Florida residents are picking up the pieces after the latest hurricane to hit the state.
But the recovery process is complicated for an unexpected reason.
And one furry threat is making life a nightmare for Florida after the hurricane.
Furry venomous caterpillars causing problems for Florida residents
Recovery is underway in Florida after Hurricane Milton slammed into the state’s Gulf Coast.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton have left debris scattered throughout the state for residents to pick up.
But grabbing a piece of debris could be met with a painful surprise.
The furry puss caterpillar could be lurking on it with its venomous spines that pack a punch.
“Be very careful picking up debris and/or hand tools that lay in the backyard,” Florida man Joel Mathis told local TV news Click Orlando.
The caterpillar looks like a little ball of fur, but their appearance is deceiving.
This is the Puss caterpillar.
Beneath its hairy surface are poisonous barbs that pack a powerful sting, which can result in days and even weeks of pain.
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The venomous spines are hidden in the hair of the caterpillar which can break off and stick in a human.
A sting from a puss caterpillar is worse than a bee sting.
Florida resident Bri Oteri told Click Orlando that the pain from a puss caterpillar sting was excruciating when one got her in 2019 when she was leaning on a fence.
“All of a sudden, I couldn’t breathe. I thought I was going to pass out — and then came the pain,” Oteri recalled. “In my chest, in my entire right arm, radiating from my wrist all throughout my shoulder. The pain was so excruciating.”
Oteri had to go to the hospital because the pain was so overwhelming.
“I was hysterically crying in the hospital, pleading for the doctors and nurses to help me,” Oteri said. “Morphine didn’t even touch the pain.”
A hidden danger lurking for Florida residents
The puss caterpillars are only about two centimeters long and blend in with their surroundings.
Brown hairs let them blend with trees and piles of leaves where they are most often found.
They have also been known to fall out of trees and land on people.
Fall and spring are when they are most common.
Biologist Chris Gillette warned that the brown hairs can make them hard to spot.
“It doesn’t look like much,” Gillette explained. “Keep an eye out for these guys especially after the hurricane if you’re cleaning up things.”
The puss caterpillar can be found as far west as Texas and as far north as New Jersey.
A sting can cause potentially fatal anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, on rare occasions.
BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont claimed a sting can commonly cause intense pain, nausea and vomiting, swelling, fever, muscle cramps, swollen glands, and shock.
Virginia Tech’s Insect ID Lab manager Eric Day had one sting while he was mowing his lawn.
He dealt with a painful reminder of his encounter for weeks.
“The burning sensation went away in a day or so, but that blister and then subsequent kind of irritated area was visible for several weeks,” Day said.
Florida residents must deal with some of the most unique and dangerous wildlife in the country.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
