The State Plant Protection Service (VAAD) received reports this week of brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea) population outbreaks in the Zemgale region: in the areas of Zaļenieki, Jaunbērze and Īslīce.

The natural distribution range of this insect species includes Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East. The brown-tail moth is a part of Latvia's fauna, but until now it has never experienced a mass outbreak.

In 2021, a brown-tail moth outbreak was observed for the first time in Zemgale, near Tērvete. In cooperation with the State Forest Service and specialists from the Latvian State Forest Research Institute 'Silava', the VAAD carried out activities to identify the extent of the brown-tail moth outbreak: they deployed pheromone traps to determine the spread of the moth, and also carried out an assessment of its distribution in the autumn once the moths had finished flying. It was concluded that a mass outbreak of the brown-tail moth was not observable outside the identified location. Although the Latvian public was asked to report sightings of the pest, none of the reports received last year confirmed a brown-tail moth outbreak outside the already identified location in Tērvete.
Photo by Agnis Šmits used
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