I thought I’d left them behind when I left the country, but I guess I was mistaken… These creatures used to show up at the Vondelpark in Amsterdam each summer. It was just plain gross! And guess what…
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A potentially deadly caterpillar – whose bristles can trigger asthma and allergic reactions – has arrived in Britain from the Continent. Nests of oak processionary caterpillars have been spotted in dozens of trees in London over the last few weeks.
The discoveries have prompted fears that the species – normally found in the Mediterranean – has settled in the UK for good. They are covered in 63,000 poisonous hairs which can trigger allergic reactions and conjunctivitis if they are touched. Even if they are not handled, the bristles can break off and be carried in the air. If inhaled, they can trigger asthma. In extreme cases, they can even trigger anaphylactic shock.
Although spraying kills them, the caterpillars release thousands of hairs as they fall to the ground. The presence of these hairs – and the fact that the toxin in them can survive for up to a year – means the risks remain even after the caterpillars are destroyed. Last year, officials at Kew Gardens in West London were forced to use hairspray to stick the nests together before burning them with blowtorches.
The creatures first appeared in Britain last summer after they were brought into the country on trees imported from the Netherlands.
Watch a gross BBC movie here

Small but potentially deadly:
The hairs of Oak processionary caterpillars can trigger allergic reactions
© Daily Mail
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