Plague of Poisonous caterpillars are spreading across England
Pastor Dale Morgan
Plague of Poisonous caterpillars **are spreading across England*
By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 1:24am BST 29/04/2007
A Plague of Poisonous caterpillars are spreading across England,
prompting warnings from environmental health officers.
Mild winters have seen poisonous brown tail moth caterpillars spread
north across England
The brown tail moth caterpillar has flourished after a series of mild
winters
A series of mild winters has seen swarms of brown tail moth caterpillars
move from their usual habitats along the south-east coast to as far
north as Yorkshire.
The brown and red grub is covered in millions of tiny hairs that contain
a toxin that can cause painful rashes, eye infections and, if inhaled,
serious breathing difficulties.
As the caterpillars have moved inland, environmental health officials
have been putting up warning signs in popular beauty spots.
Richard Fox, the moth project manager at the Butterfly Conservation
Trust, said: "They are spreading northwards and west across the country
to the point that they are now common in London and all along the south
of England. This is probably due to climate change as the conditions are
favouring them."
While most moth and butterfly species in the UK have declined in number
over the past decade, the brown tail moth has flourished. They usually
emerge from large silk "tents" on the branches of bushes in late spring
before pupating into white and brown moths in July and August.
Local authorities across the country have this year launched monitoring
programmes to find and control them.
One of the worst outbreaks is along the A34 Winchester to Oxford road,
where tens of thousands of nests have appeared in roadside bushes.
Phil Sterling, who spent seven years studying the brown tail moth before
becoming natural environment manager at Dorset County Council, said:
"The numbers we are talking about are much more like those we see in
France where the weather is warmer and where they are a major pest. If
they get into busy urban areas they can pose quite a considerable risk
to people."
Residents of Hove, near Brighton, have been struggling with swarms of
the caterpillars this year. Signs warning visitors about them have also
appeared along the coast in Dorset. In Portsmouth, council officials
have been spraying affected trees and bushes in a bid to control the
numbers.
Phil Harris, the director of the pest control company Exosect, which
specialises in tackling brown tail moths, said: "They seem to have been
a particular problem around Kent and Bournemouth while we are also
hearing reports from some areas of London. Last year was a bad year for
them, and although it is still early, this year may be as bad."
A spokesman for Natural England, the Government's wildlife advisory
body, said: "There are major issues with brown tail moths in terms of
public health as the hairs are a serious irritant that can cause
conjunctivitis and breathing difficulties. Their populations fluctuate
year to year, but they have been moving further north each year."
There are more than 2,500 moth species in the UK but popular species
such as the garden tiger moth have reduced by almost 90 per cent in the
past 20 years.