Current:Home > InvestDon't touch the alien-like creatures: What to know about the caterpillars all over Florida-LoTradeCoin
Don't touch the alien-like creatures: What to know about the caterpillars all over Florida
View Date:2024-12-23 15:28:02
These little critters are fuzzy, colorful and all over Florida – but don't touch the caterpillars or you'll be in for a bad time.
It's practically raining tussock moth caterpillars all over north and central Florida. They're falling out of the sky and onto everything else. Whether they're covering someone's tire or crowding a backyard, the caterpillars are taking over this year.
But be warned, the fuzzy little guys can leave behind an irritating mark if they're touched, so it's best to stay away. The spiky hairs on their back can leave the spot feeling really itchy and cause it to break out into a rash.
Here's everything know about the caterpillars.
What is a tussock moth caterpillar?
There are three species of tussock moth caterpillars found in Florida.
- The fir tussock moth: orange-colored spots along the back and sides
- The white-marked tussock moth: lighter body color and yellow spots
- The definite tussock moth: yellow or tan head with a pale body, hair pencils and tussocks
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, the fir tussock is the most common, the white-marked is the second most common and the definite is the rarest of the three.
The caterpillars are fuzzy with colorful bodies and prefer to feed on oak trees.
Are tussock moth caterpillars poisonous?
The caterpillar is not venomous or poisonous. But their hairs, which are known as stinging hairs, are irritating and can cause rashes or make your skin feel like its burning and itchy.
What do I do if I touch a tussock moth caterpillar?
According to National Capital Poison Center, these are some steps you should take if you touch one of these caterpillars:
- Cover the area that touched the caterpillar with tape.
- Pull it off to get any of the little hairs out of your skin.
- Wash the area with soap and water.
- Apply baking soda and water to help with any itchiness.
Reactions to the bug should only last around a day.
If possible, keep from standing under oak trees, the caterpillar's host plant, so they don't fall on you if they get knocked off any of the branches.
Can the caterpillars hurt plants?
They can. According to the University of Florida, the fuzzy insects have little impact on their preferred snack, oak trees. But the caterpillars can be swept away by the wind and taken to another plant.
It will demolish the foliage of the unlucky small trees and shrubs it lands on.
How do I protect my garden from tussock moth caterpillars?
The university recommends applying insecticides to the shrubs and trees that are threatened by heavy-feeding and to the host tree before the caterpillars mature and their populations begin to spread.
Gardeners can also use a broom and sweep the pesky bug into a bucket filled with soapy water.
Finally, though they may be difficult to remove, the university recommends walking around the property with tweezers or something similar and plucking the caterpillars' cocoons off by slipping the tool in between it and the wall it planted itself on. Be sure to wear protective gear while doing this as the bugs' cocoons can irritate skin, too.
Fun with the caterpillars
For an exciting learning experiment for adults and kids alike, place a cocoon in a well ventilated jar or cup and watch the moth emerge from its cocoon.
The university says this should happen within 10 days.
Contributing: Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture. You can follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz.
veryGood! (74636)
Related
- Trump announces Tom Homan, former director of immigration enforcement, will serve as ‘border czar’
- Women fight abortion bans in 3 more states with legal actions
- Higher investment means Hyundai could get $2.1 billion in aid to make electric cars in Georgia
- The iPhone 12 emits too much radiation and Apple must take it off the market, a French agency says
- Saks Fifth Avenue’s holiday light display in Manhattan changing up this season
- U.S. district considers requests against New Mexico governor order suspending right to carry
- Tyler Cameron Reacts to BFF Matt James' Mom Patty Appearing on The Golden Bachelor
- Killer Danelo Cavalcante Captured By Police Nearly 2 Weeks After Escaping Pennsylvania Prison
- NFL Week 11 picks straight up and against spread: Will Bills hand Chiefs first loss of season?
- Top Hamas leader in Beirut in a bid to stop clashes at Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp
Ranking
- GreenBox Systems will spend $144 million to build an automated warehouse in Georgia
- Rip currents: What to know about the dangers and how to escape
- Man already charged in killing has also been indicted in a Lyft driver’s slaying
- Shuttered Michigan nuclear plant moves closer to reopening under power purchase agreement
- Multi-State Offshore Wind Pact Weakened After Connecticut Sits Out First Selection
- A prisoner who escaped from an NYC hospital using a rope made of sheets was captured a month later
- Taliban hail China’s new ambassador with fanfare, say it’s a sign for others to establish relations
- Nicki Minaj Is Making Her MTV Video Music Awards Performance a Moment 4 Life
Recommendation
-
What Republicans are saying about Matt Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general
-
Lawyers for jailed reporter Evan Gershkovich ask UN to urgently declare he was arbitrarily detained
-
MTV VMAs: Ashanti Proves What’s Luv With Special Nod to Nelly After Reigniting Romance
-
Megan Thee Stallion and Justin Timberlake Have the Last Laugh After Viral MTV VMAs Encounter
-
Disease could kill most of the ‘ohi‘a forests on Hawaii’s Big Island within 20 years
-
UN envoy for Sudan resigns, warning that the conflict could be turning into ‘full-scale civil war’
-
Inmate who escaped from a hospital found sleeping on friend's couch
-
EU announces an investigation into Chinese subsidies for electric vehicles