Allergenic Oak Processionary Larva Found at Danish School

All parents with children at the school have been informed that larval nests have been found in all oak trees on the school grounds, also on a bench at a playground.

The students, in turn, have been told not to play in certain areas. During the day, the Odense municipality will send out an inspection group that will remove the larvae from the school grounds.

The larva is called the oak processionary and is mainly found on the Iberian Peninsula with a further distribution up through large parts of Central Europe. Recently, it has spread in and around the city of Odense in southern Denmark.

In Danish media, it has come to be called the "larva from hell", because the larva's hairs are toxic and can cause both rashes and breathing difficulties.