If you are a landscaper with customers in parts of west London and Pangbourne in Berkshire, you might want to warn them to look out for the caterpillars of the pest oak processionary moth (OPM) that are hatching out in oak trees there.
The Forestry Commission say the caterpillars can damage oak trees by feeding on the leaves, and their tiny hairs contain a toxin that can cause itchy skin rashes as well as eye and throat irritations.
Stewart Snape, deputy head of the Forestry Commission’s Plant Health Service, said the public could help, although he urged people not to touch the caterpillars or their nests.
"We welcome reports of caterpillars or their nests from the public or others, such as gardeners and tree surgeons, who are out and about in areas with oak trees," he said.
"However, the public should not try to remove the caterpillars or nests themselves. These jobs need to be carefully timed to be most effective, and are best done by specially trained and equipped operators."
Forestry, health and local authorities are dealing with outbreaks of the moth in five boroughs of west London and in Pangbourne, near Reading in West Berkshire.
Since the species was first found in Pangbourne in 2010 the Forestry Commission and West Berkshire Council have begun efforts to eradicate it from the area before it can spread further, as well as to protect local people from the health risks.
The Forestry Commission is asking people who were having oak trees pruned or felled in either of the affected areas to contact the Forestry Commission’s Plant Health Service beforehand on plant.health@forestry.gsi.gov.uk or 0131 314 6414 for advice about safe removal of the material.
Sighting reports should include a precise description of the location. An Ordnance Survey grid reference is ideal, otherwise an accurate postal address with the full postcode, and/or a clear description of the tree's exact position, is helpful. Digital photographs may also be sent as an aid to identification.
They protect themselves with webbing tents and shed urticating hairs onto them just like Brown-tailed moth caterpillars. These can travel quite some distance on the wind and cause dangerous skin and breathing reactions on susceptible people.
More information in:
Brown tail moth larvae (Euproctis chrysorrhoea) ecology in the UK Channon D., Ramsden M., Trelawney A., Wallace H. International Pest Control March/April 2009, 51, 2, pp 90-92.
Posted by: D. Channon | Apr 17, 2011 at 04:03 PM
Many thanks for that, they do look to be a real nuisance.
Posted by: Philip Voice | Apr 18, 2011 at 05:22 PM