Overview
- Municipalities in Bavaria, Berlin and Franken reported a surge in oak processionary moth detections Friday, leading cities to close parks and prioritize removals at schools, playgrounds and sports fields.
- The caterpillars carry tiny toxic hairs that can float meters on the wind and remain hazardous in abandoned nests for months or years, causing skin rashes, severe allergic reactions and respiratory problems.
- Cities and contracted specialist teams remove nests by suction while avoiding broad insecticide spraying, but crews are operating at capacity and residents face delays of up to about two weeks for nonurgent removals.
- Berlin’s Senate has invited district representatives to coordinate responses and consider treating the outbreak as a public-health issue to unlock funding and centralize action.
- Authorities advise people to avoid staying under oak trees, not to touch nests, keep pets—especially free-roaming cats—away from infested trees, and to report sightings while private-property owners remain responsible for removals on their land.