Pine Caterpillars - Help!

Thanks for these Pete - very helpful.  Really appreciated

WARNING WARNING WARNING DO NOT BURN THEM!!!!!

http://www.tarsilopestcontrol.com/ in Rojales can help and they speak English do not touch them unless you know what you are doing!

What are they?

The pine processionary moth flies around May to July and only lives for about one day during which time it must mate and lay its eggs in the foliage of a pine tree.  A single female can lay up to 300 tiny eggs and it takes around a month for them to hatch.

Once they have hatched, the minute caterpillars have five growth stages called ‘instars’. During their third moult or instar they build the white cotton-wool like nest and continue to feed on the pine leaves until the fifth instar. This usually happens any time from February to April.

At this point, the caterpillars (procesionaria del pino) make their way to the ground in a long chain searching for the next place in their life cycle. This behaviour gives them the name of the ‘processionary caterpillar’. You can recognise them by their distinctive orange-brown colour and blue bands.

Eventually they will disperse to burrow just below the ground where they will pupate. Before this happens they can be a danger to humans and other mammals. It is the hairs of the caterpillars that can cause problems. If they are touched or poked they cause a nasty rash and give off dust that can cause respiratory problems. They are particularly toxic for children and animals.

If the caterpillar is stressed or threatened it can eject its hairs which act a little like harpoons and can penetrate or irritate any exposed skin. Dogs are particularly susceptible as they will pick up the hairs on their paws and then lick them as they start to itch. This then leads to the hairs being transferred on to the animal’s tongue and can result in itching, swelling, vomiting and even death.

If you become aware that you have these caterpillars on an urbanisation then you should inform the community of owners and they should be removed. In some areas the council will remove them but where this isn’t the case you should engage a specialist. You should not attempt to move them yourself as it is a job for an expert.

If you do touch one and become itchy you should consult a doctor. The rashes can be very painful and irritating and can last for a few weeks.

If your pet is infected you can usually tell because there will be small white spots in the mouth and on the tongue and the animal will become distressed and possibly drool. If they remain untreated, animals can die as the tongue will swell and in some cases has to be cut or amputated.  If you know your pet has been affected then you should go to the vets immediately, where they will probably be given a cortisone injection.  

Thanks Martin,

Followed your directions to a tee.  Managed to find a Chinese Shop open and brought the tape and already around all 4 trees.  We have cut off the nests we can reach but there are still alot we can't reach so will get someone out as soon as we can.  Just bad timing with Christmas.  Thanks again.  Merry Christmas 

Thanks Willy.  We've got in touch with Landlord and he is going to get them removed by pest control.  All advice appreciated.  

We've been dealing with these blighters for years & we've found the best way is to remove and burn as many nests as possible, but when you can't get at the nests we put about an inch of thick grease around the trunks of each tree. Keep checking the trees - the caterpillars tend to come down more often in the mornings, but this is not always the case. When they come down, they don't like to cross the grease and bunch up on the tree trunk., (but if left too long, they will crawl over each other to get down, which is why you need to keep checking the trees.) Then, we spray them with hairspray - sounds bizarre, but it makes them more flamable and also makes it harder for them to expell the hairs, then we pick them off with a stick and burn them in a metal container.  You need to be well wrapped up and wear glasses and gloves and make sure you burn them thoroughly. They seem to be coming down a bit earlier every year. Last January the nests started coming down in the middle of Jan and continued to come down until the beginning of April. However, we've had the odd single caterpillar down already. (Whether they have fallen off and are trying to get back up the tree I don't know?) They are very dangerous and you need to be extremely careful. If you suspect your pet has been in contact with even 1 caterpillar, you need to call him/her or get the dog to the vet immediately - don't delay as this can be fatal. The hairs on the caterpillars are highly toxic and will kill whatever part of the animal they touch. My vet has told me that it is common for the dog to lose part of his tongue or nose. I've heard conflicting reports about the effectiveness of having the trees treated. 

Thanks Charlie, will get some grease and put around each tree.  Luckily we've only got 4 trees.    We've removed some of the nests already (carefully I must add following everyone's advice).  Someone advised putting loads of sticky tape around the trunks which we have done (sticky side up). They don't seem to be coming down  yet BUT we have found caterpillars on some of the nests but only small ones.  Grease sounds a good idea and will do this until we can get someone out to take them all away.  Thanks again - Merry Christmas.