These tiny caterpillars were found in a nest under the eves of an Esperance garage. Photo: Darren Darch.
An Esperance pest controller responded to a call from a Dempster Street resident about a nest of tiny caterpillars attached to the eves of her garage last week.
She was worried it might be the invasive species Lymantria dispar dispar known as the European gypsy moth.
Wikipedia says it has caused widespread defoliation in North America, costing the economies millions of dollars in damages and making birds’ nests easier targets for predators.
“The caterpillar has been reported to produce a poison ivy–like rash when some people come into contact with the hairs of the larvae (caterpillar) stage,” the article says.
However photographs sent to DBCA in Perth came back with the message that it was a different species which is native to Australia and part of the Lymantriinae sub-family, sometimes called tussock moths.
The bad news is that the caterpillars also have little hairs which irritate human skin.
