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01/03/2008, 16:28 chris pp Joined on 30/08/2005 Vienne '86' Posts 1,730 Re: Pine processionary caterpillar time soon again!! But what can be done about them on a National level John?  As you say they are everywhere near enough that there are pine trees, these can be quite vast areas often way of the beaten track. Other than combating them in your own garden it's a No No, can't be done. It would have helped if people hadn't put pine trees in their gardens in regions where they wouldn't naturally be. Chris http://www.planetepassion.com Association Planete Passion - French Wildlife in the English Language    Report

20/03/2008, 1:11 trizzy Joined on 19/12/2007 Posts 33 Re: Pine processionary caterpillar - very scary now i know about them. I'm over in the Medoc and just before last months school holiday, half of the the playground was out of bounds for the children, as the school is surrounded by pine tree's.  I had no idea how dangerous these caterpillars are, but during the holiday the workers went in and dealt with them and also had to change all the sand in the play area as well.  Now I know what to look for and the furry bundles in the trees, which do seem to be very high we will all be avoiding them!  Thanks for all the previous info.    Report

20/03/2008, 7:19 Jonzjob Joined on 23/08/2004 Nr Carcassonne, 11 Posts 2,992 Re: Pine processionary caterpillar - very scary now i know about them. Hi Trizzy, what amaises me is that the school would have known what they were long before they started to get so high in the trees that they were so difficult to reach and yet they did nothing about them then! Now it was a much bigger job and all the sand to replace as well I expect that you know why the sand had to be changed? It was because there would have been a good chance that they would have buried themselves in there to pupate and emerge in early autumn and start all over again. Once they are buried I don't know if they are still dangerous but I would expect that the hairs would still do harm? If you have a look at the link I gave at the beginning of this thread it gives a lot of good info on them. It was a Fench man, J Henri Fabre, at the beginning of the 1900s who did some of the most exaustive studies on them, so the information has been available to the French for a long time. His studies make interesting reading. http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/jhf/cater.html . Quite a long report, but, for mr, worth the read!! http://www.cababstractsplus.org/google/abstract.asp?AcNo=20023189827 . The Spanish do manage to find the cost of fighting them when it hurts their pocket?? There are a lot of interesting sites about them.. John. Before you judge someone you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you judge them you are a mile away and you have their shoes!!!    Report

16/10/2008, 15:30 seb47 Joined on 02/01/2005 Lot et Garonne Posts 163 Re: Pine processionary caterpillar time soon again!! We noticed more of the cocoons today, one quite low down but the remainder at about 20 feet on one of the two pine trees which have been affected before. The caterpillars seemed to be alive but have now been destroyed on a bonfire. We normally have this problem early in the year and cannot remember having to deal with them in October. We are resigned to the fact that we will probably lose the trees eventually. Peter Sue    Report

16/10/2008, 18:42 Jonzjob Joined on 23/08/2004 Nr Carcassonne, 11 Posts 2,992 Re: Pine processionary caterpillar time soon again!! You beat me to it Seb. I was going to revive this thread today after looking at our trees again today! I put a web site on my original post http://web.cortland.edu/fitzgerald/PineProcessionary.html . It is well worth a read. I am not sure why you haven't seen any cocoons at this time of year. It's about this time, Oct/Sept, that the moths lay their eggs. They are very bad fliers so they can only reach the lower branches to lay. As soon as the eggs hatch the hatchling start eating the needles and they make temporary cocoons low down in the tree. As time goes on the caterpillars get bigger and go through 5 stages. They are not dangerous in the first 2 but unless you know when they get to stage 3 I would advise what I do and wear gloves any time you have to deal with them. There is no reason why you should loose any trees unless there is VERY heavy infestation over a few years. If you get rid of the cocoons as soon as you see them it will save further damage plus they are easier to get at. They start at the lower part of the tree and as the winter progresses they get higher until they can get right to the top. I have actually taken ones from the very tops of our trees. I use a Friskars telescopic branch lopper, 4 meters long extended, and I have made a coupling that lets me extend it with our swimming pool brush pole, about 8 meters in all! A bit unweldy but effective! I have heard people say that they have killed them by standing on them, but not a lot of good as the hairs are the dangerous part. The only safe way is to burn them. They are though to release a pherimone (?) that attracts dogs to try to eat them. If they do this they can die if not got to a vet very quickly. The tounge and throat swell, go black and block the breathing passages. Not nice. For people they cause serions rashes and can cause other problems that I won't go into. Some folks think that they only come out of the trees to pupate in March time, but they will also come out on bright and warm winters days too and form their trademark processions. They feed right throught the winter and even feed on nights when the temp is sub-zero, they are very sluggish at this time though. All in all the only reason that I can find that the counsils don't do anything about them here is the cost. In Spain some of the cities that have had troubles with them have innoculated all of the pines in the city and stopped them that way. In Cyprus they do a lot of spraying. Unfortunately that kills every insect and lots of other wild life too that it touches. Some French use them as target practice and literally blast them out of the trees. Good fun for them, but what happens to the bits, and the shot come to think of it? Anyway, if you see these things then my only advise is to get rid of them, BUT TAKE CARE! Good luck and be carefull, it's a jungle out there... (where have I heard that before ?) John. Before you judge someone you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you judge them you are a mile away and you have their shoes!!!    Report

16/10/2008, 19:06 Pads Joined on 24/05/2006 Cornwall/ Montage Noir Posts 3,419 Re: Pine processionary caterpillar time soon again!! Are these the same ones ? http://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/fr/INFD-6URJCF   If so now found around London aswell Dirty Tom =^..^= Where ever I lay my paw thats my home    Report

16/10/2008, 19:29 Jonzjob Joined on 23/08/2004 Nr Carcassonne, 11 Posts 2,992 Re: Pine processionary caterpillar time soon again!! No, but very similar. I think that the clue is in the name? Oak and Pine. They are both 'not nice' and in a very similar way from what I can make out. Nasty little budgerigars!! John. Before you judge someone you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you judge them you are a mile away and you have their shoes!!!    Report

16/10/2008, 19:34 seb47 Joined on 02/01/2005 Lot et Garonne Posts 163 Re: Pine processionary caterpillar time soon again!! John Thanks for your comments and advice. We don't have dogs or other animals so apart from the possible danger to friends and neighbours animals (and us!) we will take care. I wore lots of protective clothing, especially strong leather gardening gloves. I understand that they are a big problem in Les Landes where they are sprayed from helicopters. Pads No they look somewhat different to the Oak variety, they are yellow/brown - see the link in John's post. I should have tried to take a photo but otherwise had my hands full hanging on to the ladder and bits of branch! The cocoon is quite "pretty" until you get close and realise what is going on inside. Peter  Sue    Report

16/10/2008, 20:20 Callie Joined on 19/04/2008 Near Saumur (49) Posts 390 Re: Pine processionary caterpillar time soon again!! We have a plantation of Corsican Pine (Laricio de Corse) and we are obliged to 'control' them. Our Forestry advisers say spraying is ineffective as they are protected by the cocoon, and that the only way is to cut the branch, put the little beasts in a bag and burn them.    Report

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France Forum » French Culture » Wildlife/Nature... » Re: Pine processionary caterpillar - very scary now i know about them.

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