Insect Infestation Attacks Trees in Bearna (with video)
We were contacted by a local family whose garden had been infested by hundreds and thousands of pests!
Within just two days, these creatures had stripped 13 trees bare of their leaves and berries, and covered everything in its path with a thick web.
For some unknown reason, their 13 Euonymus Europeaus (more commonly known as Spindle) trees in the front garden became a breeding ground for the Ermine Spindle Moth.
In front of their eyes, within just two days, these creatures had stripped these particular trees bare of every leaf and berry. Interestingly, the holly, hawthorn, and hydrangeas in between remained relatively intact.
These creatures did not discriminate when choosing what to cover with the miles and miles of web that is a feature of their presence.
However, these creatures did not discriminate when choosing what to cover with the miles and miles of web that is a feature of their presence. They covered everything and anything that they could reach - walls, trees, bushes, and even the ground. The effect was more fitting of a Halloween movie - swaths of web draped across the garden.
The creatures left other trees and shrubs intact, although they were covered with a thick web.
““We didn’t want to use chemicals on them, so sought advice almost immediately - that was two weeks ago,” the owners told us.
“The garden centre staff told us to leave them alone, that they’d turn into moths and fly away. But they kept breeding, it was like they laid eggs, and soon there were thousands of small centipedes everywhere. They started producing this massive web - it covered the ground and other trees and bushes. The creatures spun to the ground, and then spun back up again, over and over.””
As the infestation of creatures - likely into the hundreds of thousands - spread closer to their home, with no signs of cessation, they contacted Irish Times columnist, Eithne Viney.
She said that the only possible response at that stage was to treat them with an insecticide.
“Otherwise, they will hatch into moths that will continue to attack the spindle,” she warned, which is exactly what had been happening.
This is a most unusual sight for Ireland, and is more commonly seen in the UK, but it is something that has never occurred in the 20 years since these Spindle trees were first planted!
Watch two videos taken during the height of the infestation:
