Overview
- Forestry officials report the moth has spread beyond its usual strongholds in south and central Hessen into areas that previously had few occurrences.
- Several cities including Gießen, Kassel, Fulda and Wiesbaden have seen sharp local outbreaks that are straining municipal removal and monitoring efforts.
- The state forestry agency, Landesbetrieb Hessen Forst, is not using broad pesticide treatment in state forests and is instead relying on monitoring, protective gear for staff and avoiding heavily infested stands.
- Municipal responses vary and include targeted use of the biological insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis, vacuum removal of nests and preventive treatment of thousands of city trees to limit public-health risks from the moth’s toxic hairs.
- Authorities warn that continued warming will likely make further northward expansion and more frequent outbreak years more common, though populations can still fluctuate year to year with the weather.