American Dagger Moth

WARNING: MAY CAUSE AN ALLERGIC REACTION.

Like another user mentioned, this caterpillar caused a large and mildly itchy rash on my 6 year old bug-loving son. The rash did not appear immediately, but was red and almost measle-like throughout his trunk, thighs and arms. No fever in our situation. We were advised by a medical professional to take Benedryl / anti-histamines. Within 2-3 days, the itching had stopped and the redness of the bumps were gone (bumps still present, but no longer looked irritated).

It took us a few days to figure out what could have caused the rash, but after searching for causes of rashes on the CDC website I saw a page that documented different reactions to caterpillars. That was just the clue we needed to determine the source of the al... read morelergic reaction.

They are very cute looking, but please take precautions if you want to hold it!

WARNING: MAY CAUSE EXTREME ALLERGIC REACTION. While I have only seen a dagger moth a few times, every time I have had a violent allergic reaction. I was the type of kid who played with bugs, I'll be honest, I am the kind of adult who plays with bugs. Caterpillars bring me joy. These caterpillars are very beautiful. I have touched it about 3 times, all as a young child. The nest day I wake up with quarter sized itchy welts all over my body and fever that last for a few days. The welts lasted more than two weeks. The first time I was with my grandmother and the second time I was with a babysitter. It took for my mom to actually see the caterpillar for her to figure out what was causing this strange illness. Because the reaction didn't present until the next day it was hard to put it toge... read morether.

My son, Thomas, found the Dagger Moth in our yard Sept 26th 2008. Thomas was very careful handling and setting it free where it was first found.