The very hungry caterpillar destroying our gardens: Jump in number of Asian box tree species that can reduce hedges to bare branches in days
- The Asian box tree caterpillar is chomping its way through London gardens
- Reports of infestations have soared from 20 in 2014 to 150 so far this year
- The pest arrived in Europe in 2007 and was first reported in the UK in 2008
- Several hundred can coat a plant at any one time - decimating gardens
An invasive caterpillar capable of reducing garden hedges to bare skeletons is spreading from London across the UK, experts warn.
The gluttonous Asian box tree can gnaw its way through box hedges within days of hatching, wreaking havoc on prized gardens.
Reports of infestations have dramatically increased this year, leaping from 20 in 2014 to 150 so far this year. Just three reports were recorded in 2011.
Previously only found in parts of South West London, the voracious, inch-long pest has rapidly spread beyond the M25 and into Essex.
Menace: Asian box tree caterpillars are chomping their way through London's prized gardens
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) say they now receive three to four reports of infestations of Diaphania perspectalis a day.
Several hundred can coat a plant at any one time, decimating gardens before owners even spot the infestation.
Dr Hayley Jones, an entomologist with the RHS, said: ‘The key thing is that it is established - it has survived throughout the winter and is breeding.
‘It has a foot in the door and is now building up in numbers.’
The gluttonous pest arrived in Europe in 2007 and was first reported in the UK in 2008, when it established itself in parts of London.
Experts believe it originated in China and arrived in the UK after flying over the English Channel or stowing away on container ships.
An infested hedge can contain several hundred of the caterpillars, which leave a ghostly trail of webbing in place of the foliage.
Its pale yellow eggs are laid in sheets on the underside of the leaves, making them hard to spot.
Once hatched, they begin eating through the host plant, spinning sticky and strong webs around leaves and twigs to hide themselves.
The gluttonous Asian box tree can gnaw its way through box hedges within days of hatching, wreaking havoc on prized gardens (file picture)
The larvae can reach 4cm long and it is though that two to three generations of moth can hatch in a year.
Although not commonly found in the wild, box plants have been a staple of English gardens for hundreds of years.
Topiary expert James Crebbin-Bailey told the BBC: ‘The caterpillars just eat the whole thing, it’s unreal.
‘But if you are vigilant and keep checking, you can stop them spreading. The first line of defence is to use a pheromone trap to kill the adult moths. Then use a pesticide, or you can pick them off and squash them.’
Penny Tham returned from a ten-day holiday to find the 40-year-old box balls in her garden decimated.
‘It’s devastating, like a bereavement,’ she told the BBC. ‘The speed is extraordinary. One of mine is practically dead and it only started showing signs a couple of days ago.’
Guy Barter of the RHS has previously warned: ‘The caterpillars and fungi could do for gardens what ash die-back has done for the countryside, transforming them completely.’
The organisation is warned people to inspect plants for early signs of an infestation. They also recommend quarantining plants for three weeks after purchasing them, and to avoid overhead watering which can foster humid conditions.
The caterpillar is separate to box blight, a fungus that has infected gardens across the UK.
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