{"id":64544,"date":"2026-04-07T22:12:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T02:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=64544"},"modified":"2026-04-07T22:12:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T02:12:35","slug":"health-officials-have-issued-their-annual-spring-warning-as-tussock-moth-caterpillars-begin-their-peak-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/04\/07\/health-officials-have-issued-their-annual-spring-warning-as-tussock-moth-caterpillars-begin-their-peak-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Health officials have issued their annual spring warning as tussock moth caterpillars begin their peak season"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It is officially that time of year in Florida. Florida Poison Control<\/strong> and health officials have issued their annual spring warning as tussock moth caterpillars<\/strong> begin their peak season, which usually lasts through the end of April.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

While they look like tiny, fuzzy toys\u2014often sporting white or yellow tufts, red heads, and long “hair” pencils\u2014the “look, don’t touch” advice is serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why You Should Keep Your Distance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • The “Sting” is in the Hair:<\/strong> These caterpillars don’t bite or sting with a stinger. Instead, their bodies are covered in urticating hairs<\/strong>. These tiny, hollow hairs can break off and embed in your skin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Symptoms:<\/strong> Contact typically causes a localized skin rash, redness, and intense itching or burning. For most, the irritation lasts about a day, but those with sensitive skin or allergies can have more severe reactions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Secondary Exposure:<\/strong> You don’t have to touch the caterpillar directly to get a rash. The hairs can be left behind on outdoor furniture, playground equipment, and tree trunks<\/strong>. Even their cocoons (which look like matted tufts of fur) are covered in these irritating hairs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Identifying the Tussock Moth Caterpillar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    In Florida, you are most likely to see the Whitemarked<\/strong> or Fir<\/strong> tussock moth varieties. Keep an eye out for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Distinct Tufts:<\/strong> Four dense clumps of hair on their back (resembling a toothbrush).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Bright Colors:<\/strong> They often have a bright red or orange head.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Hair Pencils:<\/strong> Long clusters of black hairs projecting from the front and rear.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      What to Do if You Get “Stung”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      If you or someone else accidentally touches one, Poison Control typically recommends:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. Tape Lift:<\/strong> Use adhesive tape (like packing or duct tape) to gently pull the hairs out of the skin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Wash Up:<\/strong> Wash the area thoroughly with soap and water.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Soothe:<\/strong> Use an ice pack or baking soda paste to reduce itching. If a severe allergic reaction occurs, seek medical attention.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        By mid-May, most of these will have transitioned into cocoons and then into moths, and the “caterpillar rain” from the oak trees will subside for another year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        H<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        It is officially that time of year in Florida. Florida Poison Control and health officials have issued their annual spring warning as tussock moth caterpillars begin their peak season, which… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":64545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"12","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNlwvMDRcL2ltYWdlcy0xLTIud2VicD9maXQ9MzEwJTJDMTYzJnNzbD0xIiwidHh0IjoiSGVhbHRoIG9mZmljaWFscyBoYXZlIGlzc3VlZCB0aGVpciBhbm51YWwgc3ByaW5nIHdhcm5pbmcgYXMgdHVzc29jayBtb3RoIGNhdGVycGlsbGFycyBiZWdpbiB0aGVpciBwZWFrIHNlYXNvbiIsInRlbXBsYXRlIjoiZG9pcyIsImZvbnQiOiIiLCJibG9nX2lkIjoxNjMwNDA2NjF9.ngze6QZW0Uy-pcZCF2k--RA-8PeHCFD3i-4x0LPxGd0MQ"},"version":2,"media_source":"sig","attached_media":[{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/jetpack.com\/redirect\/?source=sigenerate&query=t%3DeyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvbGFrZWxhbmRnYXpldHRlLmluZm9cL25ld3NcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjZcLzA0XC9pbWFnZXMtMS0yLndlYnAiLCJ0eHQiOiJIZWFsdGggb2ZmaWNpYWxzIGhhdmUgaXNzdWVkIHRoZWlyIGFubnVhbCBzcHJpbmcgd2FybmluZyBhcyB0dXNzb2NrIG1vdGggY2F0ZXJwaWxsYXJzIGJlZ2luIHRoZWlyIHBlYWsgc2Vhc29uIiwidGVtcGxhdGUiOiJkb2lzIiwiZm9udCI6IiIsImJsb2dfaWQiOjE2MzA0MDY2MX0.tyZF7OmByAJxO6rzrAq0uD44H11LUdEc4l_f9qQjb94MQ","type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[12,14],"tags":[14323],"class_list":["post-64544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","category-news","tag-health-officials-have-issued-their-annual-spring-warning-as-tussock-moth-caterpillars-begin-their-peak-season"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64544"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64546,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64544\/revisions\/64546"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}