As responsible gardeners with positive attitudes to insects and biodiversity, it’s a bitter pill to swallow when vine weevil, carrot fly and aphids take hold – let alone the processionary moth caterpillar which can cause rashes and breathing difficulties.
Dr Andrew Salisbury, RHS principal entomologist, says: “We don’t want to automatically label things as pests, because as soon as you do that people think they have to control it.
