Pest Alert

Master Gardeners,

The Queen Anne's Extension Office has asked that you all be alerted to a toxic caterpillar that has been found in a residential garden on Kent Island. It is the puss caterpillar, Megalopyge Opercularis. Francis visited a garden on Kent Island and found at least ten of these highly toxic larvae.

This caterpillar is teardrop-shaped, and resembles a tuft of cotton or fur or perhaps a cover on an insect egg mass. Color is generally tan though it can vary. Looks like a little furball but do not touch!

This is a stinging caterpiller. If any of the hairs penetrate your skin, there can be a strong, immediate reaction, so definitely do not touch. Francis told me the homeowner was pruning a tree and inadvertently brushed against the caterpillars. The reaction was immediate and required a trip to the emergency room. If stung, a recommendation is to try to pull the hairs from the skin using a piece of sticky tape, and ice the spot. Better, look where you are putting your hands when you work among your trees and shrubbery.

Here are a couple of web sites with more information:

http://neuro.bcm.edu/eagleman/asp/

http://www.bugsinthenews.com/puss_caterpillar_092602.htm

For more information, contact Jennifer Horton, Master Gardener Coordinator and Program Extension Assistant; 301-475-4120

Last updated: 09/29/2009

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