As if the humanitarian crisis wasn’t irritating enough, now Venezuelans have to deal with the urticating resurgence of an insect straight out of a horror movie.
The dreaded Yellowtail Moth or palometa peluda, is infesting the Cajigal, Mariño and Libertador municipalities in Sucre state, and the Nicolas Maduro regime does not have what it takes to get neighbors rid of the nasty bug, leaving them and local authorities to fend off the plague with homespun remedies.
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“From el Pauji to Quebrada de la Niña in the municipality of Cajigal, there are palometa peluda larvae. People are spraying water, detergent and dishwashing soap to the trees, trying to impede become moths,” Carlos Rodriguez, a state lawmaker, told to El Pitazo.
Since 2013 there has been no proper fumigation against the Hylesia Metabus -the scientific name of the moth- according to Gonzalez.
Next March, the palometas should be full-grown moths, with the urticating hairs of the females causing a skin rash so serious and characteristic it is named after a town in Sucre state: “The Caripito Rash”. Children playing in the outdoors are, particularly at risk.
