Playgrounds are being closed in Denmark: "Caterpillar from Hell" is approaching Finland

The "caterpillar from hell" has approached the borders of Finland. This is reported by Ilta-Sanomat.

"In June, observations were made in Berlin, Germany, in July, first around Denmark, and a couple of days later on Gotland, Sweden. The larva of the oak weevil, Thaumetopoea processionea, also known as the infernal caterpillar, approaches the borders of Finland from the south in summer," the note says.

According to the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, the danger is not the caterpillars themselves, but the prickly hairs of the larva, which can cause severe allergic reactions in humans, such as skin lesions, cough, sore throat, itching, rash, water blisters and inflammation.

In Germany, meanwhile, they are finding out who is responsible for the situation. In Berlin, they are looking for an emergency solution to the problem due to the spread of the larva, Deutsche Welle reports.❶❷.

According to the Danish broadcaster DR, playgrounds, a kindergarten and a recycling point were closed in Denmark due to the fact that visitors had corresponding symptoms. Local authorities have concluded that the larva cannot be destroyed, but its spread can be limited.

As the Finnish newspaper notes, prickly hairs containing poison penetrate the human skin and can irritate it. They also easily separate from the larvae and fly away.

The larva of the oak spinner lives on oak trees, where it eats the leaves of trees. According to Dagens Nyheter, the species is naturally found in Southern Europe, but in recent decades have moved much further north. Previously, mass outbreaks of this pest have been repeatedly recorded in Germany.

❶An organization performing the functions of a foreign agent

❷An organization whose activities are deemed undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation