With spring also comes the time of the oak processionary moth. In Leipzig, the larvae, whose hairs can cause severe allergic reactions, skin irritation and breathing difficulties in humans and animals, are now also being combated biologically, as the city announced.
The application of nematodes is being tested on infested oak trees in Leipzig's particularly heavily used green spaces in Clara Zetkin Park, the Old Johannis Cemetery and Friedenspark. These nematodes penetrate the caterpillars of the oak processionary moth and cause them to die.
The nematodes used are completely harmless to humans, pets and other animals and pose no danger to plants either, it said. The measure has been coordinated with the lower nature conservation authority.
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