CENTRAL TEXAS — A bizarre looking creature has returned to Central Texas, and people are worried about getting stung by it.
This creature is an asp caterpillar, megalopyge opercularis, and they show up in Central Texas in the late spring and early summer months.
Do not let their fuzzy appearance fool you. The puss caterpillar is one of the most venomous caterpillars in the country, according to the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension.
The fuzzy hairs aren't actually hair at all but rather poisonous spines that inject venom upon contact.
In addition to discomforting levels of pain, getting stung by their venomous spines can cause redness, rashes and swelling.
If you get stung, the National Capital Poison Center recommends putting tape over the injury and pulling the tape off to remove the venomous spines. Repeat the process until all the spines are removed.
The puss caterpillar is usually active during the spring and fall seasons, and as a moth can lay several hundred eggs. In Central Texas, eggs can potentially be found on oak, pecan, elm or hackberry trees. Eventually, the caterpillar will turn into the Southern Flannel Moth.
Editor's note: A previous version of this article included a photo of the flannel moth, not the moth in its caterpillar form known as an asp. While the insects are quite harmful to humans in their younger forms, the moths are completely harmless.
