A larva that can cause breathing difficulties and itching has been found for the first time outside Funen in Denmark.
The oak processionary spider, nicknamed ‘the caterpillar from hell’, has been found in Jutland for the first time.
The discovery was made in a tree in a kindergarten in Horsens Municipality earlier this week. The municipality’s communications manager, Lars Bjørn Petersen, told DR.
No one at the kindergarten has been in contact with the larvae, it says.
According to DR, the larval nest was removed by pest control workers, and so far no other oak processionary moths have been found in Horsens.
The municipality will now keep an extra close eye on the trees on the kindergarten playground in the coming time.
The larvae, which can cause both itching and respiratory problems, were first found in Odense on Funen in January.
The oak processionary moth is a nocturnal insect with thousands of microscopic hairs that can cause allergic reactions and rashes in humans and animals.
While the oak processionary moth has established itself in countries such as Germany and England, it has so far only been observed in Denmark as roaming individuals.
The larva may have been brought to Denmark via oak wood imported from Germany.
ritzau
