Holy crap!!

This may get moved to off topic but...... check your blinds for them grey fuzzy catipillars. They’re called Puss moth catipillars. I assume he was on my chair and inches up on my shirt and stung me 3 times one my wrist, forearm, and and elbow. This happened at 8 this morning and from my elbow down is numb, and on FIRE. Looked the little guy up and found he’s the most poisonous catipillar in United States and will put you in the hospital in worst case scenarios. Watch out for um. I would rather stand under a nest of fifty red wasps and swat at them naked than to even see one of those things again. It’s now starting to fade away a little so I think I’m fine.

Glad you're ok!

We always called them asps...I was stung by one as a boy and I was on fire for hours! Man, I squish anything that I think is one!

Elbow was the worst sting. Starting to really ware off now. Up until an hour or so ago it was the constant pain, burning, numb feeling as if you get a good whack on your funny bone. But constant for 6 hours. Weird thing is, you don’t feel it at first. It’s not a sudden pain. When I first realized the pain I thought ants as it gradually intensified within an hour.

Yes! The puss moth catipillar is the correct name. But people call them asps and have a few other names as well. I’ll post a picture to help get them recognized for the people who don’t know about them. I’d hate for someone to get stung.

Megalopyge opercularis is a moth of the family Megalopygidae. It has numerous common names, including southern flannel moth for its adult form, and puss caterpillar, asp, Italian asp, woolly slug, opossum bug,[1] puss moth, tree asp, or asp caterpillar for its larval form.

They also come in different colors as well. I will now keep benydryl in my backpack from now on during warmer months

And they don’t have a stinger, nor do they bite. It’s their hair. I read when the hair touches skin it embeds. Just another heads up for the guys and gals that like insects and wanted to try and pet the little guy. He looks soft and friendly but he sure the heck aint

Thanks for the info.

X2 I dont squish them - I drop whatever I’m doing and go get my propane torch and INCINERATE every one I see!

first one I’ve seen and last one I hope to see. I see more of the thinner haired catipillars with the tail that sticks off the rear end of em. I know I will for sure be weiry on sitting in blind now and brushing up against brush. During the time it was at its peak I would have a panic attack when my arm touched something on my clothes that wasn’t cloth.

Yep we called them Asp and they pack a wallop, glad your okay.

Same here, we had them on our loquat tree when I was a kid in Corpus Christi.

I grabbed one as a kid while climbing a tree. First time i found out how an 11' fall feels.

Son caught an orange one on a stick and put him in his caterpillar net, just glad he used a stick to put him in there.

Yikes. Good to know. I saw one of these on the ground just yesterday as I was walking back from the blind.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poisonous-caterpillar-sting-sends-florida-boy-to-the-er-mom-warns/

You hunting a ground blind and where at? This would be one the last things I'd expect to see in my stand out West but who knows.

San Augustine in a box blind. I wouldn’t think they would be in West Texas but I could be wrong

Them Asps hurt! My dad got stung by one a while back.