described. Anaphylaxis, or allergic reaction to the venom, is unusual. The most serious signs are difficulty breathing due to constriction of the airway. I am not aware of any such reactions resulting from puss caterpillar stings, however.
The most important thing is to relieve the pain, and one of the most important ways to achieve that is to use tape to remove the microscopic spines from the sting site and, for some, to apply poultices as described in the material posted at the above link.
Jerry
I got stung twice here in Marrero La. about a week ago. The pain was excruciating, burning, itching, swelling, Red and Flat at first, then Red and Raised, and spreading first on my left arm near wrist and elbow,hands inside and outer, then climbed up to my under arm them stomach, Buttocks,legs, under my knees, calves, ankles, feet top and bottom, and toes, it was very pronounced at all of my Lympnodes, the itching and burning is unbearable, I used Tape, Benadryl, Hydrocortizone cream, antibiotic, Cortizone injection, and nothing worked, Finally went to Hospital yesterday 07-01-2010 and was administered by IV 20 MG of Prednisone, Liquid Benadryl-Dexamethazone Sodium Phosphate and Liquid Zantac all by IV which took about 45 minutes, felt immediate Relief within 30 minutes,was given these three medicines by pharmacy to be taken Orally 4 to 6 times a day, then only as needed, will be followed up by Dermatology in a 7-10 Days– Thank you for you advice and information, it was extremely Helpful, I have pictures-although ugly- if you would like me to send, Thanks again-Robert—CDC AND ALL NEWS NETEWORKS NEED TO ISSUE A WARNING ABOUT THESE PUSS CATERPILLARS–THIS IS LIFE THREATENING TO ALL PEOPLE-AND EVEN DOCTORS/NURSES HAVE NEVER SEEN OR HEARD OF THESE CATERPILLARS, AND UNFAMILIAR WITH THEIR EXTREME VENOMOUS EFFECTS, PLEASE LETS WARN THE PUBLIC ABOUT THIS ASAP-Thanks Again, Robert
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Editor’s Note: Yes, Robert, please do send the photos. Glad you are doing better.
Jerry
My one year old came in contact with one of these this morning. We are in New Orleans, like Robert, above. The sting happened 3 hours ago and she is still crying.. lethargic. Very much in pain still. What should I do? She is 13 months old.
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Editor’s Note: Have you tried the tape to remove the stinging spines? That seems the best remedy, but it needs to be done meticulously, up to 10-15 times, to get all the spines out.
Jerry
Jerry
This is exactly what stung me on my forearm on 7/9/10. I leaned on the caterpillar. The schools should educate children to stay away from this little creature. They cause severe pain. I felt like my arm was on FIRE. Excruciating pain. The pain radiated to my hand, fingers and lymph nodes in my armpit. The severe pain lasted for over 4 hours. These pics and the description explains exacly what to expect when you are stung by one of these. I can’t imagine a young child bearing this pain. Thank you for the information.
Exposure to the caterpillar’s fur-like spines will lead to an immediate skin irritation. The caterpillar is regarded as a dangerous insect because of its venomous spines. Medical advice may be sought in case of contact with one. It is best if the venom from the spines are treated within hours of first contact. For first aid, it is recommended that you remove the spines using cellophane tape.