Bristol/Hull - Miner moth, major threat

The public are being asked to help track the spread of a moth that is threatening the future of the UK's horse chestnut trees. Researchers from the universities of Bristol and Hull are asking people to record online whether horse chestnut trees in their area have whitish leaf blotches caused by the caterpillar of the leaf miner moth, which arrived in the UK in 2002. Infested trees shed leaves earlier, produce smaller conkers and are more susceptible to disease. The project also hopes to discover how long after infestation it takes Diglyphus isaea, a wasp species that eats the caterpillars, to appear on the scene.