This unusually warm winter has confused bugs and insects so that the bees are out and about… as are the toxic pine-tree caterpillars.

Now, these things really are nasty and should a dog get one in its mouth, it is likely to lose its tongue – and that’s the best case scenario. Just sniffing at the blighters could be fatal. If you see your dog anywhere near a string of them, get him down to the vet to be on the safe side.

If you have pine trees in your garden with the telltale ‘candy-floss’ nests in branches then sooner or later you are going to have strings of caterpillars inching their way along the ground; hence their Spanish name, orugas procesionarias.

If you discover a line of them making their way across a path, etc do not, whatever you do, use a yard broom on them, as this will only disperse their toxic hairs – get a hose pipe onto them, making sure that that your inquisitive mutt is locked up in the house whilst you do.

Now, it is precisely because these caterpillars are such a problem, Salobreña has taken steps to combat them within the municipality this year.

The Environmental Department at the Town Hall has hired a pest-killer company, Sanisur, to tackle the nests in the pine trees. They will cut out the branches with the nests attached and burn them. They will also treat the trees with a poison to prevent them getting infected again.

The most affected areas in town are Monte de los Almendros, The Paseo de la Flores and the north part of the township, as well as all the rural areas, of course.

Finally, we do have an ally just around the corner – the cold spell forecast for next week, which should keep them in check as they can’t survive temperatures below 12C.

Viva el Inverno!

(News: Salobreña, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)