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This bug has been reportedly found in the following regions:
Foley, Alabama Gurley, Alabama Jewett City, Connecticut Stonington, Connecticut Brooker, Florida Brooksville, Florida Cocoa, Florida Crawfordville, Florida Deland, Florida Deltona, Florida Homestead, Florida Minneola, Florida Sebastian, Florida Dahlonega, Georgia Dallas, Georgia Gainesville, Georgia Greenville, Indiana Rockville, Indiana Millersville, Maryland Mount Airy, Maryland Owings Mills, Maryland Pylesville, Maryland Sykesville, Maryland Westminster, Maryland Carthage, Mississippi Millville, New Jersey Croton On Hudson, New York Fairview, North Carolina Hickory, North Carolina Bellaire, Ohio Glouster, Ohio Collegeville, Pennsylvania Easton, Pennsylvania Everett, Pennsylvania Pine Grove, Pennsylvania Robesonia, Pennsylvania Manning, South Carolina Spartanburg, South Carolina Summerton, South Carolina Cleveland, Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee Spring, Texas Annandale, Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Danville, Virginia Marshall, Virginia Mechanicsville, Virginia Fairmont, West Virginia Leon, West Virginia Wheeling, West Virginia
On Aug 29, 2006, kenrnoto from Westminster, MD (Zone 7b) wrote:
This is one of your STINGING Caterpillars. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TOUCH THEM, OR GRAB THEM WITH YOUR BARE HANDS.
Your young ones may be drawn to their bright colors and unusual markings so warn them to never, ever, touch hairy caterpillars.
I had never encountered these caterpillars before today. On my patio I had a Carolina Silverbells shrub growing in a gallon pot. Two days ago the shrub looked fine. When I went out to check it this morning just about all the leaves were gone and there were little caterpillar pellets on the ground. So I searched the plant and pot and found 7 of these strange looking caterpillars.
They really looked weird! That leafy green around their middle looked like they had taken part of a leaf and folded it around themselves. And they had all these long hairs. I was going to touch them, then I remembered that most hairy caterpillars are the stinging kind, so I let them be. I did get my camera to take photos. That way I could do an internet search to look for a caterpillar's photo that matched mine. That's how I found out what they were; the Saddleback Moth Caterpillar.
These caterpillars usually feast on deciduous trees such as chestnut, cherry, basswood, plum and oak, but according to the references I found, they can also be found on corn. That's where mine probably came from, I have a couple of acres of corn next to my property.
I'm posting three photos - 1. crawling to left - this is an enhanced photo so you can see the spines on its body, head and legs. 2. this photo shows three of them nibbling on a leaf. and 3. this photo shows one at the highest point of my potted shrub - after all the leaves had been eaten.
On Aug 31, 2006, rb250 from Danville, VA (Zone 7b) wrote:
kenmote is right , just this past w/e i was taking out the trash when i reached under my potted palm plant for one of the bags, and zap. It felt like a wasp had got me on the back of my bicep. after looking down at the palm, heck half of a 20" branch was half gone. I looked under the branch or fan leaf and there was about 5 of these fellows under there. Me, not knowing the out come, i kind of flicked two of them off the plant. The 2nd one got me again on my index finger when I flicked if off the leaf. I've got two of them in a little insect box now, just want see what they turn into. DO NOT TOUCH. the pain will run all the way down to your hand, and I'm talking for hours. BEWARE OF THE DREADED SADDLEBACK CATERPILLAR MOTH. True story but still kind of funny. Mike
On Sep 1, 2006, Miss_Huff from Flemington, NC (Zone 7a) wrote:
I live in North Carolina Zone 7. I was living a wooded area when I first encountered one. Saddlebacks most likely
have a solid place in the ecosystem, but they are not pleasant to encounter
if they sting you. So don't go out and kill them. Just remove them from your garden. Here's what happened to me. I was picking hydrangeas. I was holding several stems and carried them to my kitchen sink, to make a bouquet. I was in the process of washing them and the back of my hand started to hurt, to really sting. I couldn't figure out why. Thinking it might
be a bee sting, my husband looked through the foliage and found the saddleback underneath a leaf. I treated it as I would a bee sting- with wet baking soda- but the redness and pain continued for a week.
As a result, I have learned to stay away from caterpillars. I never touch them. And that is sad cause as a kid I really liked them. I have also learned (sort of) to always wear gloves when reaching into foliage.
Be aware when gardening. There are serious critters out there.
These little guys can sure surprise you. I was picking some weeds out of my flower beds a few years back and brushed the back of my hand on one who was hidden on the underside of a leaf. Nasty sting. Felt like liquid fire in my veins. Recently found another eating up my ivy so I decided to set up a habitat for him and observe him a bit. Put the whole branch he was on inside. Was not even risking a slight touch. Stinging little guy or not, I love his colors and how he seems to have an old fashioned walrus mustache. I am curious as to whether they do turn into a moth. Everytime I see a mention of Saddleback caterpillar moth on the net, it ends up just being a pic of the caterpillar, no moth.
On Sep 13, 2006, barbed from Sykesville, MD wrote:
Ouch! It's a shame you only find this information after the fact, but I'm here with an arm that's numb and tingling after coming in contact with this little bugger. At first I thought it was the plant until I felt the burning all over that area of my forearm and then I saw the welt. That's when I found it. I was digging up a banana plant to prepare it for the winter and I obviously came in contact. It was on the underside of the leaf and I had no idea until it was too late.
The first thing I did was wash the spot with peroxide and then soap & water. I put a hydrocortisone cream on the welt since I didn't have any benadryl creme. Another piece of advice stated to use an ice pack for the swelling. It's been about an hour now and my arm is still a bit numb but the redness and swelling have decreased.
I have it in a jar at this time and I don't know what I'll do with it, but I'm still in pain so I'm still angry. I've been blaming my foliage disappearance on the deer but this plant was inside the fence so I thought maybe I had rabbits too. Now I see there is something much smaller.
The pictures above are great although the first one makes it look so red but it is very brown and green as the other pictures show so well.
On Sep 19, 2006, sallyg from Anne Arundel Co., MD (Zone 7a) wrote:
Must be The year for these in MD. Found one today, Mine was eating my amaryllis. That was a pretty nasty sting, but since then I have washed hands and showered, and all effects are gone.
On Sep 23, 2006, mygardens from Croton On Hudson, NY (Zone 6b) wrote:
Found this bug on my Meyer lemon leaf in September 2006. Also saw references to this bug that called it a Sibine Stimulea and a Stinging Hair Caterpillar. Glad I didn't touch it.
On Sep 11, 2007, pyramids54 from Fairview, NC wrote:
Hi! This is a wicked little creature! This past weekend, I was weeding a really large flowerbed with all types of bushes, flowers, and generally everything in it. When I went to readjust my stance, I felt like I'd been stung by a bee ... when I wheeled around to look for the bee, it got me again. I happened to look down and saw the little monster. This wasn't even like any beesting I'd ever had ... it hurt SO bad. I immediately took a cold bath and the cold relieved the pain. Afterwards, I put campho-phenique (one of my dad's old remedies for stings) on it and it helped. Later that night, it started stinging again as if it were a fresh sting all over again! PLEASE BEWARE OF THESE THINGS ... ANOTHER ONE STUNG MY SON THE VERY SAME DAY!
On Nov 18, 2007, Pughbear7 from Tulsa, OK (Zone 6b) wrote:
These cute scotty dog looking devils are not to be played with.
I ran across this little monster in south florida, where I ran a 10 acre nursery. I have had the unpleasant contact twice. both times resulted in trips to the emergency room. I guess it was a good idea because once the doctors got wind of what had hit me they had me in a room pumped with benadrill and steriod shot. I was told they can cause heart issues as well as just unpleasant pain.
They love Lady palms - Raphis spp. Even though I knew they loved the plant and pop up from time to time They still managed to get a few born before I was able to get them sprayed. I would love to know what the moth looks like. anyone out there please send me a pic, it would greatly be apreciated. Dave
On Feb 15, 2008, galsalgardens from Jewett City, CT wrote:
The first time I saw one of these caterpillars, I was at an herb nursery in the southeastern part of Connecticut in Salem. One of the employees had been unwittingly stung while moving a plant. She showed it to me in a jar. The second time I came across one, literally, while weeding a client's bed in Stonington, CT. It felt like the sting of a wasp, left a good size rash, and did not go away for a couple days, even after washing several times with special rash cleanser. I see there are a couple different color combos, the two I saw here in CT. were the bright green. It's definitely becoming warmer by the shore year after year, I wonder if they are moving North? In my entomology class at UCONN's master gardener program, the teacher had no idea what I was referring to when I said "toxic caterpillar", I'm glad I know what the real name is now. Hope it helps the teacher!
On Aug 15, 2008, Mr_RedBud from Summerton, SC wrote:
OUCH!!! i just found one of these guys the hard way! Yes they do sting an yes it hurts,lol i was pruning a crepe mrytle an bumped him with my elbow an it felt like a fire ant an a wasp stung me at the same time? i lifted up the branch to see what it was an(hello).there he was,chillin. OUCH!!!
On Aug 21, 2008, suscwbuff from Robesonia, PA wrote:
I had my first encounter with this caterpillar tonight. I was cutting some branches on my false indigo and felt stinging on both hands AND I had thin gloves on. I tried to figure out what the heck was happening and spotted 3 of these thorny caterpillars. Since I had no idea what it was I treated it as a bee sting, washing and scrubbing the area with soap. I also took a benadryl. My biologist cousin came over and helped me identify it. I don't usually kill caterpillars in the garden but this is one that will be disposed of when I see one. I've been stung before but it never felt like this. Beware of the saddleback caterpillar!
On Aug 21, 2008, lauriepa1965 from Pine Grove, PA wrote:
My son was at our home one day by himself.He took the trash out and saw this unusual caterpillar.Not even thinking it might sting he touched it.He experienced the burning, stinging sensation associated with the saddleback caterpillar.I had never seen a caterpillar like that before.I am a gardner and a biologist and we were always required to "volunteer" our time in the yard when we were kids.It really is beautiful. There are about 7 on our one shrub.There were remarks I read that it is found in corn stalks.We live amid many corn fields for many years and this the first I have ever seen this species.I am going to put it in a bug terrerium to see it morph.I'm curious about what the moth looks like.I guess you live and you learn.Isn't nature spectacular!
On Aug 24, 2008, lisamaria from Knoxville, TN wrote:
I was weeding my Iris plant and I brushed my arm against this Hell Fire burning pest! I cut the leaf he was on and looked him up. Not knowing if he was posinous or not but the sting was awful .It radiated down my entire arm and my vains got swollen the skin was red and it felt like the briers were still in my skin. I washed it with alcahol that helped then I put liquid benydryl on it and the burning stopped.No other symptoms yet,But BE AWARE OF THIS CATERPILLAR, I live in Knoxville Tennessee and it is here!!
I'm giving these guys a positive for their beauty, and well.. they've got pretty good self defense!
I got zapped three times yesterday.. twice while deadheading gladiolas, and once on the top of my foot, pulling morning glory vines off my tree peonies. the first two times were on my knuckle and soft part of my forearm.
At first I thought I had rubbed my knuckle on one of my big grasses, which can be really irritating, but the pain was intense.. then when I got it a second time, I started looking around, and found two of the little buggars. I did not find the one that stung the top of my foot though.
I am an avid gardener, as well as having a degree in entomology, and I have never encountered one of these (let alone 3) before.
The pain they inflict, with even the slightest brush against them, is INTENSE. I didn't get a welt, though, or even a red mark. I did experience many odd heart beats later in the evening... I didn't think they were related, but I did read an article that says they have the ability to cause heart palpitations, so maybe.
I left the little guys where they were... not their fault that they are so painful!
On Aug 29, 2008, SHAWNROTH23 from Deltona, FL wrote:
watch out for these little one with one hell of a punch
trimming up plam trees when i brushed up against one of them and wham got hit.the first 10 minn it was the worst so far been about a hour now. swollen my hand to about 2 times the normal size.call someone else to trim any plants that the saddleback live on.they say to run water on the area were it stung you but do not do that made it worse.
I encountered this horrible little creature today on a poplar tree in my yard. I was wondering why it was losing all its leaves, and upon closer inspection I noticed a leaf that I thought was curling up. I reached out my hand to pluck the leaf - OUCH - and I barely touched it. I thought at first I had gotten a thorn and then I realized there was a vile little catepillar wrapped up in a leaf... in fact there are at least 4 of them on the tree I was looking at. I ran inside and soaked my hand in epsom salts for a while - it feels a whole lot better but it still stings. I had to do a bit of research to figure out what this creature was, but after seeing the photos on a couple websites I now know the culprit and what it is capable of. BEWARE of this catepillar - avoid touching at all costs!
On Sep 4, 2008, asturnut from Maurice River Township, NJ (Zone 7a) wrote:
I brushed up against a Saddleback Caterpillar while I was working in my garden. He was hanging on the underside of a Rose of Sharon plant, so I didn't see him. One minute I was weeding, the next minute my arm was on fire. The pain totally took me by surprise. I ran in the house, thinking I was stung by a bee and ran it under cold water. I have very sensitive skin and have pretty bad reaction to bug bites and stings. This was no exception. Within minutes, I was nauseous and woozy, had the chills and a bit of chest pain. The pain in my arm and the nausea lasted a couple hours. I took a benadryl and put benadryl cream on it. My arm bothered me for a couple days, and my skin looked minorly irritated. The initial shock of the pain was really intense. I hope I NEVER have an encounter with one of these again.
On Sep 12, 2008, princess102506 from Bellaire, OH wrote:
This is a very different creature... it was found in the local park on a peice of bark that was laying on the ground. it has not "stung" anyone...but was observed because of its unique color, and my son said it looks like a dragon.....
I was doing a bug collection when I my dad saw a weird caterpillar on the driveway.
He told me to come look at it to see if I wanted it for my collection. I saw it's bright colors and assumed it was probably poisonous to I got a jar and scraped it up and closed the lid. Later I found out it was a saddle back caterpillar and it was poisonus on the web. I'm glad I didn't touch it! :)
On Sep 29, 2008, workstogarden from Spartanburg, SC wrote:
These guys hurt! I wear garden gloves but brushed my forearm against one and had no idea what was causing such a sting. When I searched in my debris pail, I saw a couple on the weeds I was pulling. Began keeping an eye out and found them on iris and crocosmia as well. The stinging and redness lasted about an hour for me but a friend of mine has very visible "scars" (don't know how long they will last) from coming into contact with one last week. From my research on the internet it appears they can actually cause some people to be quite ill. Seem to be out and about in late summer. Beware!
