A MUM has shared a harrowing warning after her toddler was rushed to hospital with agonising spikes in his hand while playing at home.

       Little Darcy was having fun outside on his trampoline when he came into contact with a spiky cocoon that was concealing a white stemmed gum moth inside.

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       Youngster Darcy was left with thousands of painful spikes embedded in his tiny hand Credit: Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/tinyheartseducation/ 3

       The toddler had unknowingly touched a cocoon with a a white stemmed gum moth inside Credit: Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/tinyheartseducation/

       The little boy was left with THOUSANDS of tiny excruciating spikes embedded in his hand and needed surgery to remove them.

       The chilling story was shared by concerned paramedic Nikki on the Tiny Hearts Education Facebook page, as she urged other parents to be vigilant to the dangers that can be unknowingly lurking around the home.

       "It's a timely reminder to check the area that your little ones play. I didn't even know about these but when Darcy's mama contacted me I knew I had to share!" she wrote.

       "The short spines on the outside of the cocoon are sharp and brittle, meaning they will break off and lodge in your skin; they also carry a toxin that causes pain and, in rare cases, anaphylactic shock."

       The white-stemmed gum moth spins a cocoon in summer as they prepare to emerge into the world - and as the caterpillar changes into a pupa, the spiky bristles from its skin are pushed through the cocoon.

       It provides them with a degree of protection as they nestle inside, but proves a painful consequence for curious tots merely exploring the garden.

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       They are most commonly found in southern Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

       Nikki was applauded in the comments of the Facebook post for sharing the warning while others wished Darcy a speedy recovery.

       "Now even the moths in Australia cause so much harm. As if there wasn't enough snakes, spiders, crocs and cane toads to worry about already," one wrote.

       Other parents shared their own terrifying experiences with their tots that were similar to Darcy's.

       "My three-year-old son picked up one of these last year because it was 'wiggling'," one parent explained.

       "It took weeks/months to get the spikes out as they broke off and burrowed into his skin then became infected.

       "It was extremely painful every time he touched anything so I had his hand heavily bandaged, kept disinfecting it. I tried everything to get them out (sticky tape, glue, tweezers, etc) but nothing worked and there was nothing the doctors could do once they broke off."

       OUCH

       Another chimed in: "This happened to me as a kid when I was climbing the tree and ended up in hospital and then a sling for two weeks."

       Female moths can grow up to 16cm long, seeing the huge insects sometimes mistaken for bats, according to the Australian Museum.

       "The large, thick caterpillars are grey-black with yellow bands and are covered with tufts of reddish-brown spiky bristles," they explained.

       "The bristles can penetrate human skin and cause painful skin irritations, even after the larvae have been preserved in alcohol."

       The intricate bristles are notoriously difficult to remove and cause irritation to humans, but they are not known to contain toxic chemicals.

       "Medical attention may be necessary in some cases," the website said.

       "As a general rule it is not wise to handle hairy caterpillars, as many species are known to cause irritation. Irritation to skin by hairs is sometimes referred to as 'urticaria', meaning 'nettle-like'."

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       The white stemmed gum moth is often mistaken for a bat due to its huge size Credit: Alamy

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