A “BIBLICAL” plague of “super-pest” moths, wasps and rats are set to invade the UK amid the Sahara bubble heatwave.
Gardeners and farmers are being warned about swarms of millions of diamondback moths arriving on our shores this month from Scandinavia, threatening to wipe out cabbage and cauliflower crops.
These clouds of moths, which can travel distances of more than 2,000miles, have already been spotted in Cornwall, Norfolk and Yorkshire.
Experts are warning the upcoming heatwave could lead to an “explosion” of bugs by the end of the growing season.
Craig Snell, a Met Office forecaster, told The Sun Online: “The heat at the end of this week can be traced back to North Africa, but that heat has seeped into Spain and France, which will see record-breaking temperatures.
“That will then seep into the UK as we go into Friday and Saturday.”
An increase in wasp numbers is also predicted as the mercury will continue to rise this weekend.
Natalie Bungay, a technical officer for the British Pest Control Association, told The Sun Online: “With all insects they really thrive in balmy, warm, hot weather that is how their metabolism works.
“There will always be more of them in warmer temperatures. Its going to bring more insects, flies, wasps and bees.”
Ms Bungay said: “If you have actually got a nest in your garden or compost heap or rafters of your house then you can have that treated.
“We recommend calling in professional pest controllers because they have the right equipment.
“We advise against DIY jobs as they get pretty angry and there is risk of getting stung.”
Another pest homeowners and gardeners are being warned about are rats.
Mrs Bengay said: “We are seeing more than normal call outs for rodents and specifically rats.
“It’s possibly the warm weather and there is more fruit on the ground so they aren’t going as far for food and staying close where they stayed during the winter.
“Make sure your food waste is taken care of or else they well get in to it and make sure you get rid of any waste wood you may not have got around to yet because rats can live amongst it.”
An alert has been issued to farmers by by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) – an advisory body to British growers.
The moths are considered a “super pest” and a major threat to British crops that have an estimated worth of £265million because they are resistant to most insecticides and have a fast life-cycle.
A female can lay up to 300 eggs on a plant and when they hatch a few days later the centimetre-long insects munch on the leaves.
AHDB is currently seeking emergency authorisation from Defra for farmers to use potent insecticide Benevia 10OD in a bid to try and contain the outbreak.
One farm in Cornwall has crops including cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and kale.
William Illife, the agronomist for Southern England Farms in Hayle, complained: “The moths are currently everywhere.
“As you walk through the crops, it seems like there are thousands flying up.”
If we have warm weather favourable for mating of the moths, we could well be looking at another biblical plague of these moths that will take out brassica crops like in 2016
Dr Steve Foster, senior scientist at Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, Herts.
In Yorkshire and Kent the swarms of moths have been described as “clouds” and in the “100,000’s minimum”.
Dr Steve Foster, senior scientist at Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, Herts., described the super pest plague from Scandinavia to a ‘”Viking invasion”.
He said: “It has been a bad, bad year for diamondback moths in Denmark. Now they are arriving, especially on our east coast, from Scandinavia.
“If we have warm weather favourable for mating of the moths, we could well be looking at another biblical plague of these moths that will take out brassica crops like in 2016.”
Bolette Palle Neve, AHDB’s crop protection senior scientist, warned the moths are resistant to pyrethroid insecticides – typically a farmers’ weapon of choice to guard against pests.
She said: “From the numbers being caught in traps this month, we have seen a very big migration of diamondback moths to the east coast.
“The adults will have laid eggs in the crops and we are now seeing the caterpillars emerging.
“We know the arrival of significant numbers of diamondback moths is a big concern for brassica growers.
“However, it’s important growers do not turn to pyrethroids to protect their crop as they are likely to have little effect on the moths and could affect insects which naturally attack them.
“We know from our trials over recent years that Benevia works very well for control of diamondback moths, so we are trying to secure an emergency authorisation from Defra as soon as we can for growers to be able to use it.”
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