Oak Processionary Moth Caterpillar Warning Issued
Infestation in local park potentially harmful to humans
The caterpillars resemble greyish bundles of cotton
A warning has been issued to the public to watch out for a potentially harmful caterpillar which has recently appeared in local parks.
Hounslow’s parks team is urging visitors to the borough’s parks and open spaces to be aware of an infestation of Oak Processionary Moth caterpillars that can cause eye and throat irritations.
Work is underway to remove the caterpillars, which nest in oak tree trunks and branches at this time of year. Residents and visitors should avoid contact with the caterpillars and report any sightings to the Forestry Commission’s Tree Alert Service to stop the spread.
Contact with the caterpillars can cause the irritations in humans. If left unchecked, they can cause serious harm to oak trees by stripping them of their leaves. This makes the tree more prone to disease and damage from other pests.
The caterpillars are easily recognisable because of their long white hairs and the way they travel in nose-to-tail processions. The nests are found on oak tree trunks or branches. They are rounded and sometimes hammock-like, resembling greyish bundles of cotton.
Over the next few weeks, GreenSpace 360 officers, the council operating company which manages parks in the borough, will be visiting all of the borough’s open spaces, starting with the most popular parks and playgrounds, to remove the caterpillars. Further removals will take place in July when typically, the nesting intensifies.
Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Parking, Parks and Leisure, Councillor Salman Shaheen, said, “We would like to reassure our residents we are working as quickly as possible to deal with these infestations. We know how passionately our residents feel about the borough’s parks and open spaces. This is the ideal time of year to make the most of them.”
“However, we must ask people to stay away from these caterpillars if they spot them and prevent children from going near them.
“The best way to do this is to avoid spending time under or downwind of the infested oak trees, especially on windy days.”
“Every tree in our borough is precious and we are working hard to remove the infestations. Please do not try and remove them yourself. You can help by reporting any sightings to the Tree Alert Service and we will deal with it.”
If you do come into with the caterpillars and begin to feel the harmful effects, contact your GP or call 111. In an emergency you should call 999. Residents can report a sighting to the Tree Alert Service by visiting treealert.forestresearch.gov.uk.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chJune 10, 2022. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
June 10, 2022
