Browntail moth caterpillars, which cause an itchy rash, are starting to emerge from nests

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 13, 2023

For now, the caterpillars are still small and emerging from their nests to feed. But they will leave their nests and grow exponentially in the coming weeks, shedding microscopic hairs that become airborne and cause itchy rashes on people in a growing number of areas in the state.“As the caterpillars get larger, there’s more of those irritating hairs on the caterpillars,” Tom Schmeelk, an entomologist with the Maine Forest Service, said Wednesday as he pointed to a web filled with the tiny caterpillars. “You’ll see them crawling on people’s houses by the end of May.” How bad infestations will be this season is not yet clear. The moths are also spreading north and west into new areas.