Love Your Parish
Oak Processionary Moth
The Oak Processionary Moth was first found in London in 2006 and has been spreading ever since. It was accidentally imported to the UK in egg form in the canopy of trees for planting. If you spot the signs and symptoms of this pest, report it to the plant health authorities via Tree Alert
Caterpillars of the oak processionary moth (OPM) are a pest which can be a hazard to the health of oak trees, people and animals. Their tiny hairs can be blown about by the wind and cause itchy skin rashes, eye and throat irritations and, occasionally, breathing difficulties in people and animals. The caterpillars eat oak leaves. Large numbers can strip whole trees bare, leaving them vulnerable to other threats. Oak Processionary Moth is a native species of southern Europe which was accidentally introduced to England. Left uncontrolled, it would spread across much of Britain. It was found this year over the border in Hampshire (Romsey), so here in Wiltshire we need to be alert to the potential presence of OPM to safeguard our pets and children.
To combat the spread and introduction of pests and diseases like the oak processionary moth the Woodland Trust have:
- Developed a UK and Ireland Sourced and Grown assurance scheme to make sure that all the trees we plant and sell are produced in the UK.
- Lobbied the government to improve biosecurity at border points to stop new pests and diseases entering the UK.
- Partnered with Observatree, a tree health citizen science project which trains volunteers to spot pests and diseases, thereby helping tree health authorities identify and manage outbreaks early.
- Are founding partner of Action Oak, an initiative to identify and tackle the issues facing native oak trees.
For more information, or to sign up to Observatree, and monitor an oak tree in your area see here https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
You can follow this link to report a suspected sighting of the Processionary Oak Moth TREE ALERT
SEE BELOW FOR A DOWNLOADABLE PUBLIC INFORMATION LEAFLET
