Toxic Oak Processionary Moths Well-Established In UK - Can Cause Fatal Asthma Attacks

[hatrack]

Britain is losing the battle against an invasion of potentially deadly caterpillars, plant experts warn. The oak processionary moth - which during its caterpillar stage is a toxic pest whose hairs can trigger severe asthma attacks - is spreading out of control in England.

The caterpillar is covered with bristles that can be blown in clouds in the wind, causing serious irritation to the eyes, lungs and skin. Although the insect can devastate oak trees, stripping their leaves, wildlife experts say its biggest threat is to human health. Tony Kirkham, the head of Kew Gardens arboretum, called on the Government to step in to help wipe out the pest. 'We will lose control of it this year,' he told the magazine Horticulture Week. 'Within five years it will affect everyone within the M25.'

The insects pose a particular risk to humans because they prefer isolated trees to large canopies, so are most common on trees in towns, cities and parks, and on the edges of forests, where they come into contact with people.

They arrived in Britain in 2006, on a batch of oaks shipped in from the Netherlands, quickly becoming established in the South East and appear to be on the move. Oak processionary moths are native to central and southern Europe but have spread hundreds of miles north in the past few decades.

EDIT

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1299533/Invading-gardens-toxic-caterpillar-leave-gasping.html

Yeah, I know, sorry - the Mail.

:puke:

[texastoast]

1. "Spread hundreds of miles north . . ."

Because it's a little warmer, maybe?