Posted on 18/10/2016 14:39
This year there are almost no chestnuts on either of the trees in my garden. Plenty of berries on Rowan and Hawthorn - might even say a bumper crop. So why no chestnuts? Is this happening throughout Britain? Will the trees be next in getting banned because of Health and Safety perceptions?
Posted on 19/10/2016 19:34
A citizen science study, involving more than 3,500 people, has revealed the spread and establishment of the horse chestnut leaf-miner in the UK.
It also suggests that a native species of wasp that preys on the tiny insect will not be able to curb its impact.
Caterpillars of the non-native moth tunnel through leaves of infested trees, causing them to turn autumnal brown, even in the middle of summer.
The arrival of the leaf-miner moth and a disease called "bleeding canker", which can kill an infected horse chestnut, meant that local authorities were reluctant to plant them.
"This does suggest that the long-term prognosis for these beautiful trees is not actually that good and they will become rarer and rarer," Dr Pocock, of the Univerity of Hull, suggested.
Posted on 19/10/2016 21:23
A citizen science study, involving more than 3,500 people, has revealed the spread and establishment of the horse chestnut leaf-miner in the UK.
It also suggests that a native species of wasp that preys on the tiny insect will not be able to curb its impact.
Caterpillars of the non-native moth tunnel through leaves of infested trees, causing them to turn autumnal brown, even in the middle of summer.
The arrival of the leaf-miner moth and a disease called "bleeding canker", which can kill an infected horse chestnut, meant that local authorities were reluctant to plant them.
"This does suggest that the long-term prognosis for these beautiful trees is not actually that good and they will become rarer and rarer," Dr Pocock, of the Univerity of Hull, suggested.
saw an article, I think on a wildlife programme, which said a fairly successful way keep the leaf infestation in check was to collect the leaves and burn them. Prevents the pupating leaf miner moths from hatching. The trees will recover if not reinfested on a subsequent year
around us, some trees infected, some not, but the conkers aren't prolific
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