Pine Processionary Moth
There are about eighty species in the family Thaumetopoeidae (all referred to as is the processionary moths). Only a few live in Europe. The Pine Processionary Moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) attacks pine and cedar forests in all mediterranean countries. The moth gets its name from the processionary habits of caterpillar which at a certain stage move through the trees in a long procession. It is present in most of Southern Europe. In France, the south and the atlantic coast are the worst affected. It is also the most important defoliator of both native and introduced pines throughout Italy and is especially damaging in young plantations and on ornamental trees. Its population level fluctuates substantially though in a rather regular manner over the period of a few years.
The pine processionary caterpillar can be easily identified by its gregarious behaviour and by the silky nests it builds high in the uncluttered parts of trees. It feeds and builds nests by night. It is not just a defoliator, but can be a public health nuisance. The caterpillar hairs, can cause urticarial dermatitis with intense itching, oedema with or without dermatitis, conjunctivitis and keratitis if there is eye contact, rhinitis, pharyngitis, and bronchitis as a result of penetration of the respiratory tract. Population outbreaks are erratic, with higher numbers occurring in certain years and not others.
Lifecycle
The adult moths emerge during the summer between late June and mid-August. The female can cover several kilometres in the search for a suitable host tree in which to lay her eggs. The adults are inconspicuous and short-lived. The larval development which has five stages takes between 4 and 8 months. The caterpillars, are produced in one generation per year. At the end of the fifth stage the caterpillars leave the tree in a head-to-tail procession and set off in search of a place where the earth is sufficiently soft and warm to allow them to penetrate and chrysalize. The pupa can wait up to a year for the right moment for the moths to emerge. The caterpillars feed on pine needles however even complete defoliation of a pine does not necessarily mean the death of the tree but it dramatically retards its development.
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