Don't touch them! Let the caravan of caterpillars continue on its way • The pine procession

The Ministry of Environmental Protection warns: Have you come across the pine beetle larvae that are emerging these spring days? Don't touch them! Let the caterpillar convoy continue on its way, and if necessary, consult a qualified exterminator

Dr. Gal Zagron, Director of the Pest and Control Division at the Ministry of Environmental Protection: "In the spring, the larvae of the pine beetle go out in search of a place to incarnate. If you come across them, don't touch them! Let the convoy pass and there is no place for spraying either. When autumn comes, the infected pine tree can be treated to kill the nests in the coniferous branches, so that the hazard will be avoided next spring. To exterminate an infected pine tree in the urban environment, a professional licensed as an exterminator in buildings and open space or as an exterminator with vapor, certified by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, must be invited.

Burning hairs

At the beginning of spring, the larvae of the pine beetle leave the nests between the needles of the pine branches, and make their way in a convoy to a suitable place in the soil, where they incarnate together until the pupa hatches. These larvae have stinging hairs that in contact with the skin will cause strong irritation. The Ministry of Environmental Protection warns not to touch the larvae. Killing the larvae will disperse the stinging hairs in the air and increase the hazard - hairs are also harmful if inhaled or penetrated into the eyes of humans and even pets.

Mechanical collection of the larvae

The length of the processionary caterpillar varies between 30-40 mm, its color is brown-orange with black stripes and white hairs covering its body. If you encountered the caravan of caterpillars during this period, the Ministry of Environmental Protection recommends not exterminating them, but allowing them to burrow into the ground.

If it is about infected pine trees in public areas or in the kindergartens, you should contact the municipal hotline, so that they mark the area, and take care of it in the fall. In kindergartens and near a population that cannot be removed or prevented from contact with the larvae, mechanical collection of the larvae can be performed by a protected professional.

dangerous to public health

The processionary caterpillars are dangerous to public health when encountering them. In the spring season, the extermination of the larvae should be avoided in order not to worsen the hazard. The extermination of an infected pine tree can only be carried out in the autumn months by a licensed exterminator in buildings and open space or an exterminator with vapor on behalf of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.