Pyrale du buis – An invasion of tree killers

Pyrale du buis, or Cydalima perspectalis, is a nocturnal moth originally from China. While their favourite laying tree is boxwood, hence their English name Boxwood Moth, they will lay their eggs on most trees and bushes. The ensuing caterpillars devastate the host plant/tree. They have the capacity in sufficient numbers to denude gardens and even kill forests.Each Pyrale du buis female  can lay up to a thousand eggs on the underside of tree leaves. The Pyrale du buis caterpillars then proceed to eat their way through the tender parts of the leaves leaving their hosts completely denuded. This in turn most often kills their host. there is a vesy handy guide to their reproductive cycle here, in French, as well as a whole host of information about these boxwood moths and ways to protect your trees and garden. .

Pyrale du buis were first seen in Europe in 2006 in Germany. They have since spread throughout France and are now present in 51 departments of the country. They arrived in the Langudoc in 2015. And they are here now, great clouds of them.

They arrived at Montrouch on Saturday morning, leaving for the markets at 5am they covered they covered the windscreens of our vehicles. They seem to be particularly attracted to water, hundreds of them are under the young basils and parsely, which are the plants we water most vigilantly, they also seem to have a thing for Preilla, and Asian herb,  but more on the damp soil and not so much on the leaves. The watering cans are full of drowned Pyrales.

This morning, Tuesday, most seem to have gone and I have been round the plants looking for Pyrale eggs on the underside of the leaves, so far we seem to have got away with it. just to be sure I am going to go round the roses and prune them right back. They are going into their dormant period anyway so they will be fine.

So fingers and toes crossed we seem to have survived the invasion.