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Health officials in Virginia are warning about venomous caterpillars that look like toupées!

No way.

brm4450 wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 10, 2020 10:45 am

Health officials in Virginia are warning about venomous caterpillars that look like toupées!

More than you need to know about the Puss Caterpillar/Southern Flannel Moth.

University of Florida wrote:The venomous spines of puss caterpillars are hollow and each is equipped with a venom gland at its base. All larval instars, as well as exuviae, may sting but the toxicity of the stings increases with increasing size of the larvae.

The southern flannel moth is found from New Jersey to Florida and west to Arkansas and Texas. It is common in Florida but reaches its greatest abundance in Texas from Dallas southward in the western central part of the state.


http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/moths/puss.htm

Aaarg. I haven't seen anything that remotely looks like this, but I'll be watchful.

Paul

Yikes...something else to watch for!

Saw the tail end of a report on the news, but basically missed it. Thanks for posting it. I see that they were located in some counties in Eastern VA. I don't mind that they haven't been found yet in SW VA.

That said, there is some kind of Black Caterpillar around here that have furry shoots on them. First one we ever saw was about 8 years ago when one rubbed on my wife's hand while she was weeding her flower garden. She was in PAIN !! In the next year or two we saw a few more, but none since then. Strange, as soon after I was at a friends house talking with him in his driveway and here comes a "train" of them. About 8 or 9 all line up head to tail walking towards us. Now, my friend is an old country boy, close to 70 years old at the time and living in the same area all of his life. Never mind never seeing one before, he never even heard of one.

Related to the ones above? Could be. We really never researched them, but we sure know to stay away from them.

fortyshooter wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 10, 2020 4:00 pm

Yikes...something else to watch for!

They only attack bald people.

Sir Henry wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 10, 2020 4:47 pm

fortyshooter wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 10, 2020 4:00 pm

Yikes...something else to watch for!

They only attack bald people.

OK I'm good!

If I saw 8 or 9 coming at me well time for some 12 ga. bird shot!

I did a little research and it looks like what we had were Buck Moth Caterpillars:

http://www.magnoliareporter.com/living_ ... f887a.html

now that's just great .. .. we are scheduled to be in eastern Virginia for the next 3 weeks ....

JEBar wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 10, 2020 5:07 pm

now that's just great .. .. we are scheduled to be in eastern Virginia for the next 3 weeks ....

Where abouts?

Thousand Trails Chesapeake Campground near Gloucester

https://thousandtrails.com/virginia/che ... rv-resort/

They only attack bald people.
[/quote]

Once in my life glad for all this grey hair

JEBar wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 10, 2020 7:11 pm

Thousand Trails Chesapeake Campground near Gloucester

https://thousandtrails.com/virginia/che ... rv-resort/

Yeah that's over near West Point about an hour drive from my home. Nice camping area!