Germany battles aggressive outbreak of poisonous caterpillars
Germany is facing a dangerous outbreak of poisonous caterpillars, forcing authorities to close parks and warn residents to stay away from several outdoor areas.
The outbreak involves the **Eichenprozessionsspinner** (oak processionary moth caterpillars), whose bodies are covered in microscopic barbed hairs containing toxic substances. Contact with these hairs can cause skin rashes, **Bindehautentzündung** (conjunctivitis), breathing difficulties, and in severe cases, life-threatening allergic reactions such as anaphylactic shock. The hairs break off easily and can travel long distances through the wind, making them especially dangerous even without direct contact.
Berlin has become one of the hardest-hit areas, with **Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf**, **Spandau**, and **Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg** identified as major hotspots. Many of the city’s parks now resemble restricted crime scenes, surrounded by red-and-white warning tape to prevent people from approaching infected trees. Authorities in Spandau have urged residents to avoid **Wilhelm-von-Siemens-Park**, along with nearby schools, daycare centers, and surrounding streets.
Special cleanup teams wearing full protective hazmat suits are working to remove the caterpillar nests from trees using industrial vacuum machines normally designed for asbestos removal. In **Jungfernheide**, Berlin’s second-largest park, workers are using cherry pickers to reach nests as high as 20 meters above ground. Each caterpillar can carry around 700,000 toxic micro-hairs, weight removal extremely challenging and dangerous.
Officials say the infestation cannot be completely eliminated and are instead focusing on limiting the damage. Around 2,000 trees in Jungfernheide alone are affected. In some severe cases, workers spend an entire day cleaning a single tree containing hundreds of nests. Residents are being advised to wash clothes thoroughly after visiting parks and to keep windows and doors closed whenever possible.
The outbreak is not limited to Berlin. Major infestations have also been reported in **Hamburg** and **Nordrhein-Westfalen** (North Rhine-Westphalia). Experts say the caterpillars originally came from southern Europe and are spreading north due to hotter, drier weather linked to climate change. Environmental specialists warn that rising temperatures and biodiversity loss are helping these toxic insects expand rapidly across Germany.