Overview
- The district will deploy a helicopter over parts of the Drömling biosphere reserve and nearby areas, with routes and dates still being finalized after regulators and environmental groups approved the flights.
- Officials say about 750 hectares of oak stands are infested, which the county leader describes as among the most severe sites in Germany.
- A county risk analysis found aerial treatment permissible inside protected zones of the reserve.
- Teams aim to act before the caterpillars grow stinging hairs that can cause rashes, eye irritation, and breathing problems in people.
- Residents can use the DWD’s PHENTHAUproc map that models local moth stages to guide timing, though it does not show where infestations exist or how intense they are.