For many people, summer means being on the lookout for dangerous snakes and spiders. But venomous caterpillars are a worry as well.
Andrea Pergola had no idea what kind of damage a caterpillar could do until she saw the wound it left behind her son’s wrist.
"I mean, I've seen furry caterpillars but never seen this one. Apparently, they are around, and they're dangerous,” she said. "The fur itself is poisonous. It has the poison, but then there are venom glands. That each spike is attached to."
The family were doing volunteer work over the weekend, landscaping in rural Zephyrhills, Florida.
"He came running towards me and he was like something bit me. And he showed me and it was like all welted up and I said, let's go inside and rinse it off,” Andrea said.
But it was too late. The toxins were already in Logan’s body with a rash traveling up his arm and onto his chest.
“It numbed my whole hand, pretty much the whole thing felt like fire,” Logan said.
Luckily, the family was near a hospital where Logan got help immediately. They even brought the bug in a baggie and the doctor knew exactly what it was and what to do.
This specific insect is known as the asp or puss caterpillar. It is common in the southeastern United States.
Once it develops into a flannel moth, it is no longer venomous.
