The caterpillars causing rashes "abandon the trees", warn the managers
Tussock Moth Caterpillar returns this spring. Here's how to avoid them.
When it comes to Bogues and parasites , there are some we know to keep our distance. The mosquitoes are up there thanks to these itching bites, and the bees, of course, can have a painful bite. However, you may not have had to fear the caterpillars - so far. Experts warn that the caterpillars of the tufts were identified in the southern United States, and they are known to cause skin irritation and rashes.
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Moth tussock caterpillars have been reported in the center and northern Florida, which invites expert warnings: even if they have an apparently "blurred" appearance, do not caress them. According to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, caterpillars operate as a defense mechanism This led to a rash for itching.
"These hairs can be housed in the skin and irritate , " Dawn Solle , Pharm.d., Director of Poison Information Center at Jacksonville, said First Coast News. "You can get redness, bumps on the site, a spicy sensation."
Fortunately, it is not a long-term rash, and the caterpillars themselves are not poisonous or toxic. As an insect researcher from the University of Florida Centrale (UCF) Jamie Ling told Wesh affiliated to NBC, the reaction only last About a day.
Moth Tussock's caterpillars are common in these Florida regions in the spring, March and April is generally their high season. In 2024, colder temperatures probably contributed to their abundance, Lauren Deipenbrock , PHD, assistant professor of entomology at the University of Florida, told News Jax.
"This year, it was a cooler period. So it may have synchronized young leaves on oak, which could then synchronize the hatching of these tracks," she said.
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Although you can find out enough so as not to approach these insects by yourself, according to DeiPenbrock, Moth Tussock's caterpillars can be eliminated from trees and blows by wind, potentially landing you. (They can also land in residential foliage and defoliate shrubs.)
"We got out of the car and the car tires under these trees were simply covered with these caterpillars. They abandon the trees," reside the county of Brevard, in Florida Kimberleigh Deignan told Wesh.
If you find a Tussock Moth Caterpillar that landed you, remove it without touching it. After that, be sure to remove all the caterpillar hair left on your skin using adhesive tape.
"You will take the piece of adhesive tape, put it on the area, then remove it," Solle told First Coast News. "Do it several times on the site to make sure you take out all these hairs."
From there, wash the area carefully and apply ice or cortisone to facilitate any reaction.
If you find the caterpillars of your courtyard, there is a relatively simple way to get rid of it. Fill a bucket of soapy water and tear everything you see - while wearing gloves or using tweezers - then put them in the bucket.
"They will drown. Throw them.
Alternatively, you can just wait for them. The caterpillars will be cocooning and will turn to butterflies by the end of this month, experts said.
