DON'T TOUCH IT!!!

[Kray Gelder]

For the last 3 days I have observed this thing slowly moving around on the siding by my front door. It's 1 and 1/8 inches long.



I thought it was a chrysalis of some kind, but never heard of a moving one. Anyway, kept entering different search words, and finally found it.

It's the caterpillar of the megalopyge opercularis moth, or puss caterpillar, asp, Italian asp, opossum bug, tree asp, asp caterpillar.

From Wikipedia: "The caterpillar is regarded as a dangerous insect because of its venomous spines. Exposure to the caterpillar's fur-like spines will lead to an immediate skin irritation characterised by a "grid-like hemorrhagic papular eruption with severe radiating pain." The pain has been described by patients as similar to a broken bone or blunt force trauma. The reactions are sometimes localized to the affected area but are often very severe, radiating up a limb and causing burning, swelling, nausea, headache, abdominal distress, rashes, blisters, and sometimes chest pain, numbness, or difficulty breathing."

Remove the spines using tape, and get to a doctor. It is best to treat the venom within three hours.

I have never seen one before, nor even heard of it. FYI.

 

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[toddbbq]

They are pretty plentiful here in Florida. Do Not Touch is an understatement as it WILL put you in the hospital.

 

[Peyton Manning]

never saw on either, looks squatchy to me

 

[villagenut]

Looks like a malnourished tribble

 

[buck8point]

We have them in Louisiana too.
Along with this cool looking fellow I used to play with as a kid.

Saddleback Catepiller.





Their Sting is equally as severe.

 

[RW]

One fell down the back of my shirt when I was a kid climbing to harvest a pecan tree. They called it an asp back then down in that area. I was probably 6 or 7 years old and I still remember screaming and nothing made it feel better. Puss caterpillar is another name. I learned my lesson, don't even like seeing pictures haha!

 

[A2coins]

Cremate it

 

[huntsman53]

Catch it and ship it to China because they send all of their nasty stuff here, so why not return the favor!

 

[RustyGold]

Holy Moly! I've never even seen one before. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Kantuckkeean]

Interesting. Thank you Kray. I’ve never seen one before, but I’ll check out their range to see if they’re in my area. Perhaps it’s too cold, but with climate change, they may make it up here. I won a $10 bet on a saddleback once. My roommate in college found one. I told him not to touch it and why. He thought all caterpillars were harmless. I’d been stung before. After he was proven wrong, I was $10 richer.

Just checked... range is extreme southern Virginia and south. Guess that’s why I haven’t seen one. Thanks again for the heads-up.

Make sure to stay away from large, orange and black or red and black, fuzzy insects that look like ants too. They’re actually wingless wasps. The ones around me are called cow killers because of how painful their stings are. I know most folks don’t go around picking up cool looking insects, but some do...

Kindest regards,
Kantuck

 

[BigWaveDave]

If my wife saw that, she would research its native host plant, and nurture it to become a butterfly.
I’m not showing her this.

 

[Peyton Manning]

you don't have to dave, when you are sleeping she checks your history

 

[kenstein]

My personal experience with one of those critters...unknowingly brought it into my house in a houseplant (I guess). It got me in my armpit. I don't think it was as bad as a broken bone (never had one) but it hurt and my arm had numbness for a few hours. I called down to the ER. The nurse said since it had been over twenty minutes, and I wasn't dead, that I would be okay...thanks, I guess.

 

[buck8point]

If my wife saw that, she would research its native host plant, and nurture it to become a butterfly.
I’m not showing her this.

Every Puss or Saddleback ive ever seen here, was eating the crap outta Irises, and nothing else.

 

[buck8point]

Interesting. Thank you Kray. I’ve never seen one before, but I’ll check out their range to see if they’re in my area. Perhaps it’s too cold, but with climate change, they may make it up here. I won a $10 bet on a saddleback once. My roommate in college found one. I told him not to touch it and why. He thought all caterpillars were harmless. I’d been stung before. After he was proven wrong, I was $10 richer.

Just checked... range is extreme southern Virginia and south. Guess that’s why I haven’t seen one. Thanks again for the heads-up.

Make sure to stay away from large, orange and black or red and black, fuzzy insects that look like ants too. They’re actually wingless wasps. The ones around me are called cow killers because of how painful their stings are. I know most folks don’t go around picking up cool looking insects, but some do...

Kindest regards,
Kantuck

This Guy Basically....

 

[Cassews]

Well hopefully they will never get this far as Colorado unless someone brings them in ... My irises would not like them at all ... Yep ship em all to China :-)

 

[Kantuckkeean]

I’m not even going to watch that. I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be good. That guy must be a masochist. I saw a video of him deliberately letting a snapping turtle bite his hand. He glued a dowel rod to the side of his hand but fortunately, the turtle went around it. I was searching YouTube for that kind of video because I was telling my sons about being careful around softshell turtles and snapping turtles because of their long necks and bad attitudes. We had seen a softshell earlier in the day while flipping rocks in the creek.

Kindest regards,
Kantuck

 

[Kray Gelder]

One fell down the back of my shirt when I was a kid climbing to harvest a pecan tree. They called it an asp back then down in that area. I was probably 6 or 7 years old and I still remember screaming and nothing made it feel better. Puss caterpillar is another name. I learned my lesson, don't even like seeing pictures haha!

Wow. I'm glad my granddaughters weren't here. One of them would have grabbed it for sure. Talk about harmless looking. Thanks for your story.

 

[Kray Gelder]

Cremate it

He's a flat little asp now.

 

[BigWaveDave]

God God Buck8point.....you did it....
Never have I ever subscribed to a you tube channel, but you got me....
This guy is nuts, I’m all in on these videoes