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They’re my bumps and I’ll scratch if I want to….

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(Title should be sung to Lesley Gore’s ‘It’s My Party’ melody for full effect)

This is a scraggly flowering plum tree my husband transplanted to our backyard a few years ago.

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It’s hanging on to life but isn’t nearly as full as it used to be…. so when I saw a brown tail moth web in one of the top branches, I carefully gloved up, cut it out and burned it.

If you’ve never heard of these evil little bastards, read on…

The browntail moth caterpillar has tiny poisonous hairs that cause dermatitis similar to poison ivy on sensitive individuals. People may develop dermatitis from direct contact with the caterpillar or indirectly from contact with airborne hairs. The hairs become airborne from either being dislodged from the living or dead caterpillar or they come from cast skins with the caterpillar molts. Most people affected by the hairs develop a localized rash that will last for a few hours up to several days but on some sensitive individuals the rash can be severe and last for several weeks. The rash results from both a chemical reaction to a toxin in the hairs and a physical irritation as the barbed hairs become embedded in the skin. Respiratory distress from inhaling the hairs can be serious.

The browntail moth is an invasive species found only on the coast of Maine and Cape Cod. This moth is an insect of both forest and human health concern.

Browntail moth caterpillar on a tree

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I’ve been covered in their nasty rash multiple times before and trust me it is beyond awful. No amount of Benadryl, cortisone or calamine lotion can relieve the itch. It’s like poison ivy times 50 and makes you want to take a wire brush to your skin. So when I say I was careful? I was careful. Gloves, long sleeves, limited contact and proper destruction.

But still….

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I got a mild dose and am completely miserable.

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Both my arms, stomach and back are speckled with rash because once those little microscopic hairs find you and you take a shower? You’ll gladly take sandpaper to every inch of your flesh.

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28 thoughts on “They’re my bumps and I’ll scratch if I want to….”

  3. Oh, geez! Cathy has been making noise about moving to Maine for years, but she doesn’t know anything about these little darlings. Now that we have decided to stay here, I’ll show her this post so she will feel better about the decision. If it’s itchy, she doesn’t even want to know about it. I hope the misery doesn’t last too long.

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  5. If you had followed the advice of Joseph Yoon (in your previous post) and eaten those brown tail moths instead of burning them, you wouldn’t now be “completely miserable” (you might be dead, but at least you wouldn’t be suffering).

    Seriously though, take care and recover quickly.

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  6. Ugh. So sorry. I was relieved to read they’re not in Vermont. Yet, anyway. What a nightmare.

    Many years ago, during a triathlon I started loosing vision in one eye, during the long bike leg. My eye clouded over, slowly, from the edges inward until I couldn’t see through it at all. I dropped out, went to an ER, but the doc was stumped. I returned home (from British Columbia) and that eye continued to cloud over, especially when I exercised. Finally, a resident at the Univ. of Washington Medical School remembered reading about a severe allergic reaction to caterpillar hair, a case of an older brother smashing a caterpillar in his little brother’s face. Well, my bike ride went past an orchard on a wet summer morning and I remembered seeing caterpillars all over the road. They flew off my front tire into my face and chest; I had to breathe through my nose! I guess I should count myself lucky that they didn’t also cause an itchy rash all over my body!

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      1. I remember being told drankin would make my hives worse. In reality, they got smaller woth every drink!
        If you don’t have any commitments, the standard ER treatment is a double-dose of Benadryl.

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  12. Holy Moly! That looks so painful. Those are the worst caterpillars and are so unlike my sweet monarch caterpillars who only give love. I hope you’re feeling better by now.

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