CONTROL OF THE PINE PROCESSIONARY CATERPILLAR IN IBIZA AND FORMENTERA. NOVA CONTROL, PEST CONTROL COMPANY IN IBIZA AND FORMENTERA.
WOOD TREATMENTS. LEGIONELLA AND ALL TYPES OF PESTS IN IBIZA AND FORMENTERA.
In recent years, the processionary caterpillar has become one of the most worrying pests on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera. Although its peak period of dangerous activity is limited to a few weeks, specifically at the end of winter, the effects it can have on people, particularly children and those who are especially sensitive, due to the urticating reaction caused by direct contact, are a logical cause for concern.
Chemical treatment of processionary caterpillars.
Another important risk factor is the effects on pets, which can range from minor inflammation to vomiting or necropsies of the affected tissue. The degree of affectation is not necessarily less in a large dog. The sensitivity of that particular animal to the caterpillar's venom, or the size of the chain or ball formed by the caterpillars that it approaches with its snout or accidentally touches, can greatly determine the severity of the effects.
Caterpillar ‘ball’ in the process of burrowing, a process that concludes its larval stage and gives rise to the chrysalis from which the adult specimen emerges after 20-31 days.
The processionary caterpillar is the larval stage of a nocturnal moth. The moment (or larval stage in this case) when we normally detect the pest in our private environment or in a public space is during the transition between the larval stage (worm) and the creation of the pupa or chrysalis from which the moth emerges, which forms buried in the ground. Before this happens, the processionary caterpillar is not wandering anonymously through our gardens. The entire previous part of this insect's biological cycle takes place in the tops and branches of pine trees, from where it descends once the larva reaches its maximum stage of development, before turning into a chrysalis.
Detail of a ‘bag’ in which the processionary caterpillars have been feeding.
Adult specimens reproduce and lay their eggs during the summer months. Being a nocturnal insect, it successfully avoids most of its potential predators, remaining hidden among the natural elements of its environment, camouflaged thanks to its brownish colouring. At this point, it is worth mentioning that although there is a lack of field studies that can scientifically prove the theory, some claim that the extinction or drastic reduction of the population of the Pitiusas lizard (Podarcis pityuensis) in Ibiza and Formentera may be directly related to the exponential increase in the pest's population in the Pitiusas, as it is a potential predator of this lepidopteran in its adult stage.
Proper inspection of the environment and affected trees is essential for effective pest control.
The installation of anti-caterpillar rings is an effective and environmentally friendly measure for controlling this pest in our domestic environment and public spaces.
Once reproduction occurs, females lay their eggs, usually in the tops of pine trees, in batches of up to 300. Once the eggs hatch, which occurs in late summer or early autumn, they begin to feed more and more voraciously as they develop through their larval stage, passing through up to five different stages. During this process of feeding and larval development, they create the so-called ‘pockets’ that we can see in the treetops.
Access of the bark beetles to the closed trap container, through the ring installed in the trunk of the affected pine tree.
During their development in the tops and branches of pine trees, the caterpillars go unnoticed for months, feeding more and more intensely until they reach the fifth stage of their larval stage. The presence of ‘pockets’, silk balls or ‘spider webs’, is a clear indicator of the presence of the pest, useful for detecting it before it descends from the tops and becomes a problem.
The larval stage that affects us as a pest is the fifth, which is characterised by the development of stinging spines and a change in behaviour: the stage of feeding silently on the tops and branches of pine trees is over, and they begin their ‘migration’ to the ground in chains, which gives them their characteristic name of ‘processionary caterpillar’.
There are various methods for combating this pest, although due to the inaccessibility of its development areas during its larval stages, the most efficient method is usually to place capture rings, which work in harmony with the species' biological cycle and its need to seek out soil to complete its life cycle.
The effectiveness of control will be directly related to carrying out proper preventive work before the caterpillars begin to migrate from the tops of the pine trees to the ground, as well as conducting proper inspections and applying measures, both chemical and ring traps on the trunks of the pine trees. At Nova Control, we can offer you a comprehensive pest control and monitoring plan tailored to your needs.
Nova control; control of pests and microorganisms in Ibiza and Formentera.
-Wasps, ants, mosquitoes, rodents, cockroaches, moths, snakes...
-Wood treatments: woodworm, termites, fungus...
-Disinfections: covid, tanks, legionella treatment and control.
Consult other services without obligation
☎️: +34 604 04 82 98
🇪🇸: https://novacontrol.es/es/control-de-plagas
🇬🇧: https://novacontrol.es/en/pest-control
📨:
