Caterpillar southern Spain (1 Viewer)

pdwinter

Paul Winter

• Mar 1, 2019

• #1

I came across these caterpillars under predominantly pines at about 500m asl in the Sierra de Aguas in Malaga province in southern Spain.
Thanks for any help in ID.

 

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RafaelMatias

Unknown member

• Mar 1, 2019

• #2

Those are pine processionary (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) caterpillars. They defoliate pines and cedars and can cause severe allergies from their hairs blown by the wind. Great Spotted Cuckoos love them but people not so much

 

honeym

Well-known member

• Mar 1, 2019

• #3

It's a common species also in the Balearic Islands where they came up with a brilliant solution - shooting the over-wintering nests with shotguns which, of course, spread the urticating hairs even more than usual! The government also spends vast amounts of money spraying the nests with a "targetted bacillus" - but the larvae are protected by the 'waterproof' silk webbing and it also has a knock-on effect on other 'non-target' species.

 

RafaelMatias

Unknown member

• Mar 2, 2019

• #4

honeym said:

a brilliant solution - shooting the over-wintering nests with shotguns

Click to expand...

:eek!::eek!::eek!:
Just incredible!!

 

pdwinter

Paul Winter

• Mar 2, 2019

• #5

Thanks all. I should have guessed as there are quite a lot of the nests here!