Overview
- Local authorities report widespread, intense infestations of the oak processionary moth across Bavaria that have pushed specialist teams and city services to capacity and created delays in treatment.
- The caterpillars carry tiny barbed hairs that cause skin rashes, eye irritation and breathing problems in humans and can trigger severe allergic reactions.
- Municipal crews and contracted specialists are focusing on public sites such as playgrounds, kindergartens, sports fields and parks and remove nests with protective clothing and specialized vacuuming equipment rather than insecticides.
- Veterinarians warn that cats are especially vulnerable because they climb trees and groom themselves, which can transfer hairs into their mouths and throats, and owners should call a vet immediately after suspected exposure.
- Authorities stress the hairs can be blown meters by wind and remain hazardous in abandoned nests for years, making private landowner responsibility for removal and public caution important as services remain overburdened.