The pine processionary caterpiller (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) plague was declared on Formentera in 2007 and since then it has spread throughout the forests of the island, from Cap de Barbaria, where it began, to La Mola. There is no turning back, that is, it is impossible to eradicate it and the only thing we can aspire to is to control its spread.
The general director of Natural Spaces and Biodiversity of the Balearic Govern, Llorenç Mas, recalled that this situation of no return of the pest is also present in Mallorca and Menorca, with Ibiza being “the least affected”.
“The pine processionary is established throughout the Mediterranean, in Mallorca and Menorca. The only difference is that it arrived later on Ibiza and Formentera”.
He pointed out that when the plague was declared on Formentera, “efforts were made to try to maintain the lowest possible numbers as long as possible.” Among those efforts was aerial treatment “to try to contain the pest.” Specifically, his department spent about 220,000 euros per year over five years on aerial spraying operations.
Mas pointed out that “with technical criteria on the effectiveness and cost of these measures, it has been concluded that aerial treatments are worth doing as early as possible when a plague is emerging, that is why in Mallorca and Menorca we won’t even consider it.”
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