Processionary caterpillar control

The processionary caterpillar has been an increasing pest in the Netherlands in recent years due to the number of increasing oak trees. If this pest is also in your oak tree, it is important to have the processionary caterpillar controlled as soon as possible. Want to know all about costs, methods and tips? Read it in this article.

What are the processionary caterpillar control costs?

For processionary caterpillar control, you pay an average of £200 to £350 per tree. These pest control costs include call-out fees and machine costs. Sometimes you can also arrange this through your municipality. When treating several oak trees at one location, you pay a lower price per tree. Check the processionary caterpillar control prices below.

What is a processionary caterpillar?

In the Netherlands, the most common species of processionary caterpillar is the oak processionary caterpillar. This insect develops into a moth after a few months. In the first weeks after birth, the caterpillar is still harmless to humans and animals. After about a month, the processionary caterpillar develops tiny hairs all over its body. When touched, these hairs cause an irritated airway and a burning sensation on the skin and eyes.

Where does the processionary caterpillar occur?

The processionary caterpillar occurs throughout the Netherlands and lives together in large groups. These colonies build their nest in an oak tree and feed on the young leaves of this tree. They are mainly active at night, because then they are less bothered by natural enemies, such as the great tit.

Why fight the processionary caterpillar?

There are a number of reasons why you should have the processionary caterpillar fought. Check out these reasons in the overview below.

Bad for your health

The hairs of an oak processionary caterpillar are not only annoying, but potentially dangerous. In fact, if a hair gets into your eye, there is a chance of inflammation and permanent eye damage. If a hair lands on your skin, you get an itchy and burning sensation that can last up to a few days.

Dangerous for animals

The processionary caterpillar is not only dangerous for people, but also for animals. Dogs are particularly affected by the hairs. It is less easy to detect in animals, that they suffer from the oak processionary caterpillar. Dogs suffer from the eyes, lips and tongue because they like to play in the greenery and thus easily come into contact with the hairs.

Lower movement

If you suffer from the processionary caterpillar in your garden, you should avoid these trees as much as possible. This may mean you can no longer get into your backyard if you have several trees here. This is because the hairs lie on the ground in the vicinity of the processionary caterpillar.

Fighting methods processionary caterpillar

There are a number of methods for fighting processionary caterpillars. Want to know which techniques are the most common? You can read about it in this overview.

Method 1: natural enemies

The processionary caterpillar has a number of natural enemies, such as bats, birds and ichneumon wasps. Great tits and nuthatches eat the caterpillars, while bats hunt the butterfly. Parasitic wasps lay their eggs in the bodies of the caterpillars, which are then slowly eaten by the larvae. Municipalities therefore choose to place many nesting boxes near oak trees so that great tits can nest in them.

Method 2: vacuuming away

A common method is to vacuum away the processionary caterpillar with an industrial hoover. Wearing a special suit, the specialist vacuums the entire nest out of the tree with a hoover. After this, he puts the processionary caterpillars in a special sealed bag, which is burned at a later time.

Method 3: burning

A method less commonly used in processionary caterpillar control is burning the nest. When burning, the processionary caterpillars do die, but are still blown away in the process. As a result, this method is less common.

Method 4: pesticides

There are a number of pesticides that are effective in processionary caterpillar control. One pesticide consists of tiny nematodes, which crawl into the processionary caterpillars. There, nematodes leave behind bacteria, which cause the caterpillars to die within a few days. Specialists also use a special coating that causes the processionary caterpillars to die, without the hairs spreading.

Step plan processionary caterpillar control

You have the processionary caterpillar controlled in a number of steps. The professional chooses a control method and removes the caterpillars from your garden. See the step-by-step plan for fighting the processionary caterpillar in the overview below.

Step 1: assessment of location

Before the specialist begins the control, he first checks the location. He looks at how big the problem is and where the nests are located. A larger infestation requires a different control method.

Step 2: choosing the right control method

The professional chooses the control method best suited to the situation. When the infestation is not too large, the professional specialist mainly uses the suction or burning method. When the infestation is large, the methods are also common, but the professional also often chooses to use pesticides. This is only done after checking that there are no protected species of butterfly in the tree.

Step 3: controlling the processionary caterpillar

In preparation for the control, the professional seals off the area. This is because it is possible, that hairs are released in the vicinity of the tree. After this, he will start the control. He will remove all processionary caterpillars from the oak tree, making it pest-free again.

Step 4: checking the effect

After the processionary caterpillar has been controlled, the professional will check whether all caterpillars have been removed. For larger infestations, he may have to come back again to remove the caterpillars once more. When all the caterpillars have been removed, you can enjoy your garden again without worrying about these pests.

Tips for controlling the processionary caterpillar

You have now read a lot about controlling the processionary caterpillar. Read some more handy tips in the overview below so that you always choose the best pest controller.

Fight other pests too

When you want to sit in your garden after fighting the processionary caterpillar, it is not so annoying if you are disturbed by some wasps. Therefore, fight other pests right away when the professional controls the processionary caterpillar. Choose, for example, to remove a wasp’s nest and control ants or request another quote for pest control.

Request multiple quotes

By requesting multiple pest quotes, you always choose the professional that best suits your project. By doing so, you compare costs, giving you insight into labour, material and call-out costs. This will give you a better idea of the different costs, which will help you choose the right specialist.

Pay attention to quality marks

When you choose a specialist with the right quality marks, you can be sure that you are choosing good quality. The NVPB quality mark and KPMB quality mark guarantee that specialists meet a number of conditions, so you can be sure that you are in the right place.