Virginia might have avoided sightings of murder hornets, large hornets spotted for the first time across parts of the United States that rip honeybees apart, but the state is now telling Virginians to be on the lookout for “one of the most venomous caterpillars in the U.S.”
The toupee-like insect is a puss caterpillar, the larval stage of the southern flannel moth. The moth is most commonly found in the South, from Arkansas to Texas, but has been found as far north as New Jersey, according to the University of Florida.
The Virginia Department of Forestry said it received reports of the puss caterpillar “in a few eastern Virginia counties.”
The “hairs” covering the caterpillar’s body are hollow, and they’re filled with toxins that, when brushed up against, create a reaction that feels like “a scorching-hot knife,” according to a resident of Richmond.
According to the University of Michigan, severe reactions can result in vomiting and a fever.
It’s unclear why so many more puss caterpillars than usual have been spotted in Virginia in 2020. Theresa Dellinger, a diagnostician at Virginia Tech University’s Insect Identification Lab, told CNN that climate change might play a role in the caterpillar’s northward crawl.
“With changes in our climate, we’re seeing some insects change their population,” she said. “But it’s too soon to tell. Caterpillars, moths, and butterflies all have cyclical periods. It’s all about the right time and the right conditions.”
VDOF doesn’t expect a significant increase in Virginia’s puss caterpillar population.
“If you find the caterpillar, leave it 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,” VDOF said in a Facebook post.
