Dangerous Caterpillars

On a recent trip in the mountains of the mid Peloponnese we were amazed at a mass of what looked liked cotton wool webs hanging in the pine trees, there were hundreds of them!
On further investigation I have found out just how lucky were in not letting our curiosity get the better of us at the time. These nests were full of caterpillars that are DANGEROUS


The caterpillar, know as the "Processionary Caterpillar" because of the way they follow one another in long rows, live in colonies of up to 400. Mainly active at night (feeding time) from around March they will strip the pine needles of branches. Each caterpillar has approximately 60,000 pointed defensive urticating (barbed) white hairs containing a toxin. They have been known to cause a severe itchy rash on humans that can last up to three weeks and can even cause temporary blindness and/or respiratory problems.

For dogs and cats the effects could be far more severe. If your cat or dog sniffs the hairs the result could be a severe allergic reaction, gangrene or anaphylactic shock, possibly resulting in death. The symptoms are excessive drooling, difficulty in breathing and/or white spots on the mouth or tongue. It is recommended that in these cases the animal’s mouth should be flushed out immediately with as much water as possible. Owners should try to avoid the animal’s toxic saliva, and seek emergency treatment from a vet.

As Smokeybear said, they are already here in this country. I believe that at present they are confined to about three counties, and are not in pine trees but oak trees.