Alien Caterpillars Eat Hawaii!

Oh, you think we're making this up, don't you? Nope. It's absolutely true and the Hawaiian media - well that which hasn't been eaten yet, at any rate - is in hysterics over it.

A pest with a nasty sting has turned up at a nursery on Oahu, state agriculture officials said.

The stinging nettle caterpillar first turned up in Hilo in 2001, officials said. It came through an illegal shipment of seedlings from Taiwan, according to officials.

The problem has not been completely wiped out on the Big Island. Complaints are now coming in from home gardeners, officials said.

The major problem with the caterpillars is not so much the effect on plants, but on people.

"If you rub against the caterpillar, it has a very strong burn and that's why they called it the stinging caterpillar or nettle caterpillar, and it can burn for a few hours," said Neil Rheimer of the state Department of Agriculture.

State officials want to avoid alien species like these from gaining a hold in the islands.

Yeah, that Klingon infestation a few years back was really nasty. You have to spray repeatedly to get them to move along. (Video report here.)