The butterfly at San Giovanni La Punta municipal park, collars on trees to stop larvae

Last Updated: March 18, 2024

The Municipality of San Giovanni La Punta is working to eliminate the presence of a dangerous moth, the processionary caterpillar, from the city park, located in the province of Catania. The mayor, Antonino Bellia, is aware of the presence of the processionary caterpillars on the trees in the municipal park and has taken action to eradicate them by applying collars to intercept and collect the larvae. Unfortunately, some vandals removed the collars, prompting municipal workers to reapply them. Three days after the animal rights party raised the issue, the mayor responded by urging people to seek information from the relevant offices and verify the situation before making assumptions. He did not dispute the information provided by the animal rights party, which highlighted the danger the caterpillars pose to children and animals in the park. The issue had been previously reported, with the party criticizing the lack of intervention to prevent the infestation. The mayor did not address this criticism. The provided photo shows one of the collars used to prevent caterpillar larvae from falling to the ground in the park.