Kay eye ess ess eye en geee. No not really. Hiding from predators for the night. Tomorrow morning they will continue devouring my tree.
Some hairy worms, huddling on a tree. [OC]
Kay eye ess ess eye en geee. No not really. Hiding from predators for the night. Tomorrow morning they will continue devouring my tree.
25 Comments
m33@lemmy.zip · 26 pts · 252d
FYI if you don’t know them: do not touch , kill with fire or something. Don’t let your dog near them
UpperBroccoli@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 17 pts · 252d
Yeah, that looks like oak processionaries. They can cause skin irritation and apparently asthma, too..
johsny@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 251d
Noctuoneida (or something like that), Owlet Moths.
johsny@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 251d
No, we do not kill anything unless they are definitely invasive, which these guys aren’t. They are only a problem if you happen to sit on one, (and you happen to be naked, I suppose) generally they are not a nuisance at all. They stay in their tree, dispersing to eat during the day, and getting back together in clumps like this at night.
m33@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 251d
These processionary caterpillar are invasive. They kill pine and alike. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/defra-england-france-europe-north-africa-b995054.html
RaccoonBall@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 251d
there's no such thing as an animal or plant that is invasive in the general sense
when you say something is invasive, you need to specify where
m33@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 251d
As per the linked article.
I’m all good with comments about protecting these caterpillars, I just hope we are not neighbors 😉
johsny@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 251d
Again, they are not invasive here.
H3mp79@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 251d
Where are you located?
johsny@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 251d
Southern Africa.
allriledup@piefed.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 251d
m33@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 251d
Do as you please. But you may want to check for local regulations and pest control advices about these caterpillars.
johsny@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 251d
I never kill anything unless absolutely sure. Even then I hesitate.
starlinguk@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 251d
They're blue tit food! The reason they're out of control is that there aren't enough birds to eat them.
Flax_vert@feddit.uk · 24 pts · 252d
If you are in the UK, report them. They're an invasive pest
ladicius@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 251d
In Germany it's the same with some of these ("Eichenprozessionsspinner" can cause dangerous very serious inhalatory problems).
brsrklf@jlai.lu · 10 pts · 251d
Same in France (makes sense, we're located just between you two).
Though I think we got more pine processionaries than oak ones. Different species, different tree, but a health hazard too.
KurtVonnegut@mander.xyz · 8 pts · 251d
Guess what, same in the Netherlands.
johsny@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 251d
Not here, they are where they are supposed to be, on an acacia tree.
Wutchilli@feddit.org · 10 pts · 252d
Do not cuddle those
johsny@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 251d
Would not recommend, -4/10
A_norny_mousse@feddit.org · 5 pts · 251d
Is it common to call caterpillars "worms" in English speaking countries?
I have to admit "caterpillar" is a mouthful, many languages have much shorter words for that.
johsny@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 251d
This is not an english speaking country (primarily) so most people use the word “wurm” for both worms and caterpillars. Though technically you are correct, a caterpillar is a “ruspe”
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 251d
Isch Raupe hier.
shalafi@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 251d
In America, if it has loads of legs, and preferably fuzzy, it's a caterpillar. There may be exceptions, can't think of one in any region.
m33@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 251d
Anyway, I wonder what is the purpose of these little creatures, beside turning into big moth.
Maybe feed bats, or self ignite on halogen lamps…