Besides treating the oaks, why not ask the wildlife for a helping hand? By installing chickadee nesting boxes in trees, for example!
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“Each time, you have to act quickly because the birds will not be able to eat all the processionary caterpillars”, warns the nature enthusiast. By respecting the right timing. “During the breeding season, a tit can eat 500 to 600 caterpillars per day to feed its young. In the spring, just as the butterfly eggs hatch. “
The idea is to place the wooden or concrete-wood nesting box at the right height, “facing south / south-east, with a flight hole of up to 32 millimeters in diameter”.
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The cuckoo, a great ally
Another effective predator: the cuckoo! “He has the advantage of swallowing the caterpillars with their stinging hairs. Once his crop is full, he will just have to spit out the pocket. It is the only bird to do that, ”admires the Fameckois.
As for bats, they will feed on these moths. “To attract them, we can promote lodgings like in Pange. This nocturnal animal is rather voracious. ”
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