Procession caterpillar alert- levels higher than normal in murcian forests

Procession caterpillars, La Procesionaria, a lethal menace in southern Spain.

 2010-03-21

Today it's officially the start of spring, which hopefully will see an end to the cooler weather and  a rise in temperature as we move into the best time of year, the glorious  Murcian springtime.

Already the roadsides are vibrant green and yellow, millions of flowers bursting into flower following the recent rains and in anticipation of warmer days to come.

Whilst a spring walk in the countryside is one of the joys many of us will undertake in the next few weeks,  we're issuing another warning to those who may not have encountered procession caterpillars in the wild, a seemingly innocuous, but lethal insect which can kill animals and cause severe effects and reactions in humans.

We were reminded a couple of weeks ago about the dangers by a lady who emailed to say that she had lost her dog because of these caterpillars, being new to Spain and knowing nothing of the menace they held, and today have received a circular from the regional PSOE party denouncing the failure of regional govt to deal with the serious problems in the Carrascoy regional Park, in which the numbers of caterpillars are greatly elevated at the moment and apparently provoking a large number of incidents in which unwary dog walkers are encountering the trains of caterpillars snaking along the ground, as well as killing young trees when there is a large concentration.

We've  produced a more detailed article about the caterpillars which can be found on our vets page, together with a few more pieces of information new residents may find useful.

Please make sure you read it if you're new to the region, and if you know anyone new, please pass it on to them and help to avoid unnecessary misery.

Thank you to the gentleman who emailed with the advice about spraying them with hairspray before handling- we've added it to the info.

Click here, for full information about procession caterpillars.