Poisonous invasive caterpillars leave Maine residents with blistery rashes; Declared public health nuisance

Close-up view of Browntail moth caterpillar on a leaf.Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention

Maine is currently experiencing an outbreak of an invasive species of caterpillars that are leaving painful rashes on those who come into contact with them.

The browntail moth caterpillar is not native to the area, but can be found along the coast of Maine and Cape Cod. Throughout the state, sightings have been recorded in various places, such as homes, parks, playgrounds and schools.

"Generally speaking, this year will be as bad or worse than last year in terms of potential encounters with browntail moth," said officials from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. "Browntail moth populations in Maine have been in an outbreak phase since 2015, and populations last year continued to increase."

The caterpillars are poisonous to humans, causing painful, blistery rashes similar to poison ivy. This has led officials to warn residents to avoid these insects.

Close-up view of Browntail moth caterpillars on a tree.Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention

Residents should be aware that you do not need to touch a browntail caterpillar to get a rash or otherwise be affected by the poison. These insects shed their tiny poisonous hairs, which can then become airborne. Being brushed by an airborne hair can cause also a rash.

The rash can last for a few hours or up to several days. Some people with sensitive skin have reportedly been affected by a severe form of rash that lasted for weeks.

To treat the rash, it is recommended that people use ice packs, take ibuprofen and/or use topical creams to reduce inflammation.

"Any sort of antihistamine will help," said Christine Cattan, a pharmacist at Bangor Drug Company. "I also recommend people use a nice hydrocortisone cream with aloe to soothe the irritation."

In addition to this, breathing in one of these hairs can result in respiratory issues. Health officials have stated that airborne hairs can be detected for a long period of time after the hair has been shed from the insect.

According to the Maine Division of Disease Surveillance, browntail caterpillars are active from April to late June. The tiny poisonous hairs remain toxic throughout the summer before getting washed into the soil. The hairs are then less of a problem over time.

Additionally, because there are so many browntail caterpillars in all 16 counties within the state, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has officially declared the caterpillars as a public health nuisance.

To identify these invasive caterpillars, residents should be on the lookout for dark brown caterpillars with white stripes running along their sides. They also have two orange dots on their backs and measure approximately 1.5 inches in length.

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