Can be responsible for spiritual distress and suffocation: Now the 'larva from hell' must die

A white-clad army of gardeners has gone to war today. The target is a larva, which has received the rather unflattering nickname 'the larva from hell'. The larva with the less than appealing name, the oak processionary moth, was first discovered in Denmark about three weeks ago in the form of approximately 800 nests on trees in southeastern Odense.

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> It's like rolling in a bramble bush ten times.

> Bent Jensen, Copenhagen University

The larva itself is four to five centimeters long and has a mass of very long, poisonous hairs. When it moves, it often moves in a procession of sorts, hence the name processionary moth.

- And there can be thousands in such a procession, says Bent Jensen, who is a forest and landscape engineer at Copenhagen University.

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Choking and suffocation

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And it's no joke that the larva is beaten to a pulp with the devil and other dangerous relatives, says Bent Jensen.

- I liken it to rolling in a bramble bush ten times. One can get serious rashes, that is, a strong allergic reaction. If it gets in the airways, the mucous membranes can swell up and in the worst case lead to what is called an anaphylactic shock.

Anaphylactic shock is a strong and life-threatening allergic reaction to, for example, medicine, food, or insect and animal venom. The development of anaphylactic shock is life-threatening, and the condition should be treated immediately.

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> Technically speaking, one is choked.

> Bent Jensen, Copenhagen University

- Technically speaking, one is choked. There are no serious examples yet, but there are examples of people who have had anaphylactic shock from being too close to the larva, he says.

Therefore, the desire is also to limit the outbreak as much as possible as quickly as possible, says Anders Skovgaard Madsen, who is head of Leisure, Park, and Roads in Odense Municipality.

- Our ambition is that we can make a big dent in the number this year to limit the outbreak. But it is not unlikely that it is something we will work with next year as well.

And the prediction is Bent Jensen in agreement with. He does not believe that one can eradicate the larva completely.

- I am personally a bit worried that there are too many present.

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Everything must be washed

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When Martin Sparvath and his employees from gardening firm Sparvath from today set the troops in motion, it is of course both with heavy equipment and with safety at the top.

With long lances, they spray nearly boiling water with foam onto the nests in the oak trees. This kills the hairs in the nests and breaks the nests apart. What falls down, the troops collect in yellow bags.

Safety is at the top when the invasive larva oak processionary moth is to be eradicated. However, it is uncertain whether one can get around it, says an expert. (Photo: © Morten Mørch)

And they are therefore dressed in white suits and scuba-diver-like masks. And after the work is done, both uniforms, lances, and riders must be thoroughly washed to minimize the risk of the invasive larva leaving traces.

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> We are completely sure with the method we use.

> Martin Sparvath, gardener

Despite the risk, Martin Sparvath is not nervous, he says.

- We are completely sure with the method we use. The risk is very small, so we are very confident, and the citizens can also be when they pass by us. They should just keep a little distance.

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The larva must be monitored

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Now the larva is so far only present in Odense as the only place in the country. But how quickly they will spread to other parts of the country, one does not know, explains Bent Jensen.

- We are now working at the university to set up a monitoring program so that we can follow when the larva breaks out in Denmark, when it moves to the third stage, and when it comes out as a nightflyer.

And what should one do to avoid being infected by the devilish larva? Bent Jensen says:

- One can be a little rough to say that one should avoid getting close to it and coming into contact with it. But if it happens anyway, I would recommend contacting the nearest emergency room or the Poison Control Center at Bispebjerg Hospital.

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