A Walk to the Beach: Spain Part 1

March 31, 2017

It was an extremely early start to catch the 6.30 flight to Alicanti but both Diane and I were keen to grab our cameras and venture into the cool sunshine that Guardamar provided. We wandered down to the beach through a pine grove searching for flowers and anything we considered to be interesting. Not everything we encountered was safe. There, hanging from several pine trees, were the infamous processionary caterpillar nests.

The pine processionary moth flies around May to July and only lives for about one day during which time it must mate and lay its eggs in the foliage of a pine tree. A single female can lay up to 300 tiny eggs and it takes around a month for them to hatch. Once they have hatched, the minute caterpillars have five growth stages called ‘instars’.

During their third moult or instar they build the white cotton-wool like nest and continue to feed on the pine leaves until the fifth instar. This usually happens any time from February to April.At this point, the caterpillars (procesionaria del pino) make their way to the ground in a long chain searching for the next place in their life cycle. This behaviour gives them the name of the ‘processionary caterpillar’.

You can recognise them by their distinctive orange-brown colour and blue bands.Eventually they will disperse to burrow just below the ground where they will pupate. Before this happens they can be a danger to humans and other mammals. It is the hairs of the caterpillars that can cause problems. If they are touched or poked they cause a nasty rash and give off dust that can cause respiratory problems. They are particularly toxic for children and animals.

If the caterpillar is stressed or threatened it can eject its hairs which act a little like harpoons and can penetrate or irritate any exposed skin. Dogs are particularly susceptible as they will pick up the hairs on their paws and then lick them as they start to itch. This then leads to the hairs being transferred on to the animal’s tongue and can result in itching, swelling, vomiting and even death.

I am not sure I would get so close again having read the above information!