'Wig-Wearing' Caterpillars With Venomous Sting Found In Virginia

VIRGINIA — Don't try picking up a long-haired caterpillar you might see in your backyard in Virginia. They're easy to spot. The caterpillars look like they are wearing a wig.

The Virginia Department of Forestry has received reports of people seeing the breed of hairy-looking caterpillars in the eastern part of the state. They're called the puss caterpillar, and they can be quite harmful if you touch them.

The "hairs" of the puss caterpillar are venomous spines that cause a painful reaction if touched, according to the Department of Forestry.

In fact, according to University of Florida researchers, the puss caterpillar is one of the most venomous caterpillars in the United States. Fortunately, researchers are not aware of any fatal cases from puss caterpillar stings — just intense pain and severe reactions.

A woman in New Kent County, east of Richmond, was stung by a puss caterpillar around Labor Day, and she said it felt exactly like a scorching-hot knife passing through the outside of her calf, according to the Virginia Mercury. The woman went to the emergency room and didn't start feeling normal again for another three days.

The caterpillars eat oak and elm leaves, but they can be found in parks or near structures. The Department of Forestry warns residents to leave the caterpillar 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 department said.

The name “puss caterpillar” is likely in reference to the caterpillar’s resemblance to a cat with its soft fur and tail, according to the University of Florida researchers. The caterpillar is found from New Jersey to Florida and west to Arkansas and Texas.

But the puss caterpillar is relatively uncommon in Virginia. For some reason — probably a natural cycle — the puss caterpillars are pretty abundant this year, Eric Day, manager of Virginia Tech’s Insect Identification Lab, told the Virginia Mercury.

The bodies of puss caterpillars are normally completely hidden from sight by the thick coating of hair. However, the head may be exposed when the caterpillar is moving or occasionally when feeding.

When a person gets stung, they experience "an immediate intense burning pain" and the appearance of a "red grid-like pattern" on the skin that would match the pattern of the venomous spines on the caterpillar. Symptoms may include intense pain, rash, nausea and vomiting, fever, muscle cramps, swollen glands and shock, according to the University of Michigan Health System.

If stung by a puss caterpillar, people should remove the broken-off spines by using cellophane tape or a commercial facial peel, and then call a doctor, the health experts said.