 |
| Box-tree Moth caterpillar (Cydalima perspectalis) |
Our poor Box hedge is doomed. Like all of the Box in southern England, it is under attack and daily getting weaker. The culprit? The Box-tree Moth (Cydalima perspectalis), whose voracious caterpillars devour the plant's leaves and sometimes strip the bark from its stems. Native to south-eastern Asia, the moths first arrived in the UK back in 2007, a year after they first arrived in mainland Europe; it's thought they were accidentally imported with shipments of Box from Asia. By 2014, they were well-established in London, and they've been expanding quickly out from there ever since. Though they have a range of natural predators, including parasitic wasps and flies, spiders, ants and some garden birds, they're proving quite difficult to control. Many of the Box hedges in the neighbouring village have been completely decimated, and ours is quickly following suit. Box-tree Moths have at least two generations per year, which compounds the problem. Females lay their rather flat, pale yellow eggs in overlapping rows on Box leaves. Those laid in late summer/autumn overwinter as small, early instar caterpillars, tucked snugly into shelters made of Box leaves webbed together with silk. As the days warm in early spring, they emerge to feast, growing rapidly. By June, the first generation has pupated and emerged as adults. (The rather handsome adult moth is pictured below.) Another generation of adults emerges in late July and August. Though we're hoping for some predator to make short work of our local invaders, we're becoming increasingly resigned to the fact that we'll probably have to eventually replace the hedge.
 |
| Adult (Mike's picture) |
