Saturday 20 February 2016

Getting rid of processionary caterpillars.

Since writing about these pests on Wednesday I've been doing a bit of research to learn how to get rid of them.  As well as Turkey, many areas of France, Spain and Portugal are plagued with these caterpillars and the standard treatment is either to cut down the nests and burn them, which is feasible only if they are in low lying branches, or to drop insecticide by plane which kills all the insect life to the detriment of every bird and animal that feed off them.  By chance I saw an article about an area near Marmaris in Southern Turkey where the Forestry Department are having success with a natural method.   If I understood the process correctly,  about 250 nests full of caterpillars are collected and put together in an open space, a moat is then dug around them and filled with water to create an island.  The stranded caterpillars can't leave and start to die and attract flies (or maybe breed flies, it wasn't clear) which feed on the caterpillars and once they've eaten all on the island, go off and eat the ones in and around the surrounding trees. I tried to find out more about this method but didn't have any success so I'd love to hear from anyone who knows more.
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8 comments:

  1. Mark and Jolee20 February 2016 at 20:59

    B to B, Actually, there is a little area on our island where some folks have placed a number of nests in the middle of a structure surrounded by a little moat. We saw the caterpillars drowned in the water. We'll try to find out what the scoop is, who did it, etc. and get back to you.

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    1. BacktoBodrum22 February 2016 at 00:39

      This is great, biological attack. Hope you can get some photos

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  2. Terra 21 February 2016 at 01:45

    I like the natural method and hope it works; the insecticide is drastic and could harm people too. Rachel Carson's inspiration for her classic book "Silent Spring" was when DDT was sprayed on trees in cities to end Dutch elm tree disease and the DDT killed songbirds and who knows what effect it had on people.

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    1. BacktoBodrum22 February 2016 at 00:40

      'Silent Spring' should be required reading for everyone.

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  3. Alan21 February 2016 at 11:52

    . . piecemeal never works - there are interlocking cycles of predators and prey that rise and fall according to availability. Problems arise from external causes (usually man-made) like climate disruption/resource exploitation that cause imbalances. Humankind and much else is headed for hell in a basket but the planet will adapt and evolve and survive.

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    1. BacktoBodrum22 February 2016 at 00:41

      How are these critters controlled in your neck of the woods?

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  4. Jack Scott21 February 2016 at 12:27

    Sounds like a horror movie!

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    1. BacktoBodrum22 February 2016 at 00:42

      You don't even have to touch the caterpillars to get hurt, They shoot spines at you. Very Friday night horror movie.

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