STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — It’s stinging caterpillar season in Mississippi and Louisiana — spiny buck moth caterpillars are out and about.
The Mississippi State University Extension Service put out a statement Tuesday about buck moth caterpillars, which the LSU AgCenter says can be found from east Texas to Florida and up the East Coast to Maine.
They’re fearsome-looking critters, armed with rows of branched spines that are attached to venom glands. Even a glancing touch from a falling caterpillar brings instant pain and swelling.
Mississippi extension service entomologist Blake Layton says the best defense is to know about the caterpillars and avoid close contact.