{"id":70079,"date":"2025-07-17T14:17:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T14:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/70079\/"},"modified":"2025-07-17T14:17:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T14:17:09","slug":"what-houston-residents-need-to-know-to-stay-protected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/70079\/","title":{"rendered":"What Houston residents need to know to stay protected"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">If you\u2019ve noticed fuzzy, leaf-like caterpillars around trees this season, you might have run into asp caterpillars \u2014 insects that look cute but can cause a lot of pain if touched.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>PREVIOUS:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.click2houston.com\/news\/2015\/11\/24\/poisonous-asp-caterpillars-on-the-rise-in-houston-area\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.click2houston.com\/news\/2015\/11\/24\/poisonous-asp-caterpillars-on-the-rise-in-houston-area\/\">Poisonous asp caterpillars on the rise in Houston area<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Asps typically hang out on oak, elm, and citrus trees, and they often fall on people or pets, leading to painful stings that can last an hour or more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Dr. Amelia Averyt, a family medicine physician with Kelsey-Seybold, explains that unless you actually see an asp, it can be hard to know what caused the pain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Asps tend to cause more intense pain than other bug bites, and some people may experience allergic reactions like abdominal pain, itching, or nausea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cIf you get stung, wash the area with soap and water right away,\u201d Dr. Averyt says. \u201cIce can help reduce swelling and pain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Taking an antihistamine such as Benadryl or Zyrtec can also help, according to Averyt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>SEE ALSO:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.click2houston.com\/news\/local\/2025\/06\/10\/expert-guide-4-critical-areas-to-roach-proof-your-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.click2houston.com\/news\/local\/2025\/06\/10\/expert-guide-4-critical-areas-to-roach-proof-your-home\/\">Expert guide shares 4 critical areas to roach-proof your home<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">To prevent getting stung, Averyt recommends wearing loose, long-sleeved shirts and pants when you\u2019re outdoors, especially around trees and brush where asps live.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">If you or your pets experience severe symptoms like trouble breathing or a widespread rash, seek medical help immediately, as some people may experience a severe allergic reaction to these insects.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019ve noticed fuzzy, leaf-like caterpillars around trees this season, you might have run into asp caterpillars \u2014&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":70080,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[49319,49322,24137,49320,210,4345,26056,2824,49321,1176,358,18090,3187,49323],"class_list":{"0":"post-70079","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-asp","9":"tag-asps","10":"tag-bugs","11":"tag-caterpillars","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-houston","14":"tag-insects","15":"tag-outdoors","16":"tag-poisonous","17":"tag-summer","18":"tag-texas","19":"tag-trees","20":"tag-tx","21":"tag-weird-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114869007053490023","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70079\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}