Oak processionary caterpillar… or is it the sticker?
The oak processionary caterpillars are walking again, so you have to be careful when you are outside. The oak processionary caterpillar is also not the only one with irritating hairs: you can also run into a nest of annoying critters in the dunes.
Due to the greatly increased nuisance caused by the oak processionary caterpillar, many Dutch municipalities are focusing on early – and preferably natural – control. However, a long-term effect is required for the measures to have a long-term effect. So we better know what to look out for.
Oak processionary caterpillar… or is it the sticker?
The oak processionary caterpillar is sometimes confused with the less annoying sticky. The sticker also lives on oak, but with that we also immediately have the most striking resemblance. The patch has blue and rusty brown bumps with long hairs that only cause minor irritation. And if you don’t touch the sticker, it won’t hurt you at all.
Oak processionary caterpillar characteristics
No, then the oak processionary caterpillar, with its nasty stinging hairs. You can recognize the oak processionary caterpillar by this:
- He lives on oaks;
- It shows itself mainly at the end of May, in June, July and August;
- It molts and pupates in white, furry, spun nests that hang like spheres in the oak tree – often in the axils of the branches;
- He and his friends walk in procession: in a column one after the other;
- He has yellow spots on the back, topped with long white hairs;
- And it has tiny stinging hairs that are not even visible to the naked eye.
With those minuscule stinging hairs, the oak processionary caterpillar causes quite a bit of nuisance: from itching, bumps and blisters to – in less common cases – vomiting and dizziness. Pets and animals can also suffer a lot from the stinging hairs of the oak processionary caterpillar. Abandoned nests of the oak processionary caterpillar can still be a nuisance years later.
Nuisance in the dunes: bastard satin butterfly
Along the coast lives another caterpillar that can cause a lot of trouble: the bastard satin butterfly. In winter, the caterpillars of this butterfly sit comfortably together in a thick web in sea buckthorn. To still get a little bit of sun, they make nests at the ends of the branches of such a sea buckthorn. The hairs of this caterpillar are very irritating to the skin and remain in the nest after molting and pupation. And that is particularly annoying for the hiker who unsuspectingly in shorts strolls along the sea buckthorn in summer.
Most caterpillars harmless
Although some caterpillars can be quite a nuisance, the vast majority of these creatures are completely harmless. The same goes for hairy caterpillars: most hairy ones don’t even have stinging hairs at all. Do you see a caterpillar walking and do you want to know what you are dealing with? On the website of the Butterfly Foundation find out all about it. You can also read useful tips to keep caterpillars – and butterflies! – to photograph.
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