Caterpillars - danger!! How can that be?????

[anewlife]

Today I heard about 'processional pine caterpillars' and how dangerous they can be (appear in winter only) to animals and humans. Apparently, they are more in abundance inland than the coast because of the pine trees.

Now, every time my dog goes out and sniffs the ground, I get worried! Anyone else heard of these? There is info on the internet and they say they are more dangerous in Spain than scorpions and snakes and they are at their most dangerous in mid/late February. Anyone had any experience of these?

[El Cid]

Yes, I have.

They are very nasty creatures and can kill cats and dogs and small children if they are exposed to them.

There is a very comprehensive scientific article about them here -

http://tinyurl.com/aoknz

They are prevalent on the coast as well as inland. You can see their nests in the pine trees - like candy floss. Later this month and in early March they can be seen on the ground in long "strings" - I have seen them more than 3 metres long.

Do a Google on "Pine Processionary Caterpillars" if you want more information.

Sid

[anewlife]

Not seen them yet, but believe they are horrible. Glad someone else has seen these and not just my imagination...
Thanks Sid

[chrisuk]

mmmmm, interesting, Im wondering HOW dangerous they are and wether cats and dogs know they are deadly, wonder if natural instinct comes in and tells them "Not to be eaten", do these wormy nasty bits come in their millions...

[katy]

They killed my friends dog and they live directly on the beach. I think they come out of the pine trees as they have some in their garden. The local council advises anyone seeing them to give them a call.

[fincalospinos]

My dog was poisened by them about 3 years ago.
The Larvae are from the Brown Moth, and the caterpillars drop from nests in pine trees,normaly during February and March, not just inland but also in coastal areas. The nests look like a ball of webbing, about the size of a large avocado. The best way to deal with the problem is to cut the nests down when they appear, and burn them, but dont get too close and take care not to touch the nest.
What happens is that dogs ( and cats), being inquisitive, tend to either lick them or sniff them, and get an acidic like substance on their tongues or lips.
The symptoms are similar to poisoning, salivating, heavy laboured breathing. It is imperative to get them to a vet as soon as possible where an antidote can be administered. You then need to give them an aspirin each day for around two weeks after. This apparently thins the blood down to counteract the thinning of the arteries caused by the poison.
If treated quick enough it is totaly curable with no long tern afteraffects.

[chrisuk]

This sounds like a wind up but Im sure its not "They live directly on the beach" d othey suntan too, just kidding, you know where Im going. Anyone have pics or links to these horid creatures and is it safe to burn them when you get the blighters and their nests, I'll go ape **** if they harm my dogs, I'll hunt them to extinction......noted the effects if it does happen

Cheers

[El Cid]

Anyone have pics or links to these horid creatures

Try http://web.cortland.edu/fitzgerald/Pine ... onary.html

There are some really good pictures and details.

Sid

[worldbookday]

We saw some yesterday in the Donana National Park!!! Did not know what they were then, my six yr old was fascinated. Glad I did not let him bring some home!!!!

[lis48]

Encourage hoopoes in your garden (the colourful birds with big crests) They are the only creatures that can eat those caterpillars apparantly and come to no harm. How do they manage it?

[donna bagnall]

was reading up on these creatures earlier on today. Advise is that if you see them in the trees spray them with hairspray to stop the fine hairs from falling out as these are dangerous, knock the nest to the floor and set light to them, same goes for the caterpillars seen out of trees, seems they travel in lines so easy to see, advised obviously to make sure that when you set light to them make sure you don't set light to whole area

[Cassandra]

Is it only pine trees they live? We let our dog off the lead at times but the trees that are nearby are all olive or almond.

[fincalospinos]

Is it only in pine trees they live? We let our dog off the lead at times but the trees that are nearby are all olive or almond.

Yes its only pine trees in which they live, and I think it is only one type of pine, but I'm not sure which.

[Bongtrees]

Is it only in pine trees they live? We let our dog off the lead at times but the trees that are nearby are all olive or almond.

Whilst the nest is in the pine tree the caterpillars are nocturnal and leave the nest and the tree every night to feed.

When they decide to find somewhere to burrow they descend from the trees and form these long lines and walk for a long way in order to find suitable place to burrow into the earth.

Sometimes they lose sense of direction and can end up on house wall and in windows. I have seen a line of 3 metres walk more than 100 metres out my gate and down the lane.

We have Hoopoe birds here and have never seen one go anywhere near nest or processionary caterpillar on the ground or tree trunk.

Mike

[lis48]

We have Hoopoe birds here and have never seen one go anywhere near nest or processionary caterpillar on the ground or tree trunk.

Hoopoes are my favourite bird. Did you know that as well as eating those hairy caterpillars as a delicacy, they also build their nests out of human excrement? But you probably haven't seen them do that either, Bong.

[Bongtrees]

I prefer the observations of modern day entomologists and ornithologists, not the ancient Greeks.

[Shukran]

We've just been invaded by hundreds and hundreds of caterpillars that look just like these pine caterpillars, but surely they're a bit late in the year to be of the same species?

They arrived like an army for two mornings now but have disappeared by the afternoon (mainly underfoot I'm afraid). They've crawled all over the outside of the house up to the roof and tried to get through windows. They haven't been in one long line - more like a blanket across the drive - a mass invasion coming towards you - eeek! Also, I can't see any pine trees in the vicinity.

Has anybody else had problems with these? We're concerned that they may cause health problems.

[kexon]

Believe you me these caterpillars are a menace, my cocker spaniel died after eating the bloody things. He didn't know any different, we didn't know he had eaten them. By the time we realized something was wrong and got him to the vet it was all to late.
Apparently there is an injection for the pine trees which in some way poisons the caterpillars food source the pine tree. This works for two years then has to be repeated.

[Shukran]

They're back again this morning with a vengeance - still hundreds of them. They're climbing the outside walls like there's no tomorrow. I still have doubts that they're the same pine caterpillars because of the time of year and no pine trees in the area. They don't get up early though, they haven't been arriving until about 10am and then magically disappear during mid afternoon.

[lis48]

That doesn't sound like the processionary caterpillar Shukran. I wonder if they are Tent caterpillars which build silk tents in hardwood trees at this time of year, such as fruit trees especially cherry and not softwood ones like the pines which you say don't grow round you. They are very gregarious and thousands all live together. I remember in the States them coming down from the trees in the morning and going back in the afternoon, swarming across the barbecue patio. I was told they have them in Spain tho not seen them myself.
Just looked them up in google and the official name is Malacosoma so have a look at the pics. Someone cleverer than me can surely put on a pic of one? The one in Spain becomes an indescript moth in July called a Lackey apparantly. If I'm right, they are harmless though scary and any pesticide will do more damage than they will. The Americans went crazy looking for their nests and destroying them but they should have had enough to eat and gone off to pupate in a week or so. (I mean the caterpillars not the yanks )