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Oak Processionary Moth Spreads to Saxony, Officials Deploy Nematodes

Warmer temperatures have enabled the caterpillar to colonize most German states, causing skin irritation alongside asthma attacks

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Overview

  • The caterpillar’s microscopic hairs contain a toxin called Thaumetopoein that can trigger severe itching, swelling, eye irritation and asthma episodes
  • Since the mid-1990s the species has steadily expanded northward and is now confirmed in all federal states including Saxony
  • Adult moths deposit eggs on solitary oak trees from July to September and larvae hatch in April to feed at night in communal silk nests
  • Health authorities warn that airborne bristles pose a greater public health risk than the defoliation damage to trees
  • Regional agencies are spraying parasitic nematodes after dusk to eliminate up to 90 percent of caterpillars without harming people or the environment