www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

HI Purplepixii,

Well - Portsmouth Council need their heads examining. It seems that "all moth larvae" have been given a bad press because of species such as the Brown Tail Moth, whose larvae can cause skin irritation. But this is ridiculous. You'd have to try very hard, in my opinion, to achieve such irritation from a Garden Tiger Moth, and the Lackey Moth larva doesn't really have any hair to speak of. Who in the council gave this advice?

I would personally need better photos of the third larva. The webs look extensive, but I'm not really a "moth" man.

Cheers,

- Pete

Hi Purplepixii

Congratulations on your identification skills!!

The web certainly looks typical of a Lackey Moth, and your local authority really should know better...!

Having said that, you would be ill advise to handle the Lackey larvae with bare hands as they do shed tiny hairs which can penetrate the the skin and cause mild irritation.

I would be very surprised if your sister-in-law-to-be had enough garden Tiger moth larvae to be a problem, but Lackey larvae in quantity can cause noticeable defoliation.

I you do feel like performing a little larval translocation, take the Lackey larvae out into the countryside and release them into a stout hedge containing Hawthorn or Blackthorn. You'll need to pack them in a box with a good fitting lid though; when Lackey moth larvae decide to move they're pretty mobile!!

All the best,

Felix.

Hi Felix

I can't take the credit for identifying them - that was done by members of a forum board I use regularly (Wild About Britain)

I'm going to go to Portsmouth tomorrow armed with a proper camera to get some better pics, then I think next weekend (Bank Holiday) my partner, daughter and I are going to go there armed with gloves and a lidded box and remove as many as we possibly can and relocate them somewhere else (probably Portsdown Hill). I'm looking forward to doing this, although I'm going to feel bad about destroying that magnificent "nest". However, at least I'll know made an attempt to save them instead of them going to a firey grave (grrrrrr).

When I was a kid I used to see loads of butterflies, but as an adult I seem to see less. I can't imagine there being even less (or none!) in a few generations' time. It's up to us to help nature when we can

Purplepixii

You're doing the right thing, Purplepixii. Shame on Portsmouth Council - its response was a knee jerk reaction, without the bit about the knees. It's true, lackey moth caterpillars can cause defoliation, but not nearly as much as cutting down a tree and burning it. They are not an environmental menace and are sufficiently conspicuous that anyone who objects to their presence can easily remove them - so there is no public service element to destroying these ones.

Guy

I note that Portsmouth City Council does not recommend such drastic action on its own website, which is rather more measured. There is a page there on the browntail moth:

http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/living/679.html

This page describes the lackey as a less harmful caterpillar than the browntail, and one which does not present a hazard to health. It also recommends removing the caterpillars or eggs manually, wearing rubber gloves, rather than destroying the plant they are on.

Guy

padfield wrote:its response was a knee jerk reaction, without the bit about the knees.
Guy

Felix.

As has been stated above, the Garden Tiger moth caterpillars will not be the ones responsible for this tent... They are, in fact becoming rarer and were once very common in gardens. If you look for an image of the adult on the web (no, the internet rather than that web!), you will see just how spectacular they are. Beautiful!...
The other caterpillars are indeed Lackey Moth caterpillars and can be identified by the little blue heads, complete with black "Eyes". They always look like they are smiling to me These do make tents, but I don't really think it is particularly dangerous to the tree... When I was a lad, I used to find trees looking like this near my school (a real treat) and could watch the caterpillars streaming up and down the tree. I would be tempted to leave well alone. Some moth larvae (Gypsy moth or Yellowtail in particular I think) can be a problem, but I don't think these should cause any lasting effects... The trees near my old school are still there... and that was a LONG time ago

Trev

Most seasons, there are two or three Lackey Larval webs on the Blackthorn, Hawthorn and even Oaks sometimes on my property. I'm always pleased to see them. Many of the Lackey larvae appear to be parasitised ~ always sad to see that. Garden Tigers are a spectacular moth. It's over ten years since I've seen one in my garden ~ my son Martin when he was small, found a larva in spring feeding extensively on of all things a potted Christmas cactus on our patio. He kept it and it produced a fine female sometime later feeding it on Dandelion leaves ~ exactly as I did nearly fifty years previously when the larvae could easily be found on any waste land in spring.

I suspect this hair business is to discourage insectivorous birds who would learn to recognise and avoid them next time.

The 'hairs' on many larvae can irritate some people. Never bothered me. A close schoolboy friend who was a keen and resourceful 'Moth hunter' and 'Butterflyer' never allowed his allergy to the hairs of Drinker, Lappet and Oak Eggar larvae we collected from the hedgerows back in the springs of the 1950s stop his interests. Sometimes large blotches would appear on his hands ~ like those swellings from a bad stinging nettle rash which also affects some folks ~ and he soon learned NOT to touch his face after handling larvae as even larger blotches would appear there.

Relatively harmless moth species I for one would regret losing from our countryside.
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