I got stung by one of the pus caterpillars last year, dreadful pain. So bad, I was crying like a baby and had to have my husband drive me to one of those walk-in clinics. It was the worse pain I had ever felt – worse than the worst ant bite or wasp/bee sting, worse than stinging nettles (and those take a couple days to go away even with a baking soda poultice), worse even than giving birth to a nine pound baby at home. Indescribable agonizing pain.

I took a Benadryl, poured antihistamine on the finger before getting to the clinic and the doctor prescribed a steroid. (I don’t even take aspirins normally but try to wait any aches out). I took that steroid gladly and the pain and swelling were gone by the next morning (had a pretty fitful sleep that night).

Pretty they be, but you can’t warn people enough to stay away from these creatures.

BTW, love your site. Will probably look you up at the market when we get up to Gainesville one of these days. We are in Zephyrhills and trying to figure out how to turn the denuded horse pasture into a lush jungle of edible greenery. Been here over a year and a half and are eager to plant. We are an hour from St. Pete where we lived before with a whole different climate. Yea, challenge!

I was Stung when I was 7. My hand and arm hurt bad and swelled up. My dad told me to suck it up. Never touched one again.