Berlin parks shut as poisonous processionary caterpillar spreads across Europe

Berlin authorities have closed several parks, including Jungfernheide in Charlottenburg‑Wilmersdorf, after an outbreak of the processionary caterpillar (Thaumetopoea processionea) deposited toxic hairs on trees. Workers in full protective suits and ventilated masks are using asbestos‑grade vacuum cleaners to remove nests, clearing about 20 trees per day; one tree housed 800 nests. Officials estimate roughly 2,000 trees are affected and each caterpillar carries up to 700,000 irritating hairs. Residents are urged to wash clothing thoroughly after visiting parks.

Across Germany, the infestation is described as the most severe in decades. Cities have deployed the same high‑capacity vacuums and, in some cases, flamethrowers to destroy nests, despite the risk of dispersing hairs into the air. The measures have forced the closure of parks, school yards and senior‑home gardens, with municipal costs reaching several hundred thousand euros per city. Warmer, drier springs are enabling the caterpillar to move northward, and similar warnings have been issued in Poland, England and the Czech Republic, where the larvae also pose allergy risks to people and pets.