An infestation of box tree caterpillars in South Gloucestershire gardens has caused so much destruction that many residents have had to get rid of hedges and trees. Some residents in the Oldland Common and Warmley areas have noticed their trees and hedges suddenly developing brown or fallen leaves, as the caterpillars have well and truly taken over.
Cobweb-like structures can also be seen within the plants, with vast numbers of caterpillars setting up home. And, while plants can survive being stripped of their leaves and foliage, experts say successive defoliation will weaken them.
In a local Facebook group for the area, hundreds of local residents posted to say they had found the caterpillars in their box plants and were at a loss as to what they could do to save their gardens. A number of them described how the caterpillars had "destroyed" or "decimated" multiple bushes and trees in as little as a week.
