I have just returned from two weeks in Benodet and every morning the site had caterpillars crawling around. They were falling during the night from the conifer trees. My grand daughter sat on one on a deck chair and had a very nasty sting from the hairs on the insect. The sting mark was the whole length of the insect and it came up as a slight swelling. We treated it with TCP and Savlon but she is still conscious of a tingling feeling after four days. Anybody any ideas what these caterpillars are and is the sting serious?
Caterpillar Attack
- Thread starter colin(bridgend)
- Start date
Probably the same ones as mentioned here: (but don't know what they actually are, sorry) It's a posting comparing La Garangeoire with La Guyonniere on page 2.
06:35 PM Just returned from La Garangeoire.
Never to return. My husband is still ill having been very badly affected by a new strain of caterpillar. he was covered in a rash from head to toe which caused him extreme discomfort, kept him awake, and made him extremely miserable. Not the same one the Caravan and Camping Club advised us about before we left. On arrival on site we were assured that the problem of caterpillars had been resolved. This was a complete lie. People were using the pharmacy in the village in droves to get anti-hitamine, lotions and creams to treat the dreadful itchy rash. My young sin was stung one hour after arriving on our pitch. He was stung again the day before we left, two weeks later. Three out of four of us were affected. We were underneath Oak trees and at least 8 pitches adjacent to ours were affected. Also several other pitches around the site. The reception staff did not report our concerns to the owners OR the owners chose to ignore our complaints. They were unable to change our pitch until just before we were about to leave. It was not until I contacted the Caravan and Camping club in England did we eventually got a visit from the owner. The next morning at 9.00 we have termite and pest removal company around our pitch removing some of the 18 caterpillars crawling on our caravan that morning. Needless to say we received absolutely no compensation whatsoever, not even a bottle of wine to say sorry. The arrogance of the owners is unbelieveable.
06:35 PM Just returned from La Garangeoire.
Never to return. My husband is still ill having been very badly affected by a new strain of caterpillar. he was covered in a rash from head to toe which caused him extreme discomfort, kept him awake, and made him extremely miserable. Not the same one the Caravan and Camping Club advised us about before we left. On arrival on site we were assured that the problem of caterpillars had been resolved. This was a complete lie. People were using the pharmacy in the village in droves to get anti-hitamine, lotions and creams to treat the dreadful itchy rash. My young sin was stung one hour after arriving on our pitch. He was stung again the day before we left, two weeks later. Three out of four of us were affected. We were underneath Oak trees and at least 8 pitches adjacent to ours were affected. Also several other pitches around the site. The reception staff did not report our concerns to the owners OR the owners chose to ignore our complaints. They were unable to change our pitch until just before we were about to leave. It was not until I contacted the Caravan and Camping club in England did we eventually got a visit from the owner. The next morning at 9.00 we have termite and pest removal company around our pitch removing some of the 18 caterpillars crawling on our caravan that morning. Needless to say we received absolutely no compensation whatsoever, not even a bottle of wine to say sorry. The arrogance of the owners is unbelieveable.
Colin,
I only know of one type of caterpillar that can cause the reaction to its hairs as you describe although there are probably a lot more.
The one I know of, which can be found in the U.K. , is the caterpillar of the Tiger Moth. If I remember correctly it is about one and half inches long, brown and orange in colour and lots of hairs on its body. The chemical given out from its hairs is a defensive mechanism to deter predators from eating it. Normally only has an irritant effect to people although some might suffer a more serious allergic reaction similar to the way others react to bee stings.
With regards to the comments from the lady who visited La Garangeoire. I don't know if there is really that much the site owners can do.That is a woodland site and if there is a "population boom" in a certain species of insect then I don't think a lot can be done.
Robert
I only know of one type of caterpillar that can cause the reaction to its hairs as you describe although there are probably a lot more.
The one I know of, which can be found in the U.K. , is the caterpillar of the Tiger Moth. If I remember correctly it is about one and half inches long, brown and orange in colour and lots of hairs on its body. The chemical given out from its hairs is a defensive mechanism to deter predators from eating it. Normally only has an irritant effect to people although some might suffer a more serious allergic reaction similar to the way others react to bee stings.
With regards to the comments from the lady who visited La Garangeoire. I don't know if there is really that much the site owners can do.That is a woodland site and if there is a "population boom" in a certain species of insect then I don't think a lot can be done.
Robert
Syeve I did not give it a thought regarding compensation and as we were not the only ones affected I was curious as to how serious it can be and what treatment there is. As we have been to this site on previous occassions I would not like to go down the compensation route as we have always been given the best of welcome there and all site personnel have been very helpful & polite to us.
The paragraph below is a reply I received from the site after asking them about the caterpillars:
"About the caterpillars, many regions of France were infested with them. In fact they don't sting but if you are in contact with 'the little hairs' which cover their body, you will react : it is an allergy. All you can do is swallowing anti-histaminic pills and put an anti-histaminic and soothing cream on your skin".
The paragraph below is a reply I received from the site after asking them about the caterpillars:
"About the caterpillars, many regions of France were infested with them. In fact they don't sting but if you are in contact with 'the little hairs' which cover their body, you will react : it is an allergy. All you can do is swallowing anti-histaminic pills and put an anti-histaminic and soothing cream on your skin".
I think sometimes there is a temporary nerve problem after these stings. My son was stung by a jelly fish out in Malaysia it got him on the foot. His whole leg went numb and he started stumbling about was quite incapacitated for a few days, and the pain was horrific - good job it wasn't near the chest area or anywhere else!!
My comment wasn't directed at you Colin, more to the Lady that complained that she didn't even get a bottle of wine and went on to describe the owner as arrogant.
Steve W
Steve W
I cannot understand how one could expect compensation as it is nature and if the caterpillars were left alone they would not sting. I would have thought that it would be classed as an act of God. If compensation could be obtained think of the claims that could be made whilst visiting the west coast of Scotland when the midges are biting. Quite a few people would go there just for the compensation.
colin, as someone pointed out above, caterpillars do not sting, bite, suck etc. It is an allergic reaction to the hairs. It is their defensive mechanism, just like a ladybird oozes out a orange liquid that tastes nasty, a toad which can release a poisonous fluid from sacs behind it head or ants which spray an acid.
Rob T pointed out probably the most common offender in this country for allergic reactions from it's hairs, the Garden Tiger Moth which doesn't seem so common as it once was.
BTW the poison from toads can induce fitting in pets and sometimes lead to death.
Rob T pointed out probably the most common offender in this country for allergic reactions from it's hairs, the Garden Tiger Moth which doesn't seem so common as it once was.
BTW the poison from toads can induce fitting in pets and sometimes lead to death.
Lord B. sir I stand corrected. Sting/stung was how my grand daughter described it and we have now been using that term as a family, however I do apologise as you are correct.
Thank goodness we do not have to kiss a frog for it to turn into a prince - the ladies could quite easily mistake a frog for a toad in their haste to find their prince and whey hey God help them.
Dear Colin
I worked at La Garangeoire with my husband for one of the well known holiday companies. We suffered with the itchy rash and the chesty problems from the Oak Processional Caterpillars. Not once, did we think that the owners of the campsite were arrogant or unhelpful. You must have been at a different site!!! The owners spent huge amounts on medication for affected customers and did everything they could to exterminate the caterpillars. it seems my man you are the one that is indeed arrogant!!!!! Our season has finished there now but would not hesitate to return at anytime.
Get your facts right!!!!
I worked at La Garangeoire with my husband for one of the well known holiday companies. We suffered with the itchy rash and the chesty problems from the Oak Processional Caterpillars. Not once, did we think that the owners of the campsite were arrogant or unhelpful. You must have been at a different site!!! The owners spent huge amounts on medication for affected customers and did everything they could to exterminate the caterpillars. it seems my man you are the one that is indeed arrogant!!!!! Our season has finished there now but would not hesitate to return at anytime.
Get your facts right!!!!
Anita,
Perhaps you should look out your tin helmet in preparation for some flak which might be coming your way
.
Colin was not at La Garangeoire and did not make the post about the owners being arrogant etc. That was made by someone else on another thread on thia forum and was used on this thread as a quotation! Colin is innocent (well, this time anyway!)
Robert
Perhaps you should look out your tin helmet in preparation for some flak which might be coming your way
.Colin was not at La Garangeoire and did not make the post about the owners being arrogant etc. That was made by someone else on another thread on thia forum and was used on this thread as a quotation! Colin is innocent (well, this time anyway!)
Robert
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