It can be done without chemicals: Mallorca’s Club de Golf Alcanada, the venue for the Rolex Grand Final, has now taken up the fight against the pine processionary moth in an environmentally friendly way. With the help of renowned ornithologist Cristina Fiol from GEAN (Management, Studies and Nature Activities), the club has installed 30 nesting boxes on the golf course and surrounding grounds. The boxes are intended to attract two insectivorous birds to nest and breed: the Spottet Flycatcher and the Great Tit, which feeds specifically on the caterpillar of the pine processionary moth.
Significant increase in the pest
The pine processionary moth, a moth native to the southern Mediterranean and elsewhere, is known for its irritant hairs that can cause allergic reactions in humans and animals, and takes its name from the damage it can cause to trees.In recent years, the increase in pine processionary moths has caused major problems for the club’s many pine trees and other native wildlife. Conventional methods of controlling the caterpillar population are proving increasingly ineffective as numbers continue to increase.
Kristoff Both, Director of Club de Golf Alcanada, commented: “Though we try to leave our native environment as undisturbed as possible, in recent years it became clear that more steps were necessary to control the population of Pine Processionary caterpillars in order to preserve the trees and other wildlife around the course.”
“Tackling the problem by encouraging native birds to nest here is an ideal solution because it doesn’t entail huge amounts of chemicals, and we will now keep a careful eye on the areas around holes seven, eight and nine to monitor the success of the initiative.”
