Caterpillar Health Concerns

Caterpillars do not bite people or spread disease. A few species carry stinging spines or loose hairs, and brushing against one can cause pain, a rash or an allergic reaction.

Stinging Caterpillars in Florida and What to Do

Most caterpillars in a Florida yard are harmless to touch. A handful carry hollow, venom-filled spines, and brushing against one causes what most people call a sting. These are the ones worth learning:

• Puss caterpillar: looks like a soft tuft of tan or gray fur but hides venomous spines underneath. Its sting is the most painful of the group and can leave a grid-like pattern of red marks.
• Saddleback caterpillar: a green “saddle” with a brown center spot and spiny horns at both ends.
• Io moth caterpillar: bright green with clusters of branching spines and a red-and-white stripe along each side.
• Buck moth caterpillar: dark, with branched spines, often found on oaks in spring.

What a sting feels like: immediate burning or throbbing pain, redness and swelling. Puss caterpillar stings can send pain up a limb and occasionally cause headache, nausea or swollen lymph nodes.

First aid: don’t rub the spot. Press clear tape on the skin and peel it off several times to lift out spines, then wash with soap and water and apply ice. An over-the-counter antihistamine or hydrocortisone cream may ease itching.

Get medical care for trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat, spines in the eye, severe pain that won’t ease, or a sting on a young child. A poison control center can also advise. Call a vet if a dog or cat mouths a caterpillar and starts drooling or pawing at its face. More on local species is on the caterpillar page.