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I saw photo's of these caterpillars earlier this year on a site in the Loire valley, with clear warnings saying "Leave Me Alone!". They were posters in Reception, the shop, laundry, play areas, shower blocks etc. etc.
It wasn't till I read this article, that it became apparent as to why..( I presumed it was a rare Moth/Butterfly in my ignorance!).
Although the posters said leave me alone,....it wasn't made clear why!..now I know..if you are aware of these creepies then my apologies for repetition but like me you're not...read on!
Processionary Caterpillars are so called because they form processions, nose to tail, as they leave the nest prior to changing into moths. They are found in all Mediterranean climatic areas, ranging from Portugal in the West through to the Adriatic and beyond in the East. The "nests" are fist sized or larger balls of spun filaments, usually lodged in fairly high branches of pine trees, and yes, many campsites in all of these countries border onto or are within pine forested areas!
The months from October through to March and April see the time when the caterpillars descend from the cocoon nests and they will then form "processions" in search of food sources. These can be hundreds of caterpillars nose to tail, winding along roadways, paths, grass, whatever. The caterpillars have poisonous and irritant brittle hairs on their bodies, and are a mottled dull brown with faded yellowish splotches, a standard nature danger signal!
In adults these hairs will cause severe skin irritations, and occasionally anaphylactic shock, closure of airways leading to death, and obviously requiring immediate medical treatment. In children, (who are more inquisitive about the processions and may handle the caterpillars then transfer the fingers and hairs to the mouth etc) the effects can be more immediately severe and will almost always require immediate professional medical aid. Similarly, older people with less resistance can also be quickly affected. Golfers, tennis players, footballers and bowlers (petanque and boules) should be careful NOT to handle a ball that has gone through a procession, golfers should check local rules, some courses permit substitutions. Golf, Tennis, boules and Footballs should be cleaned with disposable cloths which should then be burned as a means of disposal.
For pets, dogs and cats, the problem is that the caterpillars have a bittersweet smell and taste, and both dogs and cats will try to eat them. The results are almost certainly fatal, as little as three or four will kill a medium sized dog, and one may produce death in a cat. The reaction to the poison also causes necrosis of the tongue, and by the time the owner notices the problem, it is usually too late for veterinary treatment to do much except ease suffering.
Local advice is that brushing a procession away can cause more problems than it solves, this spreads the irritation producing hairs and the risk of poisoning actually becomes higher as a result.
I've now sourced two photographs for the website to aid you in identification of these pests, and they are posted here below. French research indicates that GLOBAL WARMING is affecting the spread and range of these caterpillars, and they are now being reported as far north as the Loire and Seine valleys, spreading from the Pyrenees and the Massif Centrale. Best advice is take care and avoid letting your pet run free near pine woods, even on those "pain in the butt" long leads.
In many tourist areas you'll find English speaking vets with 24hr emergency contacts - worth having to hand if you're staying put for a bit
I'm quite a way from my preferred vet and he actually gave me a prescription for some kind of treatment/antidote (an injection, think you can also get anti-histamine tablets for similar purpose) so I have a kit to hand in case of trouble
Sniffing/inhaling these caterpillar hairs can be lethal if not treated quickly !!!!
There was a recent newspaper article about it - airways/tounge/nostril etc swell up as a result of the allergic reaction - be very careful with your animals around pine trees! It said that if you use anti-histamine tablets you still need to hurry to a vets asap.
A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgery.
As she lay her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, your pet has passed away - probably processionary caterpillers."
The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure?
"Yes, I'm sure. The duck is dead," he replied.
"How can you be so sure", she protested. "I mean, you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."
The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room. He returned a few moments later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.
The vet patted the dog and took it out and returned a few moments later with a beautiful cat. The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed the bird from its beak to its tail and back again. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly, jumped down and strolled out of the room.
The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck."
Then the vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.
The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill. "£150!" she cried. "£150 just to tell me my duck is dead?!!"
The vet shrugged. "I'm sorry. If you'd taken my word for it, the bill would have been £20. But what with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it all adds up."
Hi there I have been to Spain for 2 months and they are everywhere.
They really only leave their nest to feed at late evening and night so in the morning you will see them dead in their lines killed by bikers or the locals. (Belgium have a real glut of them to and they have called in the army to get rid of them. The Spanish also spray the nests)
We saw them every morning as we walked into Benidorm from La Nusia.
You have to make sure your dog doesn't stand on them as the fur (or spines)are toxic to them even when they are dead.
By May they bury themselves to become a Chrysalis to then hatch out as a moth.
Dont touch the nest at all as the they throw their spines into the air and you can breath them in.
Your photos are great Neil you should send them to the Papers or even a Nature Publisher.
Mavis
À tous mes amis du forum thankyou pour toutes vos pensées agréables et avec son amour derrière moi je lutterai contre mon conflit avec un esprit de postive et le triomphe
Must be political creatures with their noses up each others backsides. Thank you for the warning. I did know that even on the beach trees on the Med some sort of caterpillers drop out of the trees and I have had one land on me and it bit me. Probably a concessionary caterpiller.
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