{"id":1724,"date":"2026-06-23T08:34:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T08:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1724"},"modified":"2026-06-23T08:34:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T08:34:57","slug":"new-reports-of-stinging-caterpillars-prompt-state-to-take-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1724","title":{"rendered":"New reports of stinging caterpillars prompt state to take action"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Nettle caterpillars are being spotted around Hawaii. They\u2019re an invasive species causing concerns as their sting can be painful.<\/p>\n

Read more First Alert Forecast: More passing showers and gusty trades build<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s definitely gonna be an issue for people like me who wanna do cut flower business,\u201d Maui resident Hailey Ramos said. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re a threat to host plants like ti leaves, areca palms, and other tropical plants. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey have tiny stinging hairs, similar to fiberglass, and they release an irritant which is a mixture of histamines produced by a poison gland,\u201d Reina Tong, a Department of Agriculture entomologist said.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity team said more reports are popping up in windward Oahu, but that\u2019s not the only place.<\/p>\n

In Haiku, on the island of Maui, Ramos has seen about 12 of them in her plants in the last six months.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been trying to take it very seriously and making sure that I notice the signs of the missing chunks of the leaves and taking care of that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

First detected on the Big Island in 2001, nettle caterpillars are rather small and can be difficult to spot.<\/p>\n

Read more Maui County to hold blessing for completed Front Street improvement project<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re probably maybe about not even the tip of my finger, and they\u2019re very thin, like thinner than a pencil,\u201d Ramos said.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s being done to address the pests? Controlled releases of parasitoid wasps which are predators of the caterpillars. Ag experts say they don\u2019t sting humans.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur technician releases about 150 wasps per site in an area,\u201d Tong said. \u201cShe has released in the last four months about 1,500 of these.\u201d <\/p>\n

They added that 10 communities over the last four months have requested help from the department with a biocontrol release.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been trying my best on the ground, but it\u2019s kind of a concern because people who don\u2019t really check their plants often are possibly a breeding ground,\u201d Ramos added.<\/p>\n

If you get stung, monitor symptoms and contact a doctor if you experience severe allergic reactions.<\/p>\n

Monitoring your plants for the pests and reporting sightings to the Department of Agriculture\u2019s 643-PEST hotline can help stop the spread of the insects.<\/p>\n

Read more Friends, family seek answers 50 years after North Shore disappearance<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First detected on the Big Island in 2001, nettle caterpillars are rather small and can be difficult to spot, with a painful sting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNew reports of stinging caterpillars prompt state to take action - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1724\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New reports of stinging caterpillars prompt state to take action - Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"First detected on the Big Island in 2001, nettle caterpillars are rather small and can be difficult to spot, with a painful sting.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1724\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-23T08:34:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1724#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1724\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/590d72f16cb0f571fd45812a3c7ea1d0\"},\"headline\":\"New reports of stinging caterpillars prompt state to take action\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-23T08:34:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1724\"},\"wordCount\":403,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1724#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/953305b9fe2d857e4931c52fee79f3ad.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1724#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1724\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=1724\",\"name\":\"New reports of stinging caterpillars prompt state to take action - 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