Hairy Caterpillar Attack! (And What To Do About It)

Where are the Pied Trillers when you need them?!? (Pied Trillers are the black and white birds seen in some urban areas which love to feed on small hairy caterpillars, locally known as higad.)

We were in the UP Diliman campus conducting a guided trip for first-time birdwatchers. We were admiring two handsome Collared Kingfishers in the Beta Way when I felt something on my neck. Without looking, I flicked it downwards with my hand and saw a small, fleshy caterpillar clinging to the front of my shirt. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw it didn't have any hairs on it. Whew! I flicked it away from my shirt and that's when the itching started. No wonder the caterpillar didn't have any hairs on it... it was all on my neck! Gah!


Nasty aftermath of the close encounter with a higad

It was my first ever higad attack! I tried to remember all I knew about what to do when this happens, while ignoring the building itchy feeling on my neck. Was there a leaf of some kind I could mash and apply to the area??? All I remembered was: don't scratch so the hairs won't spread! So that's what I did. But my neck was starting to sting a bit and I really wanted to scratch it!

I knew I had some alcohol in my birding belt bag... which I didn't bring since it was only a half day trip in the middle of the city! A fellow birdwatcher who saw the whole thing and my rising panic took pity on me and offered me some wet wipes. I gratefully took a sheet and dabbed it at my neck. It relieved the stinging and itching a bit and took out some of the hairs. The stinging became quite tolerable and I chose to ignore it and wait til we got back to the cars before I did anything about it.

I managed to forget about it the rest of the morning and was able to clean the area around noon. A day after, my neck has a slightly puffy red streak where the hairs came in contact with the skin. It stings a bit when it comes in contact with anything and sometimes gets real itchy! But other than that, nothing intolerable.


One of my students commented with a look of horror:
"Teacher! Your neck is red and spotted!!!"

Having experienced a higad attack made me really curious about the best remedies for it. Being a birdwatcher, you can find yourself in close contact with these hairy cats while in the field and it's good to know what you're supposed to do about it. After reading up on material online and asking my sister who is a doctor, here's what I now know about when a higad attacks:
  • The most important thing when a higad gets on your bare skin is not to touch the area. Touching or scratching will cause the toxic hairs to spread and cause more damage. So no touching! I'm grateful to Trinket for giving me stern looks and reminders not to touch and not to scratch no matter how itchy my neck was getting! Otherwise, my neck would have been striped with red!
  • Some sites advise to remove clothing, accessories, or jewelry that may have come in contact with the higad and may have higad hairs on them too. Disrobing in front of your birding group may not be such a pleasant experience for everyone, so no panicking and putting on a live show for your friends (this step I skipped for very obvious reasons.) The irritation was considerably lessened when I finally removed my shirt later on that day.
  • Next thing to do is to remove the toxic hairs that have become embedded in the skin. How can we do that? Online, I found remedies that suggest applying vinegar, urine, or rock salt to dissolve the hairs. Melted candle wax can also be dripped on to the affected area (ouch!) and allowed to harden then peeled off. My friend Ronald says he does this when a higad gets on him and he says the pain of the hot wax makes him forget about the itchiness. Sticky tape or duct tape was also suggested to peel off the hairs. I imagine the tape to be the least uncomfortable and least painful method but Ronald says it might just break off the hairs. Tweezers and a friend (to pull out the hairs) would be helpful too. However, just like in my situation last weekend (or when one is in the middle of the forest), vinegar, rock salt, a lighted candle, or sticky tape may not always be available. I am in no way suggesting asking for urine from a companion no matter how close you are. What I did was dab gently at my neck with a piece of wet wipes a birder generously gave me. I did see some of the hairs come off but I'm sure it wasn't as effective as the other suggested methods.
  • For medication, my sister recommends applying a topical steroid (like Diprolene or Betnovate) to the area to treat the itchiness and inflammation. Our birder friend Kitty also suggests using Triamcinolone cream for this and other nasty insect bites. If you react severely to the hairs and if the symptoms persist even with medication, it is best to have it checked by a doctor.
Just an update! I've been getting some queries from people who have been "attacked" by hairy caterpillars and would want to share some of the locally available balms I use not only for these incidents but for other insect bites as well. These are products from the Philippines.

ALL ORGANICS PAIN & ITCH BALM: super effective in relieving itchiness!
HUMAN HEART NATURE BALM FOR ALL SEASONS: pretty effective too, and it also helps with my headaches
GIGA TEA TREE CREAM: also pretty effective for relieving itchiness

So there! My curiosity got the better of me and I have read, interviewed, and pestered people for their opinion regarding treatment and remedies. I hope I won't ever need to recall all this information because of another hairy caterpillar attack but I guess the higads are always out there, landing on you when you least expect it.

30 comments:

  1. p p purple higad!!!

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  2. my affected area was myown face,how will I put wax/candles on it? It's so itchy ! I already put vinegar and washed it with warm water, is that enough?

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    1. Oh my! I hope you are feeling better now! I hope you placed medicine (Diprolene or Betnovate) already...

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  3. was partying with my friends in woods and a caterpillar showed out of no where Ian's touched it without even realising what it was. I washed it using antiseptic hand wash with cold water and went to sleep... in the morning when my hand become hot inside blanket I started to fell really itchy and so was searching for some cure. found a blog before yours that suggested coconut oil. so I applied and gently massage using coconut oil. but I fear that again when my hands gets hot (it's winter in India and temperature is like 4°C so my hands are cold when I'm not in bed) it will get itchy. what should I do? could out be a poisonous caterpillar? it was white I think, I'm not sure.

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    1. Hello there! I'm sorry for replying so late!! I do hope the caterpillar sting has subsided already. I hope you were able to apply some topical medication and that it helped with the itchiness.

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  4. Hi there! I just had my first (and hopefully my last) higad attack yesterday. I haven't applied anything after the event itself since I didn't know that it was a higad that caused the itching. There weren't any caterpillars that fell on my skin but my skin started to itch with a pricking sensation right after we bought lunch which was located near a tree (so that could be the source for the culprit). Anyway, my arm is still itching and it's not getting any better --it's a lot more red than it was yesterday:(. I would like to be relieved from the itching sensation since I really can't focus on studying or even during classes because my arm is so so itchy. What I've used to relieve the itchiness is loose baby powder and omega painkiller. Haha! The sad thing about it is that it would just relieve the itchiness for a few minutes :( My question is, which cream did you use between the two that were mentioned by your sister? And was it effective? :) Will be waiting for your reply and thank you in advance :D

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    1. Hi there! Yikes, I hope you're feeling a bit better now! I used Betnovate cream for the rash and it really helped. I also recently got hold of some balms from local sources which help a lot with insect bites (mosquito, niknik, and ant bites). I used GIGA Tea Tree Cream, Human Heart Nature Balm for All Seasons, and one of the most effective is All Organics Pain & Itch Relief Balm (which is gingery!) which comes in stick form. I hope you get well soon!

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  5. Where can I buy the all organic pain and itch relief balm? Thanks

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    1. Hello! Sorry for replying this late! I got the Pain and Itch Relief balm in a kiosk in Trinoma mall in Quezon City. Hope this helps!

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  6. Three after after a hairy caterpillar was on my arm I'm still seeing embedded hairs that are now under the red bumps on my skin. I've tried the tape,which did bring some relief but I still see some hairs user the skin. Please help!

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    1. Hi Heather! Oh no! Best to have it checked by a doctor to make sure the hairs are all removed and there will be no risk of infection! Get well soon!!

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  7. tumpak akin umabot ng ilang araw di pa den nwawala ang kati tas swollen na talaga..

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    1. Pano nyo po ntanggal mine almost 3 days na i already put vinegar 3 times a day but still meron pa din di ko na po alam gagawin ki

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    2. Pano nyo po ntanggal mine almost 3 days na i already put vinegar 3 times a day but still meron pa din di ko na po alam gagawin ki

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  8. Thank you so much for this blog. Now I know what to with this higad attack that I just had :-)

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  9. my face is full of higad and also my shoulder

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  10. How can I remove the hairs all by myself? Because im alone and no one will help me. So can you suggeat best possible step to cure this itchiness? Please help me asap.

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  11. I had a "Dalabuwa " ...hairy caterpillar walking all over my neck in Sri Lanka ..left me with a vile lumpy rash ..made worse probably by my touching it..I showered and tried to ignore it ..the next day it was just as bad ..so I,ve taken antihistamine and saw on a sri lankan website coconut oil is good for reducing the itchyness ..despite my scepticism I put some on it ...and it does seem less itchy ..fingers crossed

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  12. Can i still apply vinegar even the attack happend 3 days ago?

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  13. Vinegar din ang sabi sa akin para malusaw yung mga sting after 3 days na nangyari,Im still waiting for the result,

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  14. 3days n rn po after ng higad attack q hbang ntutulog aq.. ntanggal q oo un ibang hair by use of chani kya lng nligo po aq ngsara n un mga pores dko n mkuha un ibang buhok ng higad..s ngaun po mraming part ng arms ko at legs mkati at ngbubutlig butlig feeling q po un mga gair ng higad kumalat na o dumaloy s loob ng ktwan ko delikado po b un nttatakot po aq..
    sna po mtulungan nyo aq

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  15. Hi! When I was in Bali 2 years ago I had the caterpillar rashes. What I found worked best was use tape to peel the caterpillar hair, they are poisonous (if you scratch it will go in the skin and irritate even more) and once you gor rid of the hairs, use oregano oil! The rash not only stop itching but it disappeared. Now I am in Sri Lanka and the same thing happened again 4 days ago where I encounter another one, but I dont have oregano oil... dam... so I am using blue tanzy essential oil in Jojoba to stop the itch, also tea tree oil, and I found that rice flour helps to remove some heat and redness. I was going to try coconut oil, and also honey to pull out any toxins. The weirdest thing is the caterpillar has formed a cocoon on the door in my room! I like to look at it metaphorically: I think I am turning into a butterfly! Good luck everyone with your metamorphosis!

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  16. its been 4days na but still hindi parin nawawala yung kati galing sa higad,

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    1. Oh no! Time to get some topical medicine na siguro

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  17. yung sa anak ko 1 week na pabalik balik lang yung pantal nya since day 1 na nahigad sya nag apply ba kami ng suka at asin pati tape nag anti histamine na din sya nawawala pero bumabalik padin...

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    1. Naku! Bili na siguro po kayo ng Diprolene or any medicine na pwede ipahid para mawala na po yung pantal nya. Kung hindi pa din mawala, pa-check up niyo na po.

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  18. 2days na higad ko na ligo ako ng suka ang kati sa leeg ko..una sa leeg lng tapos meron na sa baraso ko at sa tiyan..ang kati kati..

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  19. Good eve. Ano po kaya ang magandang gawin sa mga damit na nadikitan ng higad? Sayang naman po kung itatapon na. Pwede po kayang labhan lang with soap and water? Thanks!

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