21 August 2013 – CABI’s Dr Marc Kenis was interviewed by the Swiss television station, Canal Alpha, about the evolving threat of the box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) in the Jura region – an area north of the western Alps. The moths are capable of rapidly defoliating native box plants and may upset the natural balance of the local ecosystem.
Talking about the box tree moths, Dr Kenis commented, “They have been found in Switzerland since 2007, and in Jura since 2010, but this year the population of caterpillars and their damage has exploded in the region. They are an insect from Asia that was probably brought here accidentally, but now they question the survival of the natural ecosystem.”
Dr Kenis talks about the box tree moth population explosion in the Jura in this video (in French). Dr Kenis will hold a conference in Delémont on 20 September 2013 to discuss measures to control this threat.