For the guys the south side of the Channel.

[Jonzjob]

It's pine processionary caterpillar time again folks!

I had a look around our pine trees this morning and to my horror just 2 of them had 17 small cocoons in them. The pine processoinary caterpillar that is. At the moment they haven't developed enough to be dangerous as they are only in their 1st or second stage of devepolment yet. They went on the fire anyway.

We have about 14 pines that they like and why just 2 were infested I have no idea?

For anyone who doesn't know about them they are dangerous if touched when they have developed the incredibly fragile hairs and can cause anaphylactic shock and children are fascinated with the long processions they form. They are also dangerous to animals, especially dogs if they sniff around then or try to pick them up. If that happens and they are nt got to a vet quickly there is a good possibility of them dying a very nasty death.

There is some info on them here http://web.cortland.edu/fitzgerald/pine ... onary.html

It's no good just killing them, moving them or anything like that because if they are just killed the hairs that are left behind are just as dangerous and much less obvious. The only complete way of getting rid is to burn them then the hairs are destroyed. I have been caught out by them once when I was picking up a load of pine cones and suffered for a couple of days with very uncomfortable itching on my arms and legs. Plus my eyes were very sore. They can blind you. They also do a lot of damage to the pines and why the French don't do anything about them is a mistry, but then again they would probably just spray them and kill everything else as well?

For you guys north of the cut, they are very similay to the oak processionary jobbie...

 

[RobinBHM]

I have never heard of the pine processionary caterpillar -so Ive just looked it up. A nasty looking fella by all accounts.

It doesnt seem to be around in the UK as far as a quick search shows.

I am planning on visiting Brittany next year with our small dog, would this caterpillar be around in June/July would you know?

Something dogs can catch in the UK is lungworm, which can kill, a friend of ours had her whippet die. It is carried by slugs and snails. We treat our dog with advocate monthly which apparently is effective.

 

[Jonzjob]

Completely safe in the summer. They dig into soft soil in the spring and re emerge as the moth late summer/autumn and lay their eggs low in the pines, but only certain makes. They aren't good fliers and that's why they start low down in the trees.

I think that they are rare in the north of France and not at all in the U.K. as yet, but they have been found in Paris I believe and they seem to be moving slowly north?

Did you mean Advantix? We used to treat our chocky lab with that. No longer with us now bless her.

 

[dunbarhamlin]

Horrible little critters. My father (in Valencia) recommends hairspraying their nests before cutting down and burning to help keep the hairs at bay.

 

[Dee J]

Hmm. Bit puzzled on the timing of these caterpillars. We camped at the beginning of April just outside Rennes and the campsite was full of clumps of these beasts - with some forming the long processions. Had to take a friend to the pharmacy for anti-histamine. They seemed well known there.

 

[Jonzjob]

Why confused Dee? These little sods winter in those cocoons, coming out at night to feed on the pine needles. They eve come out to feed if the temprature is sub zero although they do move a lot slower. They are tough little things. In the spring they will come down out of the trees on a sunny day to find soft ground to dig into to pupate through the summer. Have a look at that link I posted.

If it wasn't for the problems they cause they would be a wonderful thing to see. They eat the pine needles from the time they hatch and not many cratures can do that. They also 'take a stroll' on sunny days in the spring, or in the winter on warm days, and you can see them in their processions. They are just as bad then and at a time when you least expect to see them.

 

[RobinBHM]

Hi John,

Thanks for that.

Advocate is a brand name for a flea treatment, that also kills lungworm, heartworm and some others. Although not tapeworm.