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Florida officials are warning about the return of the white-marked tussock moth caterpillar. The potentially harmful caterpillar has been dropping from trees and showing up in yards and playgrounds.
Have you noticed a lot more caterpillars lately? Some falling from trees, crawling on the ground, along windows, or perhaps squished, the unfortunate fate of being run over?
A Florida woman recently walked out to her car and found dozens of these tiny, green and fuzzy caterpillars slowly inching their way across her tires, and along the tread. What kind of caterpillars are they? Why are we seeing so many? And are they harmless, poisonous, or venomous?
Here's what we know.
A Florida woman walked out to her car and noticed dozens – perhaps hundreds – of fuzzy green caterpillars were squirming all over her tires.
According to the University of Florida entomologists, people who study insects, these are white-marked tussock moth caterpillars. They're popular in central and north-central Florida.
There are three types of the species:
The fir tussock moth and the white-marked tussock moth are the most common, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
They primarily like to live in Oak trees, but if the wind blows them around, they may find themselves attached to small trees and shrubs. They do often fall from the trees in search of a spot to hopefully make their cocoon to eventually become a moth.
The caterpillars typically hatch in early March and grow from a larvae to a caterpillar in four to six weeks, and then into a month over the next two months. They stay a pupal for two weeks, usually until mid-April. Then they'll form a cocoon and emerge as a month.
According to experts, no. But, if you touch them or make contact with their fur, you may develop a rash, part of their protective mechanisms.
Florida officials are warning about the return of the white-marked tussock moth caterpillar. The potentially harmful caterpillar has been dropping from trees and showing up in yards and playgrounds.
Health experts advise the following:
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