Oak processionary
The oak processionary is a moth whose caterpillars feed on oak leaves and can strip trees bare. The caterpillars travel in long, nose-to-tail lines, which is how they got their name. Their fine, hair-like bristles can irritate skin and breathing, so they matter a lot to people.1

Maziviro ayo
- Adult moths have a wingspan of 25 to 35 mm and are tan, brown and white, which makes them hard to see against oak bark.1
- Caterpillars have very long, white hairs that contrast with shorter hairs.1
- Caterpillars march in lines, often arrow-shaped, with a leader and rows of several caterpillars side by side.1
- Nests are white and silk-like when new, and become discoloured and hard to see over time.1
- Nests can be round, teardrop-shaped, bag-like or blanket-like, and can be found at any height on an oak tree.1
Inowanzovhiringidzwa ne: Caterpillars of several other species may be mistaken for the oak processionary. Unlike other caterpillars, the oak processionary does not live on fences or walls, so it is mostly found in oak trees or on the ground beneath them in late spring and early summer.1
Simba reuturu
Mvere diki dzinodimbukira muganda dzichibaya.
Uturu hwayo hunoitei?
The caterpillars' back bristles contain a urticating toxin called thaumetopoein, a protein that irritates the skin. Contact can cause a papular rash and itching, and the hairs can also cause eye inflammation (conjunctivitis). If the hairs are breathed in, they can cause sore throat (pharyngitis), breathing problems, asthma, or in rare cases anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction.1
Ine ngozi yakadii kuvanhu?
Ngozi kuvanhu: InorwadzaInogona kurwadza chaizvo, asi kazhinji haisi njodzi huru.The moths are an increasing nuisance to people as their range grows, and the hairs can cause a skin condition called epidemic caterpillar dermatitis. The hairs break off easily, float in the air, and can stay harmful for several seasons. Mowing a lawn can bring people into contact with them.1
Mashoko akanaka: vanachiremba vane mushonga (antivenom) kana kurapwa kwechinhu ichi.1
Inoitei kana yatya?
The caterpillars defend themselves with thousands of pointed, easily broken bristles on their backs that float in the air and irritate the skin.1
Kana ukabata mvere dzayo
- The skin irritation and itching can be largely relieved by cetirizine-based antihistamine tablets. Anyone with breathing problems or a severe reaction needs urgent medical help.1
- Kune mvere dzemakonye anobaya: dzibvise nekamatepi kanonamira, wozogeza ganda. Usakwesha.
- Kana yakuruma: geza parumwa wotonhodza. Wana rubatsiro rwechiremba kana munhu asinganzwi zvakanaka kana achibuda ropa zviri nyore.
Gara uchitanga wafonera nhamba yechimbichimbi (112, 000, 911). Iri izano rakajairika rerubatsiro rwekutanga, kwete zano rechiremba. Zvakakosha zverubatsiro rwekutanga
Gara wakachengeteka
- Usambobata mhuka yesango, kuedza kuitora kana kuinetsa, kunyange iri diki, uye kunyange ichiita seyakarara kana yakafa.
- Ipa nzvimbo. Kana ukasangana nayo, dzikama, dzokera shure zvishoma nezvishoma uirege iende nenzira yayo.
- Kana ukabata mvere dzayo: dzikama, gara wakanyarara, fonera nhamba yechimbichimbi (112, 000, 911) kana kuti enda kuchipatara nokukurumidza. Rangarira kuti yaitaridzika sei, mufananidzo unobatsira.
Haisi kukutsvaga. Inoshandisa uturu hwayo kubata chikafu kana kuzvidzivirira, uye inotonyanya kuda kuhwanda. Zvimwe pamusoro pekugara wakachengeteka
Yakakura sei?
Yakareba zvakadii?
inenge kureba sechibatanidzo chemapepa
inononoka kupfuura hozhwa yemugadheniOak processionary yakakura sei kana yaenzaniswa NEWE?
Masvomhu chete mubrowser yako. Hapana chinochengetwa kana kutumirwa kupi zvako.
Inomhanya zvakadii?
Chokwadi
Older caterpillars can have up to 63,000 pointed defensive bristles on their backs.1
In 2007, soldiers were deployed to burn infestations in the Belgian province of Limburg.1
The UK government spent £37 million trying to control the caterpillars, which had spread to all 33 London boroughs by 2019.1
In the Netherlands, great tits have been observed eating the young caterpillars before their hairs develop in April.1
In 2023, an outbreak in Ireland was successfully eradicated.1
Kune nyanzvi dzeuturu
Kwakabva chokwadi
- Oak processionary (Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0))
- Thaumetopoea processionea (iNaturalist): mazita nekurongwa kwemhuka.
- Venom Wiki: danho rengozi, saizi yakajairika nekufungidzira kwekumhanya ndezvedu. Ona kuti tinozviwana sei: Matinoyera ngozi.
Chokwadi chimwe nechimwe pane peji rino chine nhamba inoratidza kwachakabva. Kana takakanganisa, ruregerero, tiri vanoda mhuka, kwete magazini yesainzi. Tiudze pa[email protected] tichazvigadzirisa.
Mvere dzinobaya