At first glance, it looks so inviting, so smooth and soft, so harmless, like a baby kitten. Your first inclination is to pick up this fuzzy little hairball and hold it in your hands. Those of you who have been taken in by the puss moth caterpillar's docile appearance learned a swift and lasting lesson in the art of deception.

JIM HOWELL / Special (ENLARGE)
The sting of the puss moth caterpillar can pack a painful wollop — including vomiting and headaches — for those unwise enough to touch the larva.
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DESCRIPTION

The adult puss moth is a brownish-orange moth with blunt wings and a wingspan of about 1 to 1 1/2 inches. The body is covered with long, wavy hair. Though the adult also has nettling hairs, it rarely comes in contact with humans. The larva, however, is an entirely different matter. It is about 1 inch long, with a dense, soft brown coat marked with speckles of white hair that conceal a number of shorter urticating, or poisonous, spines beneath. At the rear, the hairs come together to form a tuft.

IMPACT

Though this species rarely causes any economic damage to host plants, it can be a serious health hazard to those with whom it comes into contact. Stings from the nettling hairs beneath its outer coat may cause intense pain, which usually develops immediately or within a few minutes of contact.

Additional symptoms include nausea, vomiting and headache. An ice pack should be applied to the sting, and antihistamines may be helpful in reducing the itching and burning. If serious allergic reactions occur, seek medical attention immediately. For a more detailed list of symptoms, visit www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic794.htm

BIOLOGY

Adults emerge in late spring or early summer and deposit up to several hundred eggs on selected hosts, including but not limited to elm, hackberry, oak and pecan. Though there may be up to two generations a year, the larvae are far more common in the fall. As cool weather approaches, larvae spin a distinctive cocoon on the branches of their host plant. The top of this cocoon has a scarlike structure through which the adult moth emerges the following spring.

CONTROL

Contact your local county Extension agent for insecticide recommendations labeled for these caterpillars on your ornamental plants.

Jim Howell is a University of Georgia entomologist and an associate of the Georgia Museum of Natural History. His column appears biweekly. E-mail him: hey_bug_doctor@hotmail.com or write him in care of AJC Home & Garden, P.O. Box 4689, Atlanta, GA 30302.