nettle caterpillars

[keiregan]

I was working in my garden in hawaiian shores when i was stung by one of these buggers. It doesn't feel good i tell ya. Didn't even know they existed until then. Anyway does anyone know how to kill them? Remedy for the sting?

thanks

[rbonplaza]

Here is one article that gives some answers to both questions. http://www.hawaii-county.com/weeklynewsl...aterpillar

This was from July 07:
"Biological Control. In a joint project between
the UH College of Tropical Agriculture and
Human Resources (CTAHR) and the HDOA,
exploration for natural enemies to control the
nettle caterpillar was undertaken. In October
2004, a beneficial parasitic wasp that attacks
the caterpillar stage of the nettle caterpillar was
collected in Taiwan by former HDOA Plant Pest
Control Branch Chief L. Nakahara. Host
specificity testing in the HDOA Quarantine
Facility is nearing completion."


Edited by - rbonplaza on 09/27/2007 11:26:26

Edited by - rbonplaza on 09/27/2007 11:27:03

Edited by - rbonplaza on 09/27/2007 11:53:18

[rbonplaza]

Here's another, and I would suggest over-the-counter Benedryl to counter the histamines.
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/IP-22.pdf

[JerryCarr]

I just brought forward another thread with pretty comprehensive overview of treating the bites. Look for "Mysterious Bug Bites."

Cheers,
Jerry

[Greg]

We just experienced an outbreak of these nasty critters at our house. My wife had a mysterious bite and we noticed them a couple of days later. Investigation provided us with pictures of the caterpillar, and the moth as well. We found a bacterial insecticide called Bacillus Thiensis (BT) was very effective and not as dangerous around pets or people. It's available at the feed store in Pahoa, or Garden Exchange in Hilo. The BC works on the caterpilar, and just about anything works on the moth. They were gone the next day, but I plan on doing a follow up in a week or so. We were lucky in that they seemed to be contained to one area.

[keiregan]

Thanks for the info. Now I have to fight two things in my yard coqui and caterpillars. The battle is on!

[bystander]

Technically the caterpillars sting and don't bite.

[rbonplaza]

Greg, did you report the infestation?

"Report any new infestations of stinging nettle
caterpillar on Hawai‘i to the Hawai‘i Department
of Agriculture (HDOA), Hilo, 974-4140, or the
UH-CTAHR Beaumont Agricultural Research
Center, Hilo, 981-5194."

[keiregan]

I just called to report them in hawaiian shores and they said the have reports all the way to kalapana. He said the bt works pretty good to kill them but takes awhile.