My home town is haunted by the loopers of the oak processionary moth. We are one of the two worst affected places in whole Germany currently. Evil little critters, the whole town is infested by their poisonous hairs, schools, kindergardens, sport festivals swimming places, parks in parts get sealed off. City cant get too many of these nests although they work on it with total priority, they approach 10.000 nests removed, with an expected 15-20 times as many nests being around. Those hairs can live for years, and the winds can send them on loooong journeys. Many peope already got stuck, so got I, additionally to a photodermatosis (pseudo allergy against light/UV-A) that i already had when I got struck, making thigns worse. It all itches like hell. Itching, this word found a new definition in my awareness this year., and the meds recommended do not help much. Summer's not too good to me so far. I bought special new clothing, with tropical hardenign factors to avoid both the radiation and possible flying looper hairs. No short shirts or trousers.
Its every five years like this, some biological metacycle, but so bad as this year it has never been before, last year already was noticably worse, but this years tops it all. And even just burnign them off the trees is dangerous, since then more hairs get spread and get lifted higher into the air by the heat rising.
Argh!
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