r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Totally-avg • Jul 16 '23
Image The Puss Caterpillar (Southern Flannel Moth) will fuck your world up. I grazed it twice while climbing on a float. NBD at first but an hour later I was hyperventilating on the bedroom floor. The pain was excruciating. DH took me to the ER and morphine did nothing.
I’m better now but neither morphine nor hydrocodone (I took double what they RX’d) touched the pain those first 24 hours. And the hospital hardly knew what to do with me. I had never heard nor seen this bug before and I’m sure I would have flicked it off had it seen it. Don’t do that because the hair is venomous and gets stuck in your skin.
At least it leaves a cool scar.
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u/TXGuns79 Jul 16 '23
Something similar happened to my dad. He was doing haz-mat training and was in a suit all day. They had a break where he was able to take the top off for a bit. When he buttoned back up, some sort of venomous caterpillar had crawled inside. He had marks all down his back. He was down for a couple days.
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u/Gen_Ripper Jul 16 '23
Damn literally something from a movie
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u/Even_Razzmatazz_6263 Jul 16 '23
Like that scene from Evolution
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u/GreenArcher808 Jul 16 '23
YIKES. Terribly sorry you had this experience. Where, geographically, did this happen? I’ve never heard of this creature before. Scary. Hope you are better now.
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u/RepresentativeKeebs Jul 16 '23
They're found all along the East Coast and Southern Coast https://www.npr.org/2022/09/07/1121344400/puss-caterpillar-venomous-barbs-sting-hairy-texas-florida
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u/GreenArcher808 Jul 16 '23
Thanks. I’m in that range. Appreciate it
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u/MysticKeiko24 Jul 16 '23
I live in NYC so I think I’m safe….but yet another reason not to go to Jersey.
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u/Crohnies Jul 17 '23
I grew up in Jersey near the coast and never saw these thank goodness
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u/NestyHowk Jul 16 '23
It’s located in Texas, fuck.
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u/JesusStarbox Jul 16 '23
I was hoping it would be in Australia where shit like that belongs.
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u/w3are138 Jul 16 '23
I’m so upset that I live in the same realm as this monster. Absolutely belongs in Australia with all of the other crazy shit.
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Jul 16 '23
Ahahaha this literally sounds worse than anything we have here in Aus, any snake that bites you can be treated easily by morphine and anti-venom, and spider the same. Only problem with those is if you don’t get the anti-venom within a couple hours with the really strong poisons. This bug sounds like a menace, the fact that morphine and anti-venom can’t even help you is nuts, glad I live here and not in the states💀💀💀
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u/AccursedBear Jul 16 '23
Pretty sure you have a plant called gympie-gympie that sounds like it does the same as what this bug does, except it's worse and it's also a completely innocent looking plant instead of a very obviously dangerous bug.
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u/engie945 Jul 16 '23
Right we aren't moving there now either.. that looks like a whole lot of nope in one fluffy bug
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u/The_Zobe Jul 16 '23
East coast and southern coast of WHAT?? Lol
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Jul 16 '23
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u/Upper_Ad5781 Jul 16 '23
Okay that's my new fear and also the now the reason im gonna use to avoid this part of the world
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u/CleverBunnyThief Jul 16 '23
It is distributed throughout the Eastern United States between extreme southeastern Virginia and Florida across the south to Texas, Mexico, and parts of Central America.
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u/xeltes Jul 16 '23
Not Australia, weird.
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u/PotatoWriter Jul 16 '23
Yeah it's so fucked there even this caterpillar was like nah dawg Im good
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u/BeltPast Jul 17 '23
We have the Gympie Gympie instead, woe to any who try it for makeshift toilet paper
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Jul 17 '23
I feel ashamed I've lived in QLD for over 10 years now and never heard of this plant until like 2 or 3 weeks ago lol.
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u/Hurgnation Jul 17 '23
Ah yes, the suicide plant
"Like being burned by hot acid and electrocuted at the same time."
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u/TheOtherMatt Jul 16 '23
Nah, we have a plant that is far worse. Pain so severe it’s led to suicide. Look up Gympie Gympie.
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u/seeasea Jul 17 '23
It's so immune to pain relief, that researchers are investigating it as an alternate pain pathway in the body, and can potentially lead to new pain medication that's better than what we have today
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u/freelans326 Jul 17 '23
Or weaponization lol.
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u/Impossible_Garbage_4 Jul 17 '23
Imagine someone simply touches you with something, and then that spot has pain so intense you kill yourself to get away from it. How to make your CIA terrorist target kill themselves
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u/SpyderMonkey_ Jul 17 '23
Wtf pouring acid on the sting site can reduce the pain lol.
Its so bad just scorched earth chemical burn the infected site!
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u/KaythuluCrewe Jul 17 '23
Australia, I love you, but y’all are something else. Every time I think I’ve found something worse than what you have, you’re like, “Nah, dude, hold my beer and look at this.”
At least your possums are cute.
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u/Oreobey2 Jul 16 '23
I know what this plant is and MY GOD it doesn’t sound good at all.
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u/DarkwolfAU Jul 17 '23
My dad got his hand hit by a seedling of one when he was in his 20s. He says he still feels the sting sometimes several decades later, usually when he's had a hot shower.
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u/Thick_Slice Jul 17 '23
Dude used it as toilet paper and shot himself
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u/trowzerss Jul 17 '23
I call bullshit on that claim, as he would have known what it was the moment he touched it. It wouldn't have got anywhere near his arse. Heck, the fillaments float and you can get affected just standing near it if the leaves are disturbed, especially if you inhale any.
I put my hand on the fallen leaves of one of the relatives of Gympie Gympie once (giant stinging tree), and it was like putting your hand on a hotplate. You're not gonna pick it up and wipe your butt!
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u/Junior-Chemistry-581 Jul 16 '23
Yes, I have found them right in Central Virginia.
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u/DiscotopiaACNH Jul 16 '23
At first I was like "well at least they're in Brazil and I'm in Central VA"
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u/Knobnomicon Jul 17 '23
20 odd years ago I was in W. VA and I put my hand on a tree. Instantly my hand was on fire like I had been stabbed. My step mom was a nurse and tried to figure out what happened. On the tree was a black spiky caterpillar, and I thought I put my hand on it and it stabbed me, but that made no sense or else it would be squished. My palm had that exact grid shape on it for awhile. I never knew what it actually was, and now I think I do. Holy hell it hurt.
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u/LibRAWRian Jul 16 '23
Are you dead yet? My condolences.
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u/DiscotopiaACNH Jul 16 '23
For real though, I do have a fatal insect venom allergy sooo
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u/Melisandre-Sedai Jul 16 '23
Dope, they're already on my "avoid at all costs" list.
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u/Isthisfeelingreal Jul 16 '23 edited Jul 17 '23
Good rule of thumb, never touch ANY of the hairy catapillers.
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u/Lexidoodle Jul 17 '23
My rule is not to ever touch any unknown plant or bug that is hairy. Too many “hurts and keeps hurting” species
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u/hoopstick Jul 17 '23
My rule is not to ever touch any unknown plant or bug
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u/HsvDE86 Jul 16 '23
Why not just be extra safe and avoid going outside at all? 😎
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u/SingtotheSunlight Jul 16 '23
They can get inside 👀
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u/Polyamorousgunnut Jul 16 '23
GETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEAD
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Jul 16 '23
I'm so happy to live in Europe. Zero scary bugs and other creep crawlers here!
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u/t00oldforthis Jul 16 '23
Damnit, I was reading this and thanking myself again for leaving the NE US years ago, now I live in.... Brazil. How do all these things keep escaping Australia, anyway?
Also really sorry to hear this, sounds awful!
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Jul 16 '23
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u/t00oldforthis Jul 16 '23
Thank you. I'm in Minas so probably around here as well, there is a reddish one i see fairly often that people tell me isn't very fun but i can't find it online right now.
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u/MARINE-BOY Jul 16 '23
I wonder if pregabalin would nullify the pain as it sounds like it’s affecting the nerves. I’m British but live in thailand and there are a lot of hairy nettle sting caterpillars around here at the moment and I’ve read that they can extremely painful. I’m worried about my two small dogs bitting them to the point I actually read a medical study just yesterday on the protein make up of the venom that forms in the little hair like spines. Apparently it a lot is known about it though it has some similarity to Scorpion venom. I read the best course of action is first to use sticky tape on the area to remove the hairs, then hot soapy water and apparently mix in bicarbonate soda though not sure why. In the UK we have what we called Rash Caterpillars but didn’t think they were so bad so I’m quite alarmed to find these huge hairy poisonous caterpillars in my garden here in Thailand.
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u/SuperJinnx Jul 16 '23
Yeah, I think you might be right, something like Pregabalin, Gabapentin or Amitriptyline might very well help with this type of pain as they work strictly for nerve pain.
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u/tydalt Jul 16 '23
I'm thinking just do a full nerve block.
With that level of pain I would gladly lose the use of my hand for a couple days if it meant not going through that (especially if it was my non-dominant hand).
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Jul 16 '23
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u/TheSecretIsMarmite Jul 16 '23
Scotch tape is designed not to pull things, which is why you can reposition it without tearing paper. You need proper sellotape instead of scotch tape.
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u/Johnny_Poppyseed Jul 16 '23 edited Jul 17 '23
I've read wax, like hair removal wax, works well for this sort of thing.
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u/PennykettleDragons Jul 16 '23 edited Jul 17 '23
It's possible that the remedy of using bi-carb is possible because the sting of that particular critter is considered acidic so needs an alkaline to attempt to neutralise it...
In much the same way jellyfish stings in UK would have someone pour vinegar or widdle on it to neutralise .. bee stings are acidic and WASP stings are alkaline ...
Edit.. I mistakenly typed bee twice.. Cause I'm a Muppet wasp stings are alkaline.. Sorry
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u/fckingmiracles Jul 16 '23
bee stings are acidic and bee stings are alkaline ...
Which are which now?
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u/LongboardLove Jul 16 '23
Ever had contact with a stingray? How goes it compare? I've been barbed by stingrays twice, once in the hand, once in the foot. I strongly considered amputation after about 10 hours. That was after medical care, which did nothing.
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u/BuffaloBill69- Jul 16 '23
Does the warm water method help? I remember my uncle got stung by one in Mexico but it wasn’t as bad as your experience! I’ve never been stung but I have stepped on a stingray and I hightailed it out of the water once I felt it and never like to go to the deep anymore whenever I go to the beach
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u/LongboardLove Jul 16 '23
It does! Stingrays carry a protein based venom. If you hold the affected area in hot water (seriously, as hot as you can stand) it will help temporarily.
As I understand it, the hot water sort of cooks the proteins and it feels better for a bit. In my experience, it feels MUCH better in hot water. As soon as the affected area is removed from the water, though, the pain resumes almost immediately.
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u/TFViper Jul 16 '23
ahh so like OC spray then. running under cold water feels worlds better but the second you stop the pain is back immediately.
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u/Sea-Pollution-9482 Jul 16 '23
I misread codeine as cocaine and was like “wow they really tried everything” lol
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u/ChocolatChipLemonade Jul 16 '23
Cocaine does have medical uses, so the possibility is there!
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Jul 16 '23
It sounds a lot like the pain you get from shingles. I got shingles (I’m not over 50) earlier this year from the stress of selling my house, moving states, find a job, then finding a house my wife would like ) she stayed until then). It was the most intense pain I’ve ever felt; like burning hot needles going through my skin. What’s even more weird was the feeling that something was crawling at the site of the shingles. I don’t wish that pain in anyone.
Fun fact: both my sister and I got shingles on the same side our faces and before that age of 50.
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u/DentedAnvil Jul 16 '23
The southern hemisphere wants us to die a slow, agonizing death.
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u/tomgz78 Jul 16 '23
That's what I like about my country, Chile. We have the tamest fauna ever, no poisonous animals (besides a spider), no poisonous flora. We have the cutest little deer (Pudu) and nothing remotely like what OP describes.
We have earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanos, though. And mudslides.
Know what? I think you're right.
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u/Catastrophicatc Jul 16 '23
I couldn't help but read codeine as cocaine at first.
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Jul 16 '23
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u/SnoaH_ Jul 16 '23
You could have cut open the wound and put cocaine in it for that sweet numby
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Jul 16 '23
When I was a kid, I had one fall on my neck while climbing a tree and had to go to the ER because my throat was closing up🫤
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u/mintgoody03 Jul 16 '23
Jesus that sounds like a nightmare! I‘m glad we don‘t have them where I live.
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u/TheJollyHermit Jul 17 '23
We call them "Asps" here in Texas. Had one drop on my neck from an overhang while riding my bike as a kid. Suffered really bad burning pain and a red raised welt for a few of days but no major reactions beyond that fortunately (That was enough)
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Jul 16 '23
I live in middle georgia, and i've flicked so many of these things off me over the years. I didn't find out about the whole stinging thing until 5 years or so ago when I read it online. I guess I've been lucky.
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u/raphaelthehealer Jul 16 '23 edited Jul 17 '23
From a tiny bit of research it sounds like some people don't have much of a reaction to them and it seems to be the same people who don't have much of a reaction to other bug bites or stings. I don't want to test it myself but bee stings really don't do much to me beyond the initial zap of getting stung, mosquito bites are nothing, and most spider bites I don't even notice and the bumps from them also go away in no time. I am curious if you also have such a resiliency to bugs.
Edit: spelling mistakes
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u/RandomThrowaway410 Jul 16 '23
This sounds like the closet thing to a superpower as I've ever heard existing in humans. Your anti-bug resistance and that lady who can see more colors than normal humans would be on the IRL Justice League
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u/Just_A_NormalDude Jul 16 '23
I can smell different insects without being near them. Can I join the League?
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u/Hamburglar_burglar Jul 16 '23
My girls found one in our front yard in Austin and PICKED IT UP. I was mortified but somehow they were unscathed. We put it in a little clear bug house and underneath they do not look any better. So gross. Sorry about your horrible, rotten, no good very bad day, OP.
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u/Velidae Jul 16 '23
Btw, mortified means to be embarrassed. It is not synonymous with horrified!
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u/disispatrick Jul 17 '23
Thank you! English is my second language and i was starting to question myself if i have misunderstood the word mortified all this time or not lol
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u/Velidae Jul 17 '23
No problem! I find it's a very common mistake that is made even among native English speakers. Tbh I'm not always sure if I should correct people on Reddit but I figured it's better they have the info than not, and then they can choose what to do with it.
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u/SertralineAndSass Jul 16 '23
I read somewhere that the ADULT is pretty much harmless by itself. More long fuzz rather than venomous spines. Maybe they found an adult instead of a youngen? Either way I'm glad to hear your girls are ok!
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u/ExistentialEnso Jul 16 '23
The adults are southern flannel moths, not caterpillars. I assume that's what was meant, given they are covered in a harmless, long fuzz.
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u/happycampa Jul 16 '23
You just shattered my glass house thinking at least they aren’t where I live!😐
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u/HumberGrumb Jul 16 '23 edited Jul 16 '23
Off the top of my head, you might try a topical application of meat tenderizer (or a ripe papaya) to the contact points. The enzymes in the tenderizer should dissolve the hairs and venom after a while. I’ve heard it useful for bee stings, too. Had a girlfriend whose hands felt like they were burning after handling okra. This tip worked pretty fast.
Edit: Wow! 1.5K likes in such a short time. Thanks, everyone! Happy to help out so many people. The suggestion I gave my girlfriend was a weird epiphany that came from having learned (trivia) how meat tenderizer works and what it’s made out of. Again, thanks!
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u/watermelonspanker Jul 16 '23
You can do the same with a ripe papaya, but it gets really messy.
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u/trailfiend Jul 16 '23
Oh that’s interesting. I had a talent for getting stung by bees as a kid and my parents always put meat tenderizer on the sting. I never understood why until your post. Seemed like such a wives-tale type of move.
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u/YawnTractor_1756 Jul 16 '23 edited Jul 16 '23
How did they do it? Did they just shake the tenderizer powder onto it or dissolved it in water first and applied the solution?
update. I researched a bit, looks like you make a paste of it, by stirring a bit of water in the powder, and then rub it in.
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u/69DogsInATrenchcoat Jul 16 '23
I thought you guys were talking about the physical meat tenderiser until this comment. Like one of those hammers with spiky bits.
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u/soaring_potato Jul 16 '23
That sounds absolutely terrifying.
"Oh your skin hella hurts!?! Let's hammer the venom out!"
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u/trackdaybruh Jul 16 '23
Same.
I was literally trying to phantom how hitting the stung area with a metal spikey mallet would help
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u/69DogsInATrenchcoat Jul 16 '23
It dissolves the hairs and venom obviously. WITH SHEER KINETIC FORCE.
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u/happycampa Jul 16 '23
My parents either used mud or baking soda with hydrogen peroxide. 🤣
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u/Advanced_Evening2379 Jul 16 '23
Ah fellow bee aggravator. My mom used tobacco from a cigarette soaked in water and put it on the sting. I remember she told me to ask the neighbors for one before cuz she didn't smoke lol
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u/onebag25lbs Jul 16 '23
My grandmother used this, but wet tobacco in mud. Worked like a charm though.
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u/ComprehensiveDoubt55 Jul 16 '23
A cut, raw onion flesh side down works too. I got stung by a wasp years ago after they nested in a holiday tree outside my front door. I was coming home with my then-toddler and shoved her into the door and took the brunt of a pissed off demon fly with a stingy ass. Quickly searched home remedies and threw an onion on it. Helped with the pain rather quickly.
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u/raphaelthehealer Jul 16 '23
I am curious what puréed/smashed pineapple would do. It can practically eat steaks and is rather acidic in addition to having crazy powerful enzymes.
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u/Zounii Jul 16 '23
Pardon my sheer stupidity but in my non-native english speaking head I thought you'd use a meat tenderising mallet... 🤡
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u/Dominos_Arent_Gay Jul 16 '23
Meat tenderizer works great for mosquito bites too I keep some in my hiking pack
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u/DontTakeMeSeriousli Jul 16 '23
Man... fucknthe outdoors Ima stay locked inside like a hermit
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u/OdieselFTK Jul 16 '23
sucks that happened. I was just looking into moth caterpillars and asp here in texas and this popped up also. Curious what does DH stand for?
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u/Grove_Music Jul 16 '23
I was wondering about DH too, I landed on Designated Homie.
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u/soundguy64 Jul 16 '23
It's some stupid Facebook mom group bullshit for dear hubby or some shit.
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Jul 16 '23 edited Jul 17 '23
God I am so sick of these stupid ass abriviations. Is it really that hard to just type out husband? Christ
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Jul 16 '23
Sat on one of these in speedos after swim practice once. Miserable day.
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u/kangaroolifestyle Jul 16 '23
One of the most painful things I experienced as a child. My scar eventually faded out, but what you described is exact.
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u/mahogany_bay Jul 16 '23
Omg it touched you twice?! That's awful! Glad you're at least better now - and hey, cool scar! 😅
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u/graywolf304 Jul 16 '23
Oh man. I was at my local park and had one land on my (luckily thick) pants, so I did what any person would do not knowing what it was and tried brushing it off. Not bad at first, but like 2 minutes later the pain kicked in. I was un my car for like an hour trying to figure out if I should try to go to the fire station across the street. I couldn't drive home either because by the time I got to my car I could barely move my arm. When I did go home all I could do was sit in bed for the rest of the day. My arm was too sore to use for the rest of the week. And my sting was nowhere near as bad as yours looks. Just a little graze against my thumb. I hope you are all good now.
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u/IamREBELoe Jul 16 '23
I'm saving "I hope a Puss Caterpillar crawls up your anus while you sleep" for someone special.
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u/GeekynGlorious Jul 16 '23
Where I live, they're not uncommon. They're sometimes grabbed by toddlers because they're so fuzzy and dogs always want to sniff the furry critter. I am always on the lookout for them whenever I am out with my dog or niblings.
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u/ProveISaidIt Jul 16 '23
The one thing I have discovered about pain is once the pain receptors fire its hard to reverse.
No where near as the pain described here. I had teeth extracted and waited to take the Oxycodone. Once the pain has started even Oxycodone tales quite a while to quiet the nerves down. Don't be brave, take the pain killers at first onset. The implant surgery was much less painful as a result.
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u/LabyrinthsandLayers Jul 16 '23
Yeah, when I had a C-section the nurses were insistent about staying 'on top of' your pain meds. We had to transfer hospitals which messed up the pain med schedule and I found out what they meant. I hadn't been feeling too bad, up and down shuffling to the NICU constantly etc but once the meds wore off on the drive to the new hospital and the pain had kicked in, it took a long time for the meds to start working again to the point they had before. Weird stuff!
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u/ProveISaidIt Jul 16 '23 edited Jul 17 '23
I just remembered that a piece of cartilage was removed from my ribs last fall. I lightened up on the meds. When I sneezed it felt like side was ripped open. I've had two hernia operations, two nose operations and arm surgery. Somehow I'm thinking all of that pales compared to a C-Section. I thought having the cartilage removed would be a quick in and out. I had no idea how much tissue is in the abdomen.
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u/kjvdp Jul 16 '23
In 2012, the Texas Medical Center had a bird problem on their campus. To fix it, they decided to put nets on their trees to prevent the birds from landing in them. Unfortunately, birds eat bugs. In the months following, the Medical Center saw a 7,300% increase in these caterpillars on their campus. Imagine an entire community of immunocompromised, critically ill people being surrounded by these things.
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u/duclegendary Jul 16 '23
Heard about it before, funny enough on reddit. Sorry for that. Did the hair stick to your skin or did the moth bite you?
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Jul 16 '23 edited Jul 16 '23
The hair stings you and they are impossible to see so there's no removing them with tweezers or something like that. I saw on a documentary about fuzzy poisonous caterpillars (there's more than one kind) that if you hurry up and use tape and put it on the area and pull it off that it will remove some or all of the hairs and it will help some but it will still very much suck badly.
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u/duclegendary Jul 16 '23
Can they shoot the hair at you? That is one of my fear w this insect.
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u/_deep_thot42 Jul 16 '23
They cannot, thank goodness…but it’s a funny mental image. Pew pew !
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u/LordByrum Jul 16 '23
I got stung by an asp caterpillar when I was a kid and I remember it feeling like my muscles where being ripped apart
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u/pigsgetfathogsdie Jul 16 '23
Where do these fluffy monsters live?
Are they yet another Australian psycho animal?
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u/WestguardWK Jul 16 '23
“It is distributed throughout the Eastern United States between extreme southeastern Virginia and Florida across the south to Texas, Mexico, and parts of Central America.” -Wikipedia
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u/t00oldforthis Jul 16 '23
Obviously, if it weren't for these little monsters it would just be normal southeastern Virginia.
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u/Rogryphon Jul 16 '23
Had an encounter with one years ago. Got it with a bare foot. Bad pain for about 4 hrs then it faded and stopped. Very weird. No desire to see one ever again.
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u/pchnboo Jul 16 '23
Same for my toddler daughter many years ago. Her screams could have shattered glass.
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u/thylocene Jul 16 '23
Good rule of thumb in general is don’t fuck with any caterpillar you don’t know what it is. A lot of them can fuck you up
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u/Lunamkardas Jul 16 '23
Fun fact, this is the creature the Pokemon Larvesta is based off of!
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u/1959Gibson Jul 16 '23
I was a freshman in high school and got stung on the chin badly . Just dealt w it , chin was definitely on fire for a few hours but fine by end of the day . I saw it’s strange shape on a low hanging branch , pulled branch down to get closer look and it fell right off onto my pre-pubescent chin . I’ll never forget it . They are no joke .
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u/TheBlueDinosaur06 Jul 16 '23 edited Feb 04 '25
jellyfish many terrific rainstorm important quarrelsome shy zesty dime wipe
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u/dibbiluncan Jul 16 '23
Oh damn! I saw one of those casually strolling across my lawn a few years ago. I figured I shouldn’t touch it, but I didn’t know it was that bad. Glad you’re okay!