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Texas Gardening

Fuzzy white caterpillar scared me to death!

6 years ago

I spent the last 1/2 hour thinning my giant canna. As I was wiping face perspiration with my gloved hand, I noticed a round fuzzy “thing”, the size of a dime. I shook it off my hand. My inner nostril started burning as if I had inserted a whole jar of Vick’s vaporub inside of it. I think some of the fuzzy got inside my nose. I came running to the house and rinsed with water. was truly scared b/c I’ve never experienced any such irritation and it could have been poison for all I know. I’m sitting here and irritation is slowly subsiding. I took an antihistamine. I hope this never happens to you. I checked SNOPES and not poisonous but highly allergenic, depending on individual. Rats! It’s such a cool, lovely day, I was all pumped up for this shoveling task.

Featured Answer

javiwa

6 years ago

That's freakishly scary, bossy! Finally some good weather through the area this week, so yesterday I got the shovels (and pruners, loppers, etc.) out, too. Still need the mosquito spray, though. :/

Started pruning off the neighbor's hackberry branches that are overhanging into our yard (everything beneath is all black sooty moldy!). As expected, the undersides of most of the damaged leaves were clustered with wooly aphids. No one told me they fly!!!! OMG, at first I thought it was, what, tree dust? :) Nope, these things started flying everywhere...fuzz all over the yard. Really rather disgusting.

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Comments (11)

roselee z8b S.W. Texas
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Bossy, I wonder if you encountered an "Asp Caterpillar"? I've only seen one in my lifetime.

Javiwa, I knew aphid adults had wings, but I've never seen them take off flying like you did.
bossyvossy thanked roselee z8b S.W. Texas
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bossyvossy
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Roselee the “thing” that stuck to my glove was definitely white, I shook it off my hand but I think in the process hairs flew up my nose. The inside of my right nostril is still burning but lightly. I went back to trimming. I have 3 more clumps to do and then I’ll go watch mindless TV.

Eons ago, I befriended the owner of a rose Nursery in my area. It was a husband and wife biz. So hardworking and such Plant and nature lovers. Wife got very sick, requiring organ transplantation. At the first sign of recovery she started making her potting mix, which included bat guano. Bacteria got into one of those cuts that gardeners get, especially rose gardeners, and with a weak immune system, She went downhill and died fast. Drs were out of their minds b/c they were focusing on transplant complications and nothing showed. It wasn’t til autopsy that they put 2+2 together and lab indentified bacteria that typically resides in bat guano. I have never been able to forget that story and always tell DH that if something happens and I can’t speak, to insist DRs consider gardening bacteria, Poisoning. Etc. I was freaked out this morning. Ha.

i need to go. It’s getting windy and I don’t want more cr@p flying up my nose. Be cautious out there.
Vulture61
6 years ago
Snorting caterpillars? Gee, some people have no boundaries! :D

Omar
bossyvossy
Original Author
6 years ago
Ha
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
6 years ago
LOL Omar!
bossyvossy
Original Author
6 years ago
DH came out to help me after he finished his work. We loaded the truck for disposal at the mulch yard.

Mission accomplished. At 3:22pm there is no pain, my nostril just feels extra dry.
bostedo: 8a tx-bp-dfw
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Glad you are feeling better. May not have been an asp caterpillar, but a Dallas station just aired a warning about currently being in one of their two peaks over the year: Cute caterpillar with a lasting sting.
carrie751
6 years ago
I saw that on the news, bostedo, and I thought of you, Bossy. They said the pain was similar to a broken bone. They showed a picture of the asp and it looked like what you described. Hope you don't encounter any more of them, and we should all be careful.
bossyvossy
Original Author
6 years ago
After seeing bostedo’s newscast, I do think it is an asp caterpillar as roselee suggested. It appears it doesn’t have to bite you—coming in contact with the fuzzies can cause irritation. But imagine inside nasal cavity. I was truly scared b/c the pain was so great. If you’ve ever over eaten horseradish or wasabi, think of that sensation X several hours. I’m all well this morning.
bossyvossy
Original Author
6 years ago
I found this on the TAMU website

https://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/biting-stinging/others/ent-3010/

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