Forestry department announces spraying campaign against destructive caterpillar

The forestry department announced on Wednesday it would be serial spraying against the Pine Processionary Caterpillar between November and January in forested areas.

The aerial spraying will start at 7:30am and will finish at 2:30pm. Affected residents and authorities will be informed through individual notices about the days spraying will take place in their areas.

Developing in winter, the Pine Processionary Caterpillar Thaumetopoea pityocampa is native to the southern Mediterranean and north Africa region and well-documented in ancient times. In recent decades, reportedly due to global warming, it has, since the 1990s moved further north and can be found in the forests of northern France.

The caterpillar gets its name from the fact that in groups, they march nose to tail through the wood as if in a procession. They make their nests high in the trees, defoliating as they go.

It is considered one of the most destructive species to pines and cedar trees, causing untold damage to coniferous forests, and can also injure people due to the prickly hairs on its back, a defence mechanism from predators.

The hairs secrete an irritant chemical that that cause rashes in people along with eye irritation, and some can have an allergic reaction.