Invasion of the caterpillars for residents on city street
IT’S been likened to a scene from a scifi movie, with “cobwebs” made by caterpillars taking over people’s gardens.
As reported in Saturday’s Echo, trees in one city suburb became shrouded in white after they were covered with hundreds of thousands of tiny caterpillars.
Now the insects, which will one day turn into ermine moths, have now started covering people’s cars as well as their gardens.
Terrina Leech’s parents live on St Dogmael’s Street in Llanishen. She said: “The council has been out and they have said that they can’t do anything and when they turn into moths we should keep the windows closed.”
Terrina, 30, said the webbing and caterpillars have now moved onto people’s gardens.
She said: “It is affecting people’s cars and my mum has a disability and they are all over the handrail and she is not able to hold it.
“There is a car that is completely white and you can see them moving on it.
“My children are petrified when they come to see my mum and dad.
“To be honest I don’t want the caterpillars to become moths because it will be like a swarm and we won’t be able to leave the front door.
“They are on the trees, gates and bins. The are also in the back garden because they have travelled along electricity cables.
“The cobwebs are like something out of a movie but it’s real. I was freaked out by it. I get out of the car and run to my mum’s front door.
“People have jet washed their cars and the next day they are back on.”
Butterfly Conservation says it is the season for ermine moths.
A spokesman said: “Occasionally whole trees can be covered by their webs. The leaves are stripped bare giving the tree an eerie appearance. Sometimes these webs are so extensive that they can cover nearby objects such as benches, bicycles and gravestones.
“It’s a successful evolutionary strategy, providing protection from predators through safety in numbers. However, numbers are hard to hide and hence the production of the silken webbing.
“These webs and caterpillars are harmless and usually last from May to June. The webs slowly disappear over the summer and typically the hedgerow shrubs/trees recover.
“The adult moths fly later in summer and all look superficially similar, being white or greyish with many small black dots, hence the ermine name.”
A council spokesman said: “We are aware of a non-hazardous infestation of bird cherry ermine moth caterpillars at St Dogmaels Avenue in Llanishen.
“Expert advice is to leave the infestations to run their natural course as they will disperse naturally, usually during June or July.
“We will continue to monitor the trees following the emergence and dispersal of the moths and if any fail to recover, they will be removed and replaced with a species not affected by the moths.”