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PINE PROCESSIONARY PLAGUE ELIMINATION.

   There are many ways to fight and control the pine processionary plague. Highly recommended is knowing the larval phases or cycles. Another way of controlling is by means of chemical treatments like the cipermetrin or triclofor, directly spraying it over the nests in wintertime. We have to stress on using these products by qualified personnel, as these are toxic and harmful products. When the plague is spread over 5 hectares it can be carried out an aerial treatment, by spraying insecticides that inhibit the growth, such as diflubenzuron. There are bacteriological insecticides used as the traditional insecticides, they do not affect the other insects but when the processionary caterpillars eat the leaves of the treated pines, they die.

To eliminate the pine processionary plagues is necessary to control the larval cycle.

   A natural form of elimination is to cut, gather and burn the nests in wintertime, or to bring down the nests, preferably in the evening, this way the night's cold enters them and brings the caterpillars to death. It is compulsory to be extremely careful with the manipulation of the nests for the nettlerash effects that might occur. It is possible to make some traps, by sticking bag-shaped plastic around the pine; this way the processionary caterpillars are trapped, and then eliminated.

Domestic elaboration traps are used to eliminate the pine processionary caterpillar.

   Another method of pest control is the use of traps with pheromone, attracting the males to the containers where they remain caught, affecting the reproductive cycle, it is used to control and determine the time of birth of caterpillars in order to begin the treatments with a more accurate date.

   In wide pine areas we can introduce parasites (some dipterans and hymenopterans) and natural predators which attack these caterpillar populations such as wasps, ants, coal insects, crows or magpies. One way to encourage them is installing nest boxes; nowadays environmental public agencies carry this out in repopulated mountains where the young trees haven't got hollows serving as refuges for birds.
 

There are natural allies against the pine processionary helping the plague control.

If you want to read our other articles about the moths, butterflies, pine processionary traps as well as some curiosities about these insects,

 click below.