The Forestry Health Service of the Regional Ministry of the Environment and Territory plans to begin aerial treatment this week, depending on weather conditions, as part of the campaign against the pine processionary moth in the northeast of the island of Eivissa. This treatment will be applied only to the forests of the municipalities of Sant Joan and Santa Eulària, the most affected by the presence of this insect, during the remainder of October and the month of November.

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The aerial treatment will be applied for 5 days and then a second round will be carried out at least 10 days after the end of the first round. This is the second year of application of the treatment after an incipient outbreak of the pest was declared last year in the north-east of the island. The phytosanitary product to be applied will be the same as in the first campaign: Bacillus thuringiensis variety kurstaki. This is a biological product, a bacterium found naturally in the soil and on plants. It can only remain on the leaves for a few days, as it is rapidly degraded by ultraviolet rays. It does not affect bees and can be used in organic farming.

In addition to the aerial treatment, a ground treatment with the same product is also applied. In addition, during the summer months, some 3,500 pheromone traps have been placed all over the island and some 8,000 bags have been eliminated between January and March this year, almost double that of 2021 when some 4,800 were eliminated.

On 5 October, Forestry Health organised an informative session to explain the actions planned to control the pine processionary moth in Eivissa. During the meeting, an informative leaflet published this year was handed out.