Oak processionary experiment with bird houses for the great tit has been carried out since 2016. It has been observed that the great tit likes to eat the young, not yet hairy caterpillars in the month of April. In serious cases of contamination, the use of relatively mild chemical pest killers has been allowed by local authorities. Because chemicals may be harmful to other insects, an alternative is the use of vacuuming equipment to remove the caterpillars, followed by incinerating the caught specimens. Oak processionary The oak processionary "(Thaumetopoea processionea)" is a moth whose caterpillars can be found in oak forests. They
Animal and Plant Health Agency Animal and Plant Health Agency The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), formerly known as the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) of the United Kingdom. It was formed in its current state on 1 October 2014, when AHVLA was expanded by adding parts of the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), including the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI). AHVLA had originally been established on 1 April 2011 by a merger of two former agencies, Animal Health and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. The agency's