Pictures of brown tail moth caterpillar. They have urticating stinging hairs that can cause skin reactions requiring medical treatment. Brown tail moth brown tail euproctis chrysorrhoea caterpillar can cause itching and breathing troubles netherlands south holland noordwijk aan zee silk tent caterpillars uk. Brown tail moth caterpillar health warning. The brown tail moth euproctis chrysorrhoea is a moth of the family erebidaeit is native to europe neighboring countries in asia and the north coast of africa.
What is a brown tail moth rash. Strong winds and any disturbance may cause hairs to become airborne. It is an allergic reaction that occurs after coming into contact with a poisonous hair shed by browntail moth caterpillars. Because the toxic hairs shed by browntail moth caterpillars can cause a severe rash or respiratory issues for those who encounter them.
People may develop dermatitis from direct contact with the caterpillar or indirectly from contact with airborne hairs. The cause of the health issues. It is a microscopic hair common in browntail infested areas such as gardens trees lawns and picnic areas. Younger caterpillars may lack the.
The life cycle of the moth is atypical in that it spends approximately nine months august to april. Throughout much of their life cycle the moth sheds its toxic hairs which become airborne or attach to leaves and brush. The brown caterpillar has an oval head with eye spots on it. They are dark brown with white stripes along the sides and two red orange dots on the back.
These hairs are easily encountered once they become airborne. The maine cdc says browntail moth caterpillars are easy to identify. Possibly brown tail moth silk tent caterpillars uk. The caterpillars and cocoons of the the brown tail should not be handled or disturbed.
The urticating have an irritant effect hairs can cause breathing difficulties and rashes in contact with skin. The moth larvae are identified by their gray brown coloring and black spots. Other caterpillars that make silk tents. Another unusual looking caterpillar is the elephant hawk moth caterpillar deilephila elpenor.
The browntail moth caterpillar has tiny poisonous hairs that cause dermatitis similar to poison ivy on sensitive individuals. The name for this brown colored caterpillar comes from its resemblance to an elephants trunk. Brown tail moth is an insect native to britain that has hairy black caterpillars with red and white markings. Descriptions of outbreaks ie large population increases of several years duration have been reported as far back as the 1500s.