Garden: Attract Tits To Combat Processionary Caterpillars
If your garden is overrun by highly stinging caterpillars, know that a bird common in our latitudes can help you get rid of these unwanted pests. The blue tit and the great tit are among the greatest natural predators of these insects. We will explain how to attract tits to your garden to fight against processionary caterpillars without resorting to insecticides.
How to recognize processionary caterpillars?
Pine or oak processionary caterpillars are hairy caterpillars that can be seen moving in single file on tree trunks. They advance in a procession, hence their name!
These insects, which have spread throughout France, are considered harmful and dangerous to human health due to their very urticating hairs. Even without touching them, one can be exposed to their hairs or bristles which embed in the skin, eyes, or mucous membranes and release a toxin.
In case of an invasion in the garden, it is therefore very important to react quickly to get rid of these stinging caterpillars. A common bird species in France can help you get rid of them: tits. It is beneficial to attract them to your garden to combat the caterpillars, either preventively or curatively, without resorting to insecticides.
What is the effectiveness of tits against processionary caterpillars?
If you are wondering which animal eats processionary caterpillars, know that bats feast on them as soon as night falls.
Some common birds in France are also natural predators of this insect, such as the common cuckoo, the great spotted cuckoo, the long-tailed tit, the coal tit, the blue tit, and the great tit.
All these species of tits are particularly fond of processionary caterpillars. It is estimated that a single pair of tits can consume more than 500 caterpillars per day: an appetite sufficient to limit the proliferation of these pests during the warm season!
Warning: if you discover a nest of pine processionary caterpillars in your garden, do not try to destroy it yourself! As with an Asian hornet or wasp nest, it is essential to call a professional. Inquire at your town hall or the Fredon network in your region (see the link below).
How to attract tits to the garden?
To encourage tits to settle in your garden, you need to offer them shelter and food. In practice, even if some of your trees are infested with tasty processionary caterpillars, you must also provide these birds with good nesting conditions.
In winter, you can start by installing a tit nest box at your place before the birds' nesting period. Choose a quiet location, away from paths and sheltered from bad weather. Fill the nest box with fat balls or seeds to feed the birds during winter.
You will then need to stop providing this food when the caterpillar processions begin so that the tits don't choose the easiest solution and instead target the insects.
Tits like to take shelter from predators in shrubs or hedges bearing nourishing berries. Another tip to attract them to your garden is to plant species such as spindle, hawthorn, viburnum, or wild rose.
Among the plants that can attract them to your garden, also note lavender and mint! These two aromatic plants appeal to tits because their scent repels parasites and protects their nests from certain unwanted guests.
