Puss Caterpillar / Asp Control in Helotes, TX
In Helotes, the puss caterpillar, or "asp," usually turns up as a soft-looking tan or gray tuft, like a piece of cotton or fur, crawling on an oak trunk, a fence rail, a patio chair or the edge of a play set, most often in fall. It looks touchable and isn't: venomous spines hide under that hair. The right first move is to keep hands off and teach kids to do the same; if someone is stung, use tape to pull out the spines and put ice on it. For an outbreak around your patio or play area, call or text Pest Trappers at (210) 281-1064 or book a visit online.
Fall is asp season #
These caterpillars come in one or two generations a year, and AgriLife notes they're more common in fall. The numbers agree. A Texas DSHS researcher <a href="https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/efetch.fcgi?db=pubmed&id=29625901&rettype=abstract&retmode=text">reviewed poison-center reports of 3,484 puss caterpillar stings from 2000 to 2016 and found 59% happened in October and November, with a smaller bump of 12% in July. The same study found 91% of stings happened at the patient's own home.
So the place you're most likely to meet one is your own yard, in autumn.
Oaks, hackberries and the Helotes canopy #
AgriLife lists oaks, pecan, elm and hackberry among the favored host trees, along with dwarf yaupon and other shrubs; B-6118 adds holly and palms. Moths lay several hundred eggs on these hosts in late spring or early summer, and the caterpillars spend the winter as pupae in cocoons on the trunk or branches.
Helotes takes its oaks seriously. The city's oak wilt page explains that the disease travels through connected live oak roots at about 75 feet a year and that oak trimming is banned from February 1 through May 31. If you'd like to cut back an oak limb that hangs over the patio, keep that window in mind. Also know that AgriLife says asps rarely do serious damage to trees, so pruning or spraying a tree just because of them isn't necessary.
Parks, play sets and backyards #
The city's parks, including Helotes City Park and the Helotes Fitness Park & Disc Golf Course, have the same kinds of trees and benches as many backyards. AgriLife's guidance for playgrounds is simple: teaching people not to touch these caterpillars may be the most effective fix of all. At home:
- check play sets, benches and fence rails under oaks and hackberries in fall
- wear gloves, long sleeves and long pants for yard work near host trees
- avoid sitting right under trees where caterpillars may drop
- remember that dead caterpillars and empty cocoons can still sting
What it looks like, and why it hurts #
AgriLife's Insects in the City fact sheet describes a teardrop-shaped caterpillar about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long when grown, yellow or gray to reddish brown, covered in long silky hair. Under the hair are venomous spines that break off on contact.
AgriLife says intense, throbbing pain starts immediately or within five minutes and usually fades within an hour, with red spots that clear in a day or so. Some people also get a headache, nausea or vomiting, and rarely shock or breathing trouble. Most cases stay mild: the DSHS study found 93% had no or only minor effects, and 89% were handled outside a hospital or clinic.
After a sting #
- Shake the caterpillar off without touching it with bare hands.
- Press tape over the spot and peel it off to lift out the spines.
- Apply an ice pack. AgriLife says an oral antihistamine can ease itching and burning.
- See a doctor right away for generalized itching or trouble breathing. Get to an eye specialist immediately if anything got in the eye. The Poison Center is 1-800-222-1222.
What Pest Trappers can and can't treat #
Spraying trees and shrubs falls under TDA's Lawn and Ornamental license category, which covers pests of trees, ornamental plants and lawns, according to the TDA licensing page. Pest Trappers holds general pest and termite categories, not that one, so we don't spray trees.
What we can do: inspect the house, fences, play areas and other structures where caterpillars and cocoons turn up, advise you on which host trees overhang busy spots, and explain the options for those structures, with any product used as labeled. Pricing comes after the inspection. The service is provided by Pest Trappers LLC (TPCL #0887549). For treating the trees themselves, ask a company licensed for lawn and ornamental work.
There's more in the puss caterpillar guide. For other fall stingers, see yellowjacket control in Helotes and the Helotes town page.