There Is Good News & Bad News About Browntail Moth Rash

You can plan on itching and scratching for a while longer, Bangor

The City of Bangor gave all of us who are miserable from Browntail Moth Rash an update, and there is an upside and a downside to this giant, uncomfortable pain in the rear end.

Browntail moths in the Bangor area are now entering their “pupal” or cocoon stage. Caterpillars will not be actively shedding their barbed and toxic hairs into the environment for much longer. However, not everything is coming up roses with this situation.

Let’s break it down!

Good News:
The adult moth does not shed these toxic hairs

Bad News:
The process of breaking out of the cocoon allows the hairs from their old caterpillar.

Despite the fact that there will be fewer hairs being actively shed by caterpillars, there are still plenty of hairs already in the atmosphere, ready to cause a rash. For a full update click here

I have personally been dealing with this for a few months now, and I can tell you, it ain’t fun. Luckily, there is a bit of relief in the form of some of the various sprays and lotions available. I just happen to live on the West Side of Bangor, where it is rampant, so it has been a struggle to say the least.

If you'd like to report a browntail moth sighting, you may do so here You can also monitor the Maine Forest Service website for more frequent updates regarding the problem statewide on their website